The strategic development of the Cyprus Institute of Neurology & Genetics (CING), with a focus on new state-of-the-art infrastructure, international research collaborations and the strengthening of services for patients with rare diseases, have been presented by Prof. Leonidas A. Phylactou, CING's CEO and Medical Director.
During his speech entitled 'The Role of CING in Caring for Patients with Rare Diseases,' at the 'Advancement of Treatments for Rare Diseases' conference in Nicosia, he noted that the Institute is steadily moving into its new era, implementing a strategic expansion of its infrastructure which, as he said, "will change the landscape in the region."
As Phylactou mentioned, with funding from the European Union, the Cypriot Government and the European Investment Bank, CING is strengthening the sustainability of its programs through international resources, such as Horizon Europe, EU4Health and Erasmus+.
At the heart of this development are the new, state-of-the-art building facilities totaling 11,400 square meters, which will house new research teams in developing scientific fields and offer advanced technological infrastructure to enhance applied research, innovation and commercialization.
At the same time, the new 400 square meter Physiotherapy Center is being completed, which will provide specialised hydrotherapy and aqua therapy services. According to Phylactou, the new state-of-the-art infrastructure creates new horizons of expansion, offers unique opportunities to researchers, students, scientists and doctors and ensures even more and better quality benefits for patients.
Referring to the Institute's role in the care of patients with rare diseases, Professor Phylactou emphasised that the scientific activity of the Institute has a direct impact on the daily lives of patients, offering substantial benefits in diagnosis, treatment, the development of disease monitoring indicators, the understanding of disease mechanisms and epidemiological studies.
In this context, the Institute actively participates in leading international interventional clinical trials, as well as in important non-interventional studies on Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and the INCbase program on inflammatory neuropathy. National recognition of the Institute as a Center of Excellence and Reference Center by the Ministry of Health is combined with its international presence as a full member of four European Reference Networks.
In his statement, Phylactou also recalled that CING was founded in 1990 as a non-profit private organisation of public interest with the support of the Republic of Cyprus and was the first specialised centre in Cyprus to introduce Neurology, Medical Genetics, Molecular Diagnosis and Biomedical Sciences.
Today it operates as a comprehensive triple Translational Medicine Center, combining medical services, research and academic education, while offering seven specialised MSc and PhD programs and collaborating closely with the Medical Schools of Cyprus.
Its clinical excellence is confirmed by the international CHKS accreditation of Specialized Neurological Centers and as the only Tertiary Care Clinical Genetic Center in Cyprus, as well as by the ISO 17025, ISO 15189 and CAP accreditations of its laboratories.
The conference was organised by the Cyprus Institute of Neurology & Genetics (CING) and the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, within the framework of the events of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
(Source: InBusinessNews)
