Everyone is different and unique, also at fighting diseases. Medicine found out, long ago, that the more complex a disease is, the more important the impact of individual variability on its outcome. To address this situation, threatening to render broad-spectrum treatments useless, researchers all over the world are focusing on personalized medicine as a new hope.

The underlying principle behind personalized medicine is that every disease may present different forms, and every patient carries its own set of genetic features. Both the former and the latter interact with each other, and also with the available drugs, influencing the overall effectiveness of the treatment. Knowing this network of interactions may help choosing the best possible therapeutic option for each patient.

What makes so many people react so differently to the same pathogen or condition? Knowledge is key, and experts on COVID-19, cancer research, immunity and many more, from all over the world, gathered online for three days, April 7th to 9th 2021, at the PEMED 2021 International Conference.

The event, under the scientific direction of Professor Manel Esteller, director of the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute, offered 41 insightful talks from top researchers, leading to fruitful discussions between the speakers and the attendees in the Q&A allocated time. Also, to foster debate among attendees, an engaging networking virtual space was set where all could meet together and, perhaps, sow the seed of future collaborations.