02.06.2022

Digital Medicine Consortium Supports Innovation

Interview of Elisaveta Beleganska with Prof. Anastas Gerdjikov on BNR Radio Sofia

In 2021, Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski and Alliance Medica Capital Ltd. established a Digital Medicine Consortium. The purpose of the consortium is to participate in the development of projects, programs and products in the field of research and innovation related to new applications and systems for digital medicine.

More details about where Bulgaria is on the map of digital medicine and why we still do not have an unified register of cancer patients told on the air of Radio Sofia Prof. Anastas Gerdjikov, rector of Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski. According to him, one of the examples of digital transformation of the sector is the project for 3D visualization of image diagnostics based on artificial intelligence.

He added that this research activity will be related to education, and two master’s programs related to digital medicine and transplantology will be prepared. The other goals, according to Prof. Gerdjikov, are the creation of a unified register for oncology treatment, as well as raising the level of pediatric healthcare in Bulgaria.

“Digital opportunities increase opportunities in every field, including the medical field. There are things that one cannot do without modern technologies and this is the goal – to apply modern technologies so that they are helpful to the doctor and therefore useful to the patient “, shared Prof. Gerdjikov.

He said that the funds allocated for research were too small and they were not enough for one university on such a scale, and therefore the main funding came from projects.

“Already a whole programming period has been dedicated to providing additional infrastructure, something that has not happened for a long time and we have created 4 different centers of excellence,” he said, adding that the consortium is looking for cooperation with research partners from France and the Czech Republic..

He mentioned that for both oncology and a number of medical fields, there is a need to create registers with the necessary data for all patients, which will help to develop healthcare in an informed way.

Prof. Gerdjikov added that recently medicine is developing rapidly and there are many challenges, but there are also many prospects.

Source: BNR Radio Sofia

 

02.06.2022

What opportunities does digital medicine provide?

Interview of Danail Konov with Prof. Dr. Lyubomir Spasov on BNR Radio Sofia

The surgeon Prof. Dr. Lyubomir Spasov, founder of the Faculty of Medicine at Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, shared in Radio Sofia details about digital medicine and what opportunities it provides.

“Bulgaria does not currently exist on the map of digital medicine, as this is a very new specialty or rather an interdisciplinary field, which is still developing worldwide,” said Prof. Dr. Spasov, adding that it provides an opportunity for development of the individualized approach, the personalized medicine of the patient, as well as the fact that he receives the best treatment when there is a certain type of disease.

“The disease itself can be diagnosed much faster and much more efficiently, which will also reduce the possibility of treatment. Because when treatment is delayed, the disease deepens its damage and the effect is sometimes very bad,” he said.

He also said that the pharmacy, which is highly developed, has the opportunity to prove the effect of its drugs, as the technique minimizes all types of devices and some drugs can be ingested with mini-cameras, which will facilitate the bioavailability of a drug in the human body.

“And when we ask why we are starting this at Sofia University, I will answer that this is the logical place, because philosophers must be involved in the development of digital medicine first. Ethical and moral-ethical influences on the patient. The basis is the patient of course” said Prof. Dr. Spasov and added that other places are also assigned to physicists, mathematicians and chemists, and added that this is an interdisciplinary approach.

Regarding the low number of transplants performed in our country, Prof. Dr. Spasov commented that the transplants are periodically subject to an image attack from various entities, and transplantology is a very sensitive element of healthcare, which is based on trust. He said that the state should have a very stable policy on constantly building trust in the Bulgarian transplant.

Prof. Dr. Spasov shared that the opening of a simulation center is forthcoming, where operations and cases will be able to be simulated in real time, and where students and specialists will be able to discuss them, thus ensuring greater safety for the patient.

He added that artificial organs are also a type of digital medicine and added that in the future the using of transplant registers based on the individual requirements of a patient will make possible to order organs to be grown and then implanted, which will exclude their rejection.

Source: BNR Radio Sofia

 

07.03.2022

What is a smart city? Challenges and good practices

Dimitar Seizov for Radio Sofia

The main goal of smart cities is the integration of management systems in municipalities and the coordination of critical decision-making by city administrations. This said in the studio of Radio Sofia Dimitar Seizov – owner of a company for digital transformation and robotics.

“The aim is to improve transport infrastructure, improve the mobility of citizens and receive real-time electronic services. Citizens need an electronic signature to make possible to take advantage of the smart city system, “said Dimitar Seizov.

According to him, the municipalities can optimize the costs in the energy sphere. This includes creating smart buildings that are energy passive.

In the coming years, the European Union will allocate significant funds to improve this type of infrastructure in European cities, added Dimitar Seizov.

Source: BNR Radio Sofia

 

10.02.2022

The Ambassador of France in Bulgaria Mrs. Florence Robin supports the digital transformation in healthcare

The Ambassador of France in Bulgaria, Ms. Florence Robin, met with representatives of the Digital Medicine Consortium at the French Embassy in Sofia to discuss opportunities for cooperation with French institutions, companies and universities in the field of digital medicine.

The meeting was attended by the President of the French-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mr. Stefan Delaye, representatives of the Consortium “Digital Medicine” in the person of the Rector of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski, Prof. Dr. Anastas Gerdjikov, Deputy Dean of the Medical Faculty of Sofia University Prof. Dr. Lyubomir Spasov and the Manager of the Consortium Mrs. Vasia Manolova.

Proposals for digitalization and modernization of healthcare were discussed, including the creation of electronic registers in transplantology and oncology, development of the system and international cooperation in transplantology and presentation of modern solutions for automation and robotics. During the meeting, the main goals of the Consortium were discussed and the next steps for cooperation were marked.

Digital Medicine Consortium is a joint project of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski ”and the company Alliance Medica Capital OOD / member of CCI France Bulgarie/. The consortium participates in the development of projects, programs and products in the field of research and innovation related to new applications and systems for digital medicine. The aim is to develop the digital medicine, improve efficiency and introduce new solutions with a view to the digital transformation of the sector and increase the quality of healthcare according to European standards.

 

25.11.2020

ABB Bulgaria and AI University Lab launch a training platform for robotics and e-mobility

AI University Lab and ABB have developed an innovative training and prequalification program for robotics and electric vehicle charging infrastructure

The new program, which is supported by the Ministry of Education and Science, focuses on providing new qualifications for unemployed people or recently graduated students. It is designed to foster knowledge and skills amongst high school and university students, as well as support those working in the robotics and e-mobility sector who want to develop and upgrade their qualifications.

The individual modules include a wide range of topics from installation, maintenance, and programming of Terra AC and DC wallboxes in e-mobility, as well as of robots IRB120, 1100, 1300, 14000 and 14050. The program also equips students with important project management skills for the installation of such equipment and related marketing and sales.

All courses will be initially held online in a dynamic virtual environment, with the aim to host in person training at the training laboratory of AI University. All trainees receive a certificate of completion at the end of their studies outlining the acquired qualifications.

Lectures will be hosted by experts from ABB and AI University who will share knowledge and expertise, with on demand courses and lectures available for download through the online learning platform, from the first quarter of 2021.

At a meeting held between AI University, ABB and the Deputy Minister of Education and Science, it was discussed that joint actions should focus on creating specialist training programs for the application of classical and collaborative robots in industry and healthcare; digitalization and charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, along with future programs that can benefit and support growth and future development of Bulgarian enterprises and infrastructure.

Ms. Karina Angelieva, the Deputy Minister of Education and Science said: “Now more than ever, it is necessary to create effective points of contact – such as this training laboratory – between business and academia. From now on, research related to health and quality of life will prevail in science and will create specific requirements for robotics”.

AI University Lab and ABB have been working together for more than a year to develop an optimal solution for the application of YuMi collaborative robots in clinical laboratories and in end-user segments, such as in retail and self-service pharmacies. The two companies are also exploring joint projects in the field of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, the production of “green” hydrogen and hybrid energy systems to advance the future of mobility.

ABB is a world leader in electric vehicle infrastructure, offering the full range of charging and electrification solutions for electric cars, electric and hybrid buses and trucks as well as for ships and railways. ABB entered the EV-charging market back in 2010, and today has sold more than 17,000 ABB DC fast chargers across over 80 countries.

ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a leading global technology company that energizes the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive, sustainable future. By connecting software to its electrification, robotics, automation and motion portfolio, ABB pushes the boundaries of technology to drive performance to new levels. With a history of excellence stretching back more than 130 years, ABB’s success is driven by about 110,000 talented employees in over 100 countries. www.abb.com

AI University Lab is an artificial intelligence laboratory, established in 2018 as a public-private partnership between the University of Telecommunications and Posts, Sofia (www.utp.bg) and Alliance Medica Capital Ltd. (www.alliance-medica.net). The company engages in the development of innovative solutions and products using artificial intelligence, research of solutions in robotics in cooperation with leading international companies in this field and training of students from UTP and other Bulgarian universities in the laboratory on developed applications and solutions.