"Viața Medicală" magazine talked to the ICDG - CS 1 management team Dr. Octavian Bucur (general director), Adrian Nicolea Buzatu and Prof. Dr. Maria Puiu (deputy directors) about Romania's progress in the field of genomics and medical diagnostics.
Through the activity of the Institute for Research and Development in Genomics (ICDG), which is subordinated to UMF "Carol Davila" (UMFCD), our country is involved in major European projects in the field of genomics, such as Genome of Europe, Genomic Data Infrastructure and Beyond 1 Million Genomes Plus. In the last 2 years, Romania has positioned itself as a model of development in genomics for other Central and Eastern European countries. As an example, at the Polish Genomics Day in Poland, Romania was invited to present its recent progress as an example of best practice, together with representatives from the European Commission and Germany. Moreover, in March 2025, the CGDI, together with the UMFCD and the Health Committees of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, organized the first conference of the European Beyond 1 Million Genomes Plus project at the Parliament Palace, with the participation of genomics experts from European countries and the European Commission.
Although there are still obstacles related to infrastructure, regulations and specialized resources, Romania aims to become a regional hub of excellence in genomics and play an active role in personalized medicine. ICDG and UMFCD are already collaborating with partners in Romania, universities and research institutions in Bucharest, Craiova, Timișoara, Cluj-Napoca, Iași, Brașov, Târgu-Mureș, Sibiu, Constanța, Oradea and beyond, patient associations and international institutes to develop genomics research in Romania and to integrate genomics research results into current medical practice in the future, with real impact in prevention and treatment.
