MindGAP presents a radical new vision that may BRIDGE the GAP between HEALTH status and MIND/BODY interactions and lead to a paradigm shift in medicine. The disruptive idea presented herein is sustained by relevant data presented in the literature: (i) exosomes circulate throughout the body as messengers of health and disease, transporting genetic data to be delivered into a recipient cell; (ii) and exosomes are implicated in brain activity, having the ability to cross the blood brain barrier. Thus, when exosomes circulate and exit the brain to peripheral cells, there is a message transported therein, which is related to its cargo inside the vesicle. Overall, we aim to know which cargo is related to health and which cargo is related to disease. Traditionally, everyone has been looking for disease indicators to detect disease. Herein, we look for sensitive health indicators that may change under disease installation, therefore yielding an unprecedented early disease detection possibility. Moreover, the possibility of using MINDFULNESS meditation as a mind-related tool to control the cargo of exosomes is explored herein. If meditation is successful in changing the behaviour and attitudes of many people, fighting depression, etc., it means that the exosomes cargo may be changed through this process. Thus, this could be a major route to a self-healing approach before disease begins. Finally, all this knowledge opens doors to an innovative device that may be used by everyone to understand his/her health status. Overall, MindGAP targets (i) the missing relation between the genetic data in EXOSOMES and health status; (ii) interfacing this link with MIND-related activities; (iii) and to create an INNOVATIVE and PORTABLE DEVICE that TRACKS EXOSOMES and ANALYSIS their relevant genetic data, thereby allowing each individual to correlate this information with their own HEALTH STATUS and the installation of a pro-active attitude of each one of us against disease.

Objectives of this study:1.Investigate the competencies developed in European undergraduate curricula and highlight the gaps in competencies developed across courses in Europe;2.Determine the essential competencies for radiographers from literature and surveys/interviews to stakeholders (i.e. radiographers, heads of service/HEIs/professional bodies and service users);3.Identify gaps in specific skills deemed very relevant for the TR;4.Identify the skills gap among radiography professionals across Europe;5.Offer online educational actions to close these gaps and ensure that the TR are educated with the necessary skills to enable them to practise across the whole of Europe;6.Disseminate the results and online teaching tools to ensure a maximised exploitation of this project.Long term outcomes:1.Improvement of employment rates for TRs;2.More efficient movement of TRs across Europe;3.Improved safety for patients treated by TRs;4.Improved efficiency of radiotherapy treatments;5.Improved radiotherapy treatments;6.Evidence-based regulation of TR profession;7.Extending and developing TR competencies for the future development of the profession.The work is distributed across 12 work packages (WP) and results obtained to date are as follows:WP 1&2: A website has been established to help manage the project and disseminate information, In addition various accounts have been set up on social media platforms e.g. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. An initial face to face meeting was held in the UK in February 2019, monthly consortium skype meetings have been held throughout and the first steering meeting was held in Malta, February 2020 to coincide with the Internal Conference. Quality assurance (QA) of the project has been maintained throughout.WP3: A survey has been completed investigating the competencies for TRs administering radiotherapy. A list of competencies essential to the graduate was designed and published on the consortium's website. A manuscript on the results of this WP is in press. This work was also presented at the International Conference on Medical Imaging and Radiotherapy (7th-9th Feb 2020; Malta). A Webinar lecture plan has been completed on underdeveloped skills of the linear accelerator TR. WP4: Research is nearly completed investigating the perceptions of European stakeholders on TR competencies required. Qualitative data analysis is in progress. The results will be presented at the next educational event organised by the consortium in Poland.WP5: A literature review on service users' perceptions across AHP professions is ongoing. We are awaiting ethical approval to start gathering data on patients' perceptions of TRs' competencies.WP6: The literature review investigating the importance and applicability of circular economy in radiotherapy and relevant aspects to include in therapy radiographers' education is underway. WP7: Data collection (surveys) investigating the Digital Skill requirements for TRs is in progress across Europe and has been completed in one centre. The questionnaire is currently being translated into English to disseminate across Europe. A peer reviewed paper is in progress.WP8: A systematic literature review investigating Advanced Practice for TRs is underway. Joint objectives for the WP have been agreed and a detailed work plan is being implemented. WP9: Results have been disseminated at the International Conference on Medical Imaging and Radiotherapy (7th-9th Feb 2020; Malta). Project updates from WP3 and WP7 were presented by G. Couto, S. McFadden, B. Barbosa and D. Gonçalves. Results of the project were also presented in other scientific events such as ECR 2019 (Vienna, March 2019), the 2nd International Congress of Health Workforce Education and Research (Nicosia, May 2019) and CNART 2019 (Lisbon, Nov 2019).WP10-12: These WP are at discussion stage and have not yet commenced as they are dependent on results of previous WPs.

Ovarian cancer (OC) is the most lethal of female cancers, often termed a “silent killer”. DISARM’s overall approach to tackle the significant gaps in hereditary OC management lies in tackling both key elements of risk assessment and early detection. The project will investigate multifactorial risk assessment versus standard practices in 4 EU Member States (MS) (Lithuania, Portugal, Czech Republic, and Greece), and will upscale and validate a set of easy-to-use, highly accurate and affordable technologies in five countries (UK, Lithuania, Portugal, Czech Republic, and Greece). Several intelligent digital assets will optimally support and enhance our clinical studies, while a range of multifaceted activities will ensure the future uptake and adoption of DISARM solutions. The project aligns with the Innovation Action character of this topic by focusing on both mature technologies that can be upscaled in routine healthcare and on emerging technologies that have already shown a potential to justify larger scale validation activities. Our ultimate ambition is to holistically investigate the preconditions and set the stage for rolling out proven solutions in routine OC risk assessment, and in parallel to create further evidence for the introduction of novel promising elements in early detection programmes. DISARM gathers 26 partners from 12 countries (10 EU MS, the UK and Canada), thereby exhibiting a significant geographic coverage, strengthening European and international collaboration and ensuring widespread diffusion of the project results. This action is part of the Cancer Mission cluster of projects on ‘Prevention and Early Detection (early detection heritable cancers)

Most cases of gastric cancer (GC) are detected at a late stage, when patients have a median life expectancy of about a year. Diagnosing people at risk of developing GC at the pre-symptomatic stage, typically chronic gastric inflammation, could significantly improve the outlook. Artificial intelligence (AI) can help clinicians make sense of their own data by automating much of the treatment and analysis, which require manual work and years of experience. But it can do more: it can bring together available data from various sources into a vast data lake and cross-correlate the data to derive a ‘risk score’ for gastric cancer and shed light on the mechanisms of its evolution. Aida aims to do just that. It helps researchers understand the mechanisms that trigger gastric oncogenesis, helps clinicians diagnose precancerous inflammation at the earliest possible stage, suggests personalised therapeutic strategies for treatment and follow-up, and makes personalised recommendations for monitoring patient health status, thus contributing to gastric cancer prevention. This places Aida squarely on Europe’s agenda of ‘Staying healthy in a rapidly changing society’. Aida unites some of Europe’s leading authorities in the field of gastric inflammation, gastric cancer, leading AI and machine learning experts, experts on data governance and privacy, representatives of the public administration and patient advocates. Aida also has strong ties with the industry. After the project, the results will live on in an association that acts as a transnational focal point for chronic gastric inflammation — and GC in general. We hope that the solid, inclusive design principles of Aida, its societal relevance and its durability will spawn a vigorous ecosystem around chronic gastric inflammation, its understanding and its treatment. And we hope that it will inspire other data collaboratives in health — for other chronic inflammations, other forms of cancer or other ailments altogether.