The genome e-volution

"We have made great progress, but we are still vulnerable and our common commitment to fight global health challenges is not yet strong enough. Despite our knowledge, despite new technologies, without concentrated and global efforts we are limited in our success. Today we see it clearly."The sequencing of the human genome at the beginning of this millennium marked a new era in biomedicine. Nanotechnology and robotics have created innovative tools and powerful diagnostic techniques. Major therapeutic advances have enabled us to control HIV, and more tailor-made therapies are being implemented to treat cancer. Nonetheless huge challenges remain, not only in the field of cancer, but also with respect to neurodegenerative and other diseases.At the same time, international travel and mobility, as well as globalised trade, are affecting our living conditions and promoting the spread of infectious diseases and new viruses, like the COVID-19 coronavirus, all over the world.The Croatian physician and scientist Ivan Ðikic analyses the challenges of contemporary medical research, the emerging threats, like pandemics, and the role played by health systems.This is the twelfth essay in the Big Ideas series created by the European Investment Bank.The EIB has invited international thought leaders to write about the most important issues of the day. These essays are a reminder that we need new thinking to protect the environment, promote equality and improve people's lives around the globe.

Ivan Ðikic was born in Zagreb in 1966. He is a leading expert in the fields of ubiquitin biology and cancer research, and is a professor at Goethe University Frankfurt and a fellow of Max Planck Society. He maintains an active research lab that enables multidisciplinary teams of scientists to study the molecular principles of life and discover pathological alterations that lead to the development of human diseases such as cancer, neurodegeneration and infection.Ivan has received numerous awards for his scientific work, including the Ernst Jung Prize for Medicine and the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize, the highest scientific honour in Germany. He is an elected member of the German Academy Leopoldina and the European Academy, as well as an honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.Ivan Ðikic is committed to the education of future generations of scientists across the world. His efforts to popularise science among the public have been recognised with the highest civilian state honour, The Order of Duke Branimir, bestowed by the President of Croatia.