PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The general purpose of the proposal is to develop a transnational partnership in the field of duct ultrasound by increasing cooperation between the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Craiova and other Romanian medical universities with European and international reference centres and personalities, in order to have a visible impact on the research quality in Romania, in the increase of the number and abilities of the researchers of being involved in high level projects, in the dissemination of knowledge and results. Thus, the degree of correlation and integration with the European and international research programs will increase.

The proposed project aims at increasing the international visibility by:

- work visits and stages of scientific personalities from abroad;

- experience exchange with Romanian researchers participating in training stages in European reference centres;

- organizing scientific and promotional manifestations with significant international participation;

- organizing / participating in support activities in order to prepare for common projects in the future PC7.

The support activities included in the project are destined to develop a partnership between our university and the other Romanian universities with medical research units and networks in Romania and similar research structures in the European workspace in the field of health and biotechnologies for health. There is interest in optimizing the healthcare services for the European citizens by promoting non-invasive investigation methods for the detection, diagnose and monitoring in the evaluation of the breast tumors. The end-target is the early diagnosis of breast cancer in stages that allow therapy, the breast cancer being a worldwide health problem.

The project will also promote duct ultrasound by support actions, both in general ultrasound techniques (known today as non-invasive method) and according to the imaging diagnostic techniques, in order to be useful in the screening and characterization of the focal mammary processes.

So, we are trying to prove the utility of this method included in the mentioned thematically area, that is in detection, diagnosis and monitoring of focal lesions by a no or minimal invasive technique.

The promoting action for dissemination in Romania also in the foreign countries will contribute substantial to realize a agreement for make a acquitance some protocols and existent guide on international plan or will create the base for the realization new one, in correlation with characteristic feature zone for one of the major disease in the world - breast cancer- the most frequent localization of malignant lesions in women, being the principal death causal to women after 40 years old.

The premises of the project were based on the experience of the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Craiova staff in the training and practice in over 20 years of ultrasound, on its national activity in organizing in 1997 the competence examination (thus recognizing its expertise in the field) and more recently in organizing the 2004 Euroson School Course Breast Ultrasound in Craiova, scoring over 130 participants and speakers, mainly international recognized personalities, worldwide promoters of the duct ultrasound.

The proiect also corelates with a series of international interest in the field, promoted in the last 3 European EUROSON ultrasound congresses, where many of the project team members participated with papers.