TELEMACOS: technology and precision medicine, new paths for healthcare in Sardinia

SASSARI. The University of Sassari and the Rector Gavino Mariotti, author of the e. Ins ecosystem project to generate innovation in Sardinia, presents the synergies underway in the field of telemedicine, financed by the PNRR, in particular within spoke 1 (Medicine) whose scientific committee is coordinated by Professor Salvatore Masala.

"Technology and precision medicine: new paths for healthcare in Sardinia "is the theme at the center of the round table scheduled for Thursday 9 October in the Aula Magna of the University of Sassari. 

An event dedicated to discussing the development of telemedicine in Sardinia thanks to the TELEMACO-S project, led by prof. Gavino Casu, Director of the School of Specialization in Cardiovascular Diseases. 

Financed with over 10 million euros under the PNRR (National Recovery and Resilience Plan), the TELEMACO-S project, the heart of the actions of e. INS - Innovation Ecosystem for the Next Generation Sardinia, is implemented by the University of Sassari in close collaboration with the University Hospital of Sassari (AOUSS).


The initiative aims to develop new research projects in order to strengthen local assistance and hospital-territory integration, through the transfer of advanced digital technologies and the design of new organizational models for the care and monitoring of patients suffering from chronic pathologies, contributing to making regional healthcare closer to citizens, inclusive, sustainable and effective. A concrete example is represented by telerehabilitation programs for patients with heart failure in which, thanks to the use of mixed reality viewers, it is possible for the patient to see and listen, directly from his home, to the instructions of the physiotherapist present in the hospital. Furthermore, thanks to wearable telemonitoring devices such as smartwatches, and thanks to a telemedicine platform, it is possible for the physiotherapist to monitor the patient's clinical parameters in real time, ensuring safe and personalized cardiological rehabilitation. 

In parallel, the project aims to develop algorithms based on artificial intelligence capable of predicting the risk of exacerbation of chronic diseases, such as heart failure. The algorithm analyzes in an integrated way various parameters such as blood pressure, heart rate, weight and bioimpedance data collected from wearable devices in an automatic but always personalized way and with minimal impact on the patient's daily life

If confirmed, the results of the research could change the organization of care: fairer and more sustainable pathways, targeted precision medicine interventions, fewer improper accesses to emergency rooms and clinics with a consequent lower economic impact on the healthcare system.

The eINS project is expanding its action potential thanks to the synergies that are being generated between Spokes 1 – Telemedicine, 6 – Digital Transition, and 10 – Biopharmacology, which open up new fronts of innovation for regional healthcare. In particular, the collaboration with Spoke 10 - Biopharmacology, led by CyberTech in which the biotechnology company GenomeUP and the research units of the University of Sassari and Cagliari also participate, combines the clinical efficiency of telemedicine with technological robustness, guaranteeing data protection and cybersecurity, interoperability with regional information flows and scalability of solutions on the territory.

The collaboration with Spoke 6, dedicated to the digital transition and led at the University of Sassari by Prof. Enrico Grosso, ensures a solid and quality technological evolution for the project and gives impetus to stable partnerships between the healthcare and engineering fields, with concrete consequences on the adoption of technologies in clinical practice. This synergy is supported with the investment of PNRR resources which enrich the already substantial investment made by eINS in telemedicine, strengthening the ecosystem's ability to promote innovative solutions that impact the quality of healthcare services in Sardinia.

The meeting will be opened by the Magnificent Rector of the University of Sassari, Gavino Mariotti, who will highlight how the project represents a fundamental step for the modernization of the Sardinian healthcare system, strengthening the link between research, technology and local healthcare. “With TELEMACO-S – states the Magnificent Rector – Sardinia becomes a constantly moving laboratory of innovation, in which scientific research, clinical skills and digital technologies combine to improve the quality of healthcare, favoring solutions that can be replicated in other territories.”

The University of Sassari has acquired 119 million euros of the PNRR from the Ministry of University and Research but the investment reaches almost 130 million, considering the financing shares of private entities participating in the ecosystem.