An initiative to boost cancer prevention, treatment and care throughout Europe by improving communications within the cancer community kicks off yesterday (Monday 20 July) with the launch of a new website. The project will involve all those with an interest in cancer, from researchers and doctors to patients.

The National Cancer Research Institute's free online cancer research portal, ONIX, has launched to the public today. ONIX (ONcology Information eXchange) enables scientists and clinicians to search through and access international research data held online - to improve the flow of cancer research information between individuals, institutions and organisations.

Gene analysis is becoming increasingly complex and can be greatly enhanced by exploiting the power of high-performance computing (HPC), but the software can be difficult for researchers to use. To allow greater access to the benefits of HPC, EPCC and the Division of Pathway Medicine at the University of Edinburgh developed a prototype framework called SPRINT, which allows biostatisticians to more easily exploit HPC systems.

Spain, through the Ministry of Health and Social Policy, is now one in the group of countries that are part of International Health Terminology Standards Development Organisation (IHTSDO). Spain joins the global effort to develop, maintain and spread the use of a clinical terminology called SNOMED CT (Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine-Clinical Terms).

A research project focusing on quality and patient safety in hospitals has been offered €3 million from the European Commission's 7th Framework Programme - Health. The Jönköping Academy for Improvement of Health and Welfare is one of six collaborating project partners.

The Commission issued on 30th June 2009 an explanatory document that includes details of the extensive consultation process which led to the 'Communication on telemedicine for the benefit of patients, healthcare systems and society' adopted on 4th November 2008. The telemedicine communication proposed a set of actions aimed at enabling wider deployment of telemedicine services, focusing on three main priorities:

"We can free up millions of hospital beds and avoid millions of incorrect prescriptions. There is an enormous potential in eHealth," said Minister for Health and Social Affairs Göran Hägglund at a press conference on the second day of the informal ministerial meeting in Jönköping on 7 July.