Annual report 2004 - Compagnia di San Paolo

ASL1, Turin. Ophtalmic Hospital. Image Diagnostics Department
Alongside the field of neurosciences and transplants, urgent and emergency medicine has
played a prominent role in the choices of the Compagnia: once again, priority has been given to
enhancing high level skills and improving their structural use. This is true of the grants awarded
CTO/CRF/Maria Adelaide Hospital of Turin for the supply of innovative equipment for emergency
department of Turin hospitals and the research project on in vitro fibroblast cultures in burnt
patients.
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Diseases with a high social impact
In 2004 the Compagnia attached growing attention to diseases of significant socio-health
importance, which accounts for the main causes of death and disease, also in the light of the
increase in the average age of the population.
In the field of cardiovascular diseases prominence was given to basic and clinical research.
Significant grants were awarded to the Inter-university Consortium for Cardiovascular Research of
Bologna (later changed to the National Institute for Cardiovascular Research) for the completion
of the research project on myocardial regeneration through stem cells. Another project of
particular relevance in this field was carried out by the Department of Clinical and Experimental
Medicine of the Federico II University of Naples for a study on a European scale (EPICOR) on the
relation between food habits and the incidence of cardiovascular events. Finally the Compagnia
supported the Health District No. 6 (ASL 6) of Ciriè (Turin) with random multi-centred European
study to assess clinical practices on cardiopathic patients.
In 2004 the Compagnia attached particular attention to oncological illnesses by allocating
considerable resources to the Oncological Programme (see the specific chapter) and favouring
above all research grants. In this respect, the Compagnia’s support was destined to: the National
Institute for the Study and Treatment of Tumours in Milan for the Erocare4 project, aimed at
monitoring survival and treatment schemes to affected subjects In Europe; the Department of
Clinical Physiopathology of Turin University to follow the DNA Vaccines project for the prevention