On 22 July the European Commission called on EU Member States to pool their resources and better coordinate research efforts to combat Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases. The proposals adopted by the Commission follow a 2008 recommendation by the Council of the European Union to launch a joint programming initiative in this field in 2009.

A revolution in healthcare treatment and diagnosis may be imminent with a pan-European personalised healthcare project, the Virtual Physiological Human (VPH), a Network of Excellence (NoE). Funded with EUR 72 million under the Information and communication technologies Theme of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), the VPH aims to create an entire framework to deliver personalised patient computer models for the predictive healthcare of the future.

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.