226P The PerMediNA initiative: A pilot precision oncology project on lung cancer in North Africa

Personalized Medicine (PM) is an emerging approach that being increasingly used in several countries to improve health outcomes. However, the process has proven more challenging particularly for low- and middle-income countries. In light of progress made in health systems and in the fields of medical genomics, bioinformatics, and bioethics, several efforts have been undertaken to implement PM mainly in the oncology field. Within this context, the "Personalized Medicine in North Africa" initiative (PerMediNA) was launched to integrate three North African countries—Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco—into international initiatives for a successful implementation of PM in the region. The PerMediNA project includes several activities that aim to assess the readiness level of PM implementation in North Africa (NA), to strengthen infrastructure and human capacities, to generate more genomic data, to implement cost effective, affordable, and sustainable genetic testing for lung cancer (LC) patients, and to inform policy makers on how to bridge the know-do gap. Implementing Molecular Tumor Boards (MTBs) is another key goal of the PerMediNA project. The readiness level have been assessed; gaps have been identified and we are in the process of implementing multidisciplinary MTBs to discuss and define the most effective therapeutic approach for LC patients. This was achieved thanks to collaborations between North African healthcare professionals and French experts from Institut Gustave Roussy which set the stage for a comprehensive and a multidimensional approach of cancer care and marked a groundbreaking PM initiative in NA. A list of quality indicators has been established to assess the effectiveness of our initiative. Currently, there's a wide range of opinions regarding the process of an MTB and international consensus recommendation is lacking. However, we aimed to develop a clear workflow and national recommendations adapted with North African countries. Here we are describing PerMediNA as the first PM initiative in NA that aiming to translate research findings into clinical practice contributing therefore to the decrease of healthcare disparities between developed and developing countries mainly for LC patients.