Synergy for Healthy Longevity

Most modern healthcare systems are based on a reactive model of care, which focuses primarily on treating individuals with already developed diseases. The system is based on episodic medical interventions that are only performed when an individual's health is seriously threatened and the disease is already affecting their functional capacity. This approach is becoming increasingly unsustainable financially, as it leads to rising costs for the treatment of chronic diseases and pressure on healthcare budgets. The EU4Health program, established by Regulation (EU) 2021/522 of March 24, 2021, clearly emphasizes the importance of shifting the focus to disease prevention and health promotion, i.e., continuous preventive healthcare tailored to the needs of the individual. One of the most promising short-term steps that can significantly accelerate this transition is the further development and introduction of preventive biomarkers. In the field of health promotion, glycans (complex oligosaccharides) have the highest biomarker potential, as they combine genetic, epigenetic, and lifestyle factors, making them more similar to complex diseases than any other group of molecules. Glycosylation is one of the most common modifications of proteins, enabling the formation of numerous proteoforms that are not predetermined by the nucleotide sequence of a single gene, but arise from the interaction of dozens or even hundreds of genes with the environment. The overall objective of the SynHealth project is to valorize the potential of research discoveries in the field of glycan biomarkers and prepare them for ERDF funding and subsequent exploitation in two Croatian and one Slovenian region. The use of glycan biomarkers for personalized preventive healthcare will be demonstrated in a real-world setting and supported through a network of partners in the region.