Padua, March 15, 2025 – One Health, prevention, pharmaceutical innovation, communication, and bioethics: these are some of the keywords included in the 10 take-aways of the healthcare of the future, presented today at the conclusion of the second edition of the World Health Forum Veneto at the Padova Congress center. The 10 take-aways were introduced by Manuela Lanzarin, Regional Health Councillor for Veneto, along with Professor Giorgio Palù, President of the Scientific Committee. Joining them on stage were Silvio Brusaferro from the University of Udine, Franco Foresta Martin, journalist and TV author, Caterina Pastori from the Scientific Committee of the Veneto Region’s School of Specific Training in General Medicine, Rosario Rizzuto from the University of Padua and member of the Scientific Committee, and Alfredo Guglielmi from the University of Verona. The guests on stage handed a copy of the 10 take-aways to a group of young researchers and medical communicators, in a symbolic passing of the baton.
Below are the 10 take-aways:
"An event like the World Health Forum Veneto has confirmed the importance of having an integrated vision to tackle global healthcare challenges", stated Luca Zaia, President of the Veneto Region. "Healthcare must focus on prevention and pharmaceutical innovation to strengthen Italian research, guided by Artificial Intelligence and biotechnologies for precision medicine. At the heart of our agenda are various objectives, including improving accessibility in the healthcare system by reducing waiting times, leveraging periodic monitoring, Artificial Intelligence, and the expertise of our healthcare professionals to continue being a national benchmark model in Italy."
"During these three days in Padua," commented Councillor Manuela Lanzarin, “when we discussed science, medical perspectives, and new frontiers, we can confirm that Veneto is making great strides in this field thanks to the integration between healthcare and academia, with the university hospitals of Padua and Verona enabling us to operate in academic contexts, integrating care and research. Today, we have shared with the scientific community 10 take-aways that will guide the future of healthcare, always keeping the patient at the center of healthcare evolution. From prevention, focusing on health determinants, to the study of genetic and degenerative diseases, which are among the many challenges of the future, to precision medicine, which will become increasingly effective thanks to Artificial Intelligence and new technologies. All this without forgetting pharmaceutical innovation and the need to strengthen research."
"Today, we assessed the needs and opportunities offered by personalized medicine, which uses data with immense computational power to create tailored therapies," stated Giorgio Palù, President of the Scientific Committee. "Personalized medicine requires large infrastructures and significant investments to produce drugs. What we invest in costs will be compensated by fewer hospitalizations, fewer side effects, and faster diagnoses and therapeutic interventions."
Among the panels on the last day of the Forum, the topic of micro-nanoplastics was central. Professor Giuseppe Paolisso, from the University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli," discussed "Micro-nanoplastics and cardiovascular diseases: evidence and perspectives," demonstrating a correlation between plastic particles in the body and the risk of heart attacks and strokes. "In a study, we followed 307 patients for nearly three years, dividing them into two groups: one with the presence of micro and nanoplastics in their carotid plaques, and one without nanoplastics," explained Paolisso. "In the group with nanoplastics, we found a 4.5 times greater risk of heart attacks and strokes. Our hypothesis is that plaques containing plastics become fragile, and their residues enter the bloodstream, blocking small vessels in sensitive organs, particularly the brain and kidneys." Paolisso also offered some advice to reduce the impact of these pollutants on health: "The first recommendation is to prefer glass over plastic for food containers whenever possible, such as water bottles, which release nanoplastics when we drink. The second is to avoid exposing plastic food containers to heat sources. If we leave a plastic bottle in the sun, it excites the polymers, releasing more nanoplastics into the water."
On this topic, researcher Fazel A. Monikh, from the University of Padua, presented "The uncertainties of the journey of micro-nanoplastics through the human body," explaining how plastic has become an integral part of the food chain. "We grew lettuce in soil contaminated with traceable microplastics," explained Monikh, "and found a significant number of molecules in the lettuce grown in that soil. We fed insect larvae with this lettuce and found a tenfold increase in microplastic concentration in the larvae compared to the lettuce. We then fed these larvae to fish, and in them, the concentration increased threefold again." Monikh observed that "nanoplastic particles, once inside the human body, are 'carried' by proteins and fats, transporting them to organs. Predicting their movement is difficult as their path varies based on body conditions, types of proteins, and plastics. Nanoplastics do not seem capable of entering brain cells, or if they do, it is only in minimal amounts."
At the World Health Forum Veneto, the connection between the heart and skeletal muscles was also discussed to understand and combat muscle loss. Professor Mauro Giacca, from King’s College London and the University of Trieste, explained: "It is not entirely impossible to imagine that there may be categories of RNA-based drugs to be taken, for example, preventively to improve cardiovascular function, prevent atherosclerosis, or maintain muscle fitness. This is a future that we currently struggle to imagine in specific terms, but I am absolutely convinced that in the next twenty years we will have many RNA-based drugs, and some of these may be used not just to cure diseases but to prevent them."
The event is promoted by the Veneto Region, the Municipality of Padua, the University of Padua, the Padua Chamber of Commerce, the Cariparo Foundation, in collaboration with the Public Health School Foundation and Venicepromex.
World Health Forum Veneto: three days of high-level meetings and events analyzing the present and deepening the future of medical sciences and technologies that can improve life, addressing some of the most pressing healthcare issues and promoting citizen awareness for general well-being. These are the objectives of the World Health Forum Veneto, a free event open to all: healthcare professionals, experts, students, and citizens.
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Giulio Todescan
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The World Health Forum Veneto is born with a specific purpose: to analyze the present and delve into the future of medical sciences and technologies that can improve life.
