International Clinical Research Center Brno (ICRC) is a conceptually novel project in biomedical research and clinical patient care which is being developed by the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. The goal of ICRC consists of creating a research platform to allow cutting edge clinical research being conducted in the central Europe, particularly in Brno,

Origins of the ICRC Project

At the beginning of the ICRC concept was a close and fruitful collaboration between physicians and researchers in the

Cardiology Cardiology () is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery disease, heart failure, valvular h ...

Department o
St. Anne’s Hospital
in Brno,

, and their counterparts at the Division of

Cardiovascular The blood circulatory system is a system of organs that includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood which is circulated throughout the entire body of a human or other vertebrate. It includes the cardiovascular system, or vascular system, tha ...

Diseases at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester,

. Particularly the stay of MUDr. Tomas Kara, Ph.D. in the laboratory of Dr. Virend Somers at the Mayo clinic in early 2000 established the high yield of such cooperation, and led to the origins of the idea that a new and globally competitive scientific facility would be needed in Brno,

, to support the increasing depth and complexity of research projects being conducted by Mayo and St. Anne’s Hospital. The team led by Dr. Kara ultimately recommended building of a new facility (ICRC) in St. Anne’s Hospital in Brno,

which would be sufficiently equipped to support an ongoing global cooperation with the world-wide leader in translational biomedical research, the Mayo Clinic.

Building of ICRC Brno

The ICRC project was supported by both the Mayo Clinic, and by the government of the Czech Republic in a Memorandum of Understanding, and this ultimately led to the beginning of construction of the ICRC scientific facility. The foundation stone was laid on October 7, 2008 in Brno,

with the presence of the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, the Ambassador of the United States to the Czech Republic, the leadership of the ICRC project, and the local government and community leaders from the South Moravia region.

Results of the ICRC Collaboration

The scientific collaboration on the ICRC platform resulted in publications in medical journals, including the

New England Journal of Medicine ''The New England Journal of Medicine'' (''NEJM'') is a weekly medical journal published by the Massachusetts Medical Society. It is among the most prestigious peer-reviewed medical journals as well as the oldest continuously published one. His ...

, the Circulation Journal, the

Journal of the American College of Cardiology The ''Journal of the American College of Cardiology'' is a peer-reviewed medical journal covering all aspects of cardiovascular disease, including original clinical studies, translational investigations with clear clinical relevance, state-of-the-a ...

, the Chest journal, the American Journal of Cardiology, and many others. During the 10 years of this Czech-American cooperation more than 30 Czech physicians, bioengineers and other researchers had a chance to visit and work at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, and the leading clinical researchers from the Mayo Clinic visited Brno, Czech Republic on a countless number of occasions. The most recent efforts in cardiovascular research are conducted by a broad team of Czech and American researchers, including Dr. Tomas Kara, Dr. Virend Somers, Dr. Samuel Asirvatham, Dr. Alexander Schirger, Dr. John Schirger, Dr. Tom Konecny, Dr. Marek Orban, Ing. Pavel Leinveber, and Ing. Jan Bukartyk. The latest results from the ICRC collaboration are regularly being presented at the most significant international meetings, including the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions (2009),

American College of Cardiology The American College of Cardiology (ACC), based in Washington, D.C., is a nonprofit medical association established in 1949. It bestows credentials upon cardiovascular specialists who meet its qualifications. Education is a core component of the ...

Scientific Sessions (2009, 2010),Coverage of the American College of Cardiology 2009 meeting in JACC Journal
/ref> Czech Society of Cardiology Scientific Meeting (2010),

American College of Physicians The American College of Physicians (ACP) is a national organization of internists, who specialize in the diagnosis, treatment, and care of adults.Sokanu "What is an Internist?" Retrieved October 20, 2014 With 161,000 members, ACP is the largest ...

Chapter Meeting (2008, 2009), and others.

References

Business Publications about ICRC Project

Coverage of the ICRC project in Czech Public TelevisionInterview with Dr. Tomas Kara on Czech Public Television
Medical research