Reshaping Health Care Models in Saudi Arabia and Beyond

KAUST’s Smart-Health Initiative raises the bar for cutting-edge and patient-focused care

One of the main challenges of any modern health care system is the integration of cutting-edge, smart technology to not only collect and store patient data, but also to prevent disease and establish optimal diagnosis and treatment. Vision 2030 provides a roadmap to achieve this within the Kingdom’s health care system, and KAUST intends to play a leading role in the endeavour.

The university recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Health (MoH) to launch a multidisciplinary scientific and clinical research and innovation health program, known as the KAUST Smart-Health Initiative (SHI). It creates a collaborative framework for top Saudi health and education institutions to develop and implement cutting-edge, smart health technologies and methods within the Kingdom. Its ultimate goal is to pave the way for personalised, precision medicine as the standard of care in the Kingdom, the region and beyond. Unlike the traditional onesize-fits-all treatment approach, precision medicine is tailored to a patient’s specific needs.

The MoU envisions multiple collaborations between KAUST and the MoH, and other top in-Kingdom hospitals and academic institutions. Areas of collaboration are divided into four, interconnected pillars, all of which support the overall mission and the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 goals.

BENCH TO BEDSIDE

The SHI will sponsor carefully chosen research programs that aim to translate scientific findings into effective treatments, with a focus on precision-medicine tools and approaches. Strong emphasis will be placed on programs that seek to develop tools for the diagnosis and treatment of pressing health issues within the Kingdom, such as genetic and metabolic diseases.

Saudi Arabia has some of the highest rates of genetic diseases and metabolic syndrome disorders in the world, and the main challenge to treating these diseases is that despite the existence of easily identifiable triggers to onset and progression, response to traditional treatment varies by patient.

TONY CHAN President of KAUST

I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT THIS IS A SEMINAL MOMENT IN THE EVOLUTION OF HEALTH CARE IN THE KINGDOM, AND THAT THE AGREEMENTS AND PROJECTS EMANATING FROM THIS MoU WILL CONTRIBUTE GREATLY TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH AMBITIONS ENVISIONED BY VISION 2030.

KAUST researchers have already made some major breakthroughs in the field of stem cell research to better understand the progression of some of these diseases and to develop potential treatment options.

COLLABORATION

One of the principal missions of the SHI is to facilitate the transformation of fundamental scientific discoveries into practical clinical tools and solutions for prevalent diseases in the Kingdom and further afield.

To help achieve these goals, the SHI has established a framework for collaborative working relationships funded by the university. These comprise various collaborative grants between scientists at KAUST and clinicians and scientists from King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center (KFSHRC), King Abdullah International Medical Research Center and other top hospitals in the Kingdom.

The goal is to promote translational health research programs where researchers and clinicians can test new hypotheses and provide proof of principle for the application of new approaches to address health-related questions relevant to Saudi Arabia and the broader region.

The current challenge presented by the Covid-19 pandemic has underscored the need for an all-hands-on-deck approach, and the integration of multidisciplinary basic, translational, clinical and policy elements of health care to protect the public.

KAUST has already been collaborating with local health care stakeholders to develop a wide range of diagnostic methods and technology to detect SARS-CoV-2. For example, KAUST researchers have been working with the KFSHRC to develop two locally designed SARS-CoV-2 testing methods that could revolutionize and democratize diagnostics.

Image created using MesoCraft 3D-modeling software (nanovis.kaust.edu.sa)

EDUCATION & INNOVATION

The SHI is also designed to educate and train the next generation of precision-medicine specialists through MD and PhD programs, as well as professional MSc programs. On the teaching side, it aims to attract and retain world-class faculty members across research divisions.

In collaboration with top hospitals and medical schools, the SHI will develop programs to train the new generation of clinicians and scientists, who will become experts in the usage and application of precision-medicine tools and principles. The hope is that these trainees can then spearhead efforts to translate fundamental findings in the laboratory into diagnostic and treatment tools to tackle various diseases with both local and global impact.

To nurture an environment conducive to achieving these goals, the SHI includes plans to develop a hub for biomedical innovation on the KAUST campus. The primary goal of the hub will be to provide and attract technology platforms, human capital, training courses and a clinical trial coordination center, as well as the network of stakeholders – academia, hospitals, industry and start-ups – needed to address current gaps in clinical care and R&D.

MINISTRY OF INVESTMENT

“The partnership we are witnessing today establishes much-needed links between life sciences research, health care systems and the biotech industry, which will ultimately drive health care improvements and economic developments in the Kingdom.”

H.E. Eng. Khalid A. Al-Falih, Minister of Investment