Creating a sustainable future for the medical laboratory industry

Return to Arab Health

The power of AI and the Metaverse

The return of the conference at the Dubai World Trade Centre was a huge success, says HW Editor Sarah Cartledge

More than 56,000 delegates and exhibitors from across 60 countries arrived in Dubai in late January for Arab Health 2022, which last year was held virtually.

Although visitors had to undergo COVID screening to enter the emirate, it didn’t seem to affect the amount of people who were determined to meet once again face to face. Suffering from Zoom and

Teams fatigue, delegates enjoyed every opportunity to chat over coffee and lunch at the Dubai World Trade Centre to see how the healthcare sector has moved on apace.

Healthcare World took its largest ever delegation to this year’s event, including companies such as Nexus, AdviseInc,

Methods Analytics, Health Care First Partnership and ACS. We were joined by Mott Macdonald, Dell, Iqvia, Al Tamimi and Huma who, among others, kindly sponsored our networking drinks at the Conrad Hotel on the first night, as well as local healthcare leaders from the UAE.

The main topic of conversation was digital health, telemedicine and the rapid deployment of new technologies within the sector. And indeed, the effect of the pandemic was clearly evident in the amount of innovation on display at Arab Health. From robotics to the metaverse, digital hospitals to AI diagnosis, there has been a huge leap forward in the way the healthcare sector has embraced the future. The event showcased healthtech solutions such as medical drones and cloud technology, mobile temperature machines and even robots to guide patients, entertain them and enhance their overall hospital experience.

Global clinicians made ‘exhibition history’ by attending a lecture in the Metaverse with the launch of The Metaversity. “In the future, maybe we will see benefits such as remote collaboration with patients and dissemination of information among clinicians at different centres,” said Professor Shafi Ahmed, multi awardwinning cancer surgeon at the Royal London Hospital and Chief Medical Officer of Medical Realities. “Virtual reality and augmented reality are already making a difference in patients’ lives, and Metaverse allows us to take this to the next level.”

AI Body demonstrated its Digital Human Organism capable of producing true to life responses and simulations. Built up from the sub-cellular level, this unique approach makes it possible for all interrelated biophysical, physiological and biochemical processes to occur concurrently in a simulation, in real-time. By simulating virtually any condition, treatment options can be examined and deployed, supporting clinical decisions. It is also widely used in medical schools as a training method.

World-renowned surgeons also demonstrated a Right RATS (RoboticAssisted Thoracic Surgery) Lower Lobectomy and Lymph Node Dissection procedure via Proximie, a software platform connecting clinicians to the operating room from anywhere in the world. The technology can be used for consultations allowing clinicians to remotely ‘scrub-in’ to the operating room and educational purposes. Every Proximie-assisted procedure can be recorded, analysed and leveraged for future use.

Many companies who are harnessing the power of blockchain to create new ways to underpin technology and innovation were also present, showing how far healthcare has come in the light of the recent pandemic.

Harnessing knowledge from outer space

Professor Ahmed also hosted an expert panel on day three of the exhibition that saw renowned American physician and former NASA astronaut Dr Scott Parazynski in conversation with CEO of UK-based 3D LifePrints, Henry Pinchbeck. Together, the panel explored the lessons that can be derived from working in the harshest of environments to solve some of the modern health challenges facing mankind. These include ways in which health technologies are providing solutions, the latest innovations and their transformative impact, as well as how stateof-the-art technologies can be transitioned from use in space into wider public use.

Giving the audiences a glimpse into additive manufacturing and how it can be applied in healthcare, the session addressed the potential for 3D-printed patient-specific devices to enhance patient care. “When we press the boundaries of exploration to make it possible to deliver care in space, wonderful things happen,” said Scott Parazynski.

“For example, we have a 3D printer abroad the International Space Station and when they needed to deliver a splint for a type of finger fracture, we were able to send out a CAD file and print it out just in time for that particular patient. One can leverage the unmet needs of space flight with new technologies and then end up with solutions that can then be deployed in remote locations here on earth.”

Benefitting from Arab Health

For many clinicians and healthcare professionals, Arab Health offers the chance to see different ideas and technology in action, giving them the ability to broaden their own goals and link their ideas with others. The UAE healthcare sector is renowned for its openness to innovation and, for companies wishing to consider exporting to Dubai, there were plenty of people around to help them with their queries from Dubai Health Authority, Dubai Science Park to Dubai Free Zone.

For the Healthcare World delegation, many new partnerships and relationships were formed. “It’s been a huge success for our SMEs,” said MD Steve Gardner. “We supported them with a full Healthcare World team and we look forward to their success stories throughout 2022 and beyond.”

Nexus Digital Technology

We are the international experts in health and wellbeing connectivity. We create the tools to give everyone the best chance of optimising their personal health and wellbeing.

We partner with organisations and healthcare providers, creating bespoke digital solutions to help engage their people to transform the quality of their lifestyle. Our Nexus solutions provide actionable data for organisations, so they can measure engagement and effectiveness. The end result is a tangible reduction in the personal, social, and financial costs associated with disease and ill health.

To find out more about how Nexus can support your business or organisation, please contact Emily Nicholls, Chief Operating Officer on enicholls@nexus-dt.com