DUBAI, 25th May, 2022 (WAM) — Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, President of UAE Genetic Diseases Association, has honoured a number of leading healthcare companies and personalities at the Middle East’s first Precision Medicine Exhibition & Summit held at the Conrad Hotel, Dubai.
The event brought together thought leaders and medical pioneers from Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the USA to unearth new opportunities in the digital technology-driven precision medicine (PM) field.
“I find the topic of this exhibition and summit fascinating. For years, I have been listening to the extraordinary promising future of several different emerging technologies. It is truly amazing to see the future began to turn into reality in precision medicine,” said Sheikh Nahyan, adding that precision medicine will progress rapidly because the capacity to analyse huge volumes of data comes from the field of Big-Data, and the tools developed to implement it, are directly relevant to precision medicine and will accelerate its progress in unprecedent ways.
The event comes as the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region’s precision medicine market is expected to grow by nearly 10 percent per year to US$2.1 billion in value within 18 months, transforming the region into a hub for the emerging sector.
Sheikh Nahyan presented awards at the inaugural PrecisionMed Exhibition and Summit, brought by the UAE Genetic Diseases Association, to companies and personalities who are changing the face of healthcare. Dr. Min S. Park, the Chief Scientific Officer of Sanimed International in Abu Dhabi, which makes culture medium, collagen, and advanced biotechnology products, was among the winners. Dr. Min was recognised for his mentorship, leadership, and contribution to the field of precision medicine.
Sharjah University was recognised for its achievement in topping the UAE’s 2020-2021 rankings in the publication of Advances in Biomedical and Health Sciences and its development of the implementation of single cell omics technique that furthers understanding of very high-resolution disease mechanisms to identify pathways and biomarkers.
Dr. Burhan Fakhurji, the founder of Saudi Arabia’s iGene Medical Research & Training Center and Peter Schlecht, CEO & Founder of Braingrade, a grouping of neurotech researchers, neurosurgeons, and neurologists who are developing a new solution to enable Alzheimer’s patients to live longer and more independent lives, were among the awardees.
Dr. Fakhurji was honoured for his development of the iGene centre, which provides specialised medical training courses and raises the level of scientific research skills in molecular genetics and cancer cell diseases.
Peter Schlecht, was recognised for his innovative work on developing the next-level Deep Brain Stimulation technology device, which provides direct brain access and improves our cognitive abilities for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diagnosed individuals.
Also recognised was Dr. Nadia Al Sayegh of the Dubai-based non-profit organisation Senses Residential and Day Care for Special Needs, the Middle East’s first residential care facility dedicated to improving the lives of people of determination, orphans, and abandoned children.
Dr. Al Sayegh was recognised for her work in establishing volunteer work rules in the UAE for all people of determination, supporting university education for low-income families, supporting people of determination’s religious needs, delivering therapeutic support for cancer and kidney failure patients, and developing specialised training for counsellors of families with people of determination and orphans of determination.
More than 50 healthcare solution providers from 25 countries are exhibiting at the Precision Medicine Exhibition including G42, an Abu Dhabi-based pioneer in AI and Cloud Computing that is developing the UAE’s capital’s Centre of Digital Health. They are showcasing their cutting-edge clinical genetic solutions, empowered by Biogenix Labs, the region’s largest genomics lab.
“These events have found a home in a region where the appetite for technology and healthcare investment is consistently expanding,” said David Stradling, Event Director.
“Our specialised events can help bring innovators in direct contact with investors, and policy makers, who are ready to invest in health-tech that can help progress development in healthcare,” he added.