Nordic Life Science 1
"While other countries have shown that buying inn
ovation and trying to graft it onto the existing is difficult, moving to the next stage of generating your own innovation in a sustainable way is even harder. Here there were slightly opposing views about the region’s potential." 50 and they are actively seeking healthcare innovation. They have the funds, the networks exist and the regulatory framework is far more flexible and conducive to new technologies and approaches than the FDA. Above all, there is a belief they can do things in a new way that will set an example for others,” he said. T he GCC nations are prioritizing the healthcare sector in economic diversification efforts away from oil production, said Harshad Hussain, Editor the GCC health magazine MedEdge. "The region faces challenges with an aging population, a growing demographic, and an increasing prevalence of lifestyle disorders. Recognizing these concerns, GCC nations are strategically focusing on healthcare to ensure sustainable development and meet the evolving healthcare needs of their populations,” he stated. Regenerative AI One reason for this belief is the emergence of regenerative AI, which dominated the conference program. To my mind it seems to fall into two camps. Firstly, you had the various US satellite hospitals in the region – Mayo, Dana Faber, Johns Hopkins, Cleveland, etc. – predicting it would help them deliver even better first-in-class precision treatments by streamlining processes, improving planning, informing decisions and reducing staff stress. On the other hand, the local actors, such as PureHealth, M24, and the futuristic city of NEOM, seem to believe regenerative AI brings the goal of population health at a scale within reach in the very near future. The plan seems to be to leverage what PWC said is “phenomenal” population data to produce individual life plans. If followed, these would be a massive boost to GDP, ensuring a healthy and productive workforce. That seems reasonable, but there were a few unanswered/dismissed questions in the Q&As – such as what happens if you don’t follow the plan and the opinion that young people don’t care about health data privacy? 24 | NORDICLIFESCIENCE.ORG Opposing views So what’s next? While other countries have shown that buying innovation and trying to graft it onto the existing is difficult, moving to the next stage of generating your own innovation in a sustainable way is even harder. Here there were slightly opposing views about the region’s potential. Henry Taysom, Entrepreneur in Residence at the Creator Fund, attended especially to network with peers in a region that he has long seen as having entrepreneurial potential. “I’ve followed GCC’s development from the outside during my time working in a hospital in Amman, and some time in Beirut. As such, I have only watched with interest as the path to diversification via innovation has played out. Of particular interest to me are funds such as Plug and Play, Global Ventures and, in Saudi Arabia, the hub known as NEOM, the futuristic city in the desert, was of course one of the star attractions – notice the emphasis on health and wellbeing in their keynote. EVENT HIGHLIGHTS // ARAB HEALTH