Robust R&D initiatives are facilitating Dubai’s contribution to the future of precision healthcare

Dubai’s healthcare system is the result of a well-planned strategy that fuses cutting-edge technology, visionary leadership, and a commitment to improving outcomes for all.

By Marwan Abdulaziz Janahi , Senior Vice President of Dubai Science Park

As Dubai continues to strengthen the global body of knowledge in healthcare, its push for greater precision and patient-centric healthcare is paving the way for more effective, personalised treatments that can benefit individuals worldwide.

Healthcare spending within the city totalled AED 21.2 billion during 2022, ranking it second among GCC countries in terms of health expenditure as a percentage of GDP (5.2%), Dubai Health Authority’s data shows. This upward trajectory is the result of a well-planned strategy that fuses cutting-edge technology, visionary leadership, and a commitment to improving outcomes for all.

Data is an invaluable resource guiding the development of Dubai’s future-ready precision healthcare solutions in line with global industry expectations. The World Economic Forum estimates hospitals alone produce 50 petabytes – or 50,000 terabytes – of data per year, and according to an International Data Corporation (IDC) white paper, healthcare data is expected to grow at a CAGR of 36% by 2025 amid advancements in analytics and imaging quality across the sector.

From wearable devices through to electronic health records and genomics data gathered by healthcare providers and researchers, the wealth of information expected to become available for the medical industry in the coming years is unprecedented. Dubai is harnessing the inherent potential of such data through collaboration between government bodies, private enterprises, and research institutions.

Robust research and development (R&D) initiatives are facilitating Dubai’s contribution to the future of precision healthcare. Be it the overarching Dubai Economic Agenda ‘D33’ vision or the innovation-centric Dubai Research and Development Programme, government policy is firmly committed to enabling scientific advancements across the healthcare value chain. Initiatives such as Golden Visas for skilled professionals are further attracting globally talented doctors, scientists, and medical researchers to the city.

Home to more than 450 industry leaders and 5,500 professionals from the life, energy, and environmental sciences, Dubai Science Park has also nurtured an ecosystem that attracts top-tier researchers, scientists, and medical professionals from around the world. Part of TECOM Group PJSC, the community provides a forward-thinking environment that leverages Dubai’s expertise as a geographical and cultural meeting point to encourage innovation that can transform theoretical concepts into tangible benefits.

As one of TECOM Group’s 10 strategic, sector focused communities in the city, Dubai Science Park also fosters the collaborative spirit that is essential to future-proof scientific discovery, where advancements often require a multidisciplinary approach. For instance, Indian pharmaceuticals giant Himalaya Wellness, which already operates a world-class R&D centre at Dubai Science Park, is now developing a manufacturing facility at Dubai Industrial City that will allow its talent to further collaborate for product development and technology transfer.

Healthcare innovation is also spurred by in5, TECOM Group’s start-up incubator that has nourished enterprises such as Detectiome, the precision medicine specialist which launched a multi-cancer early detection test powered by artificial intelligence in October. Named ‘Revonco’, the test has been designed for the Middle Eastern population’s unique genetic makeup, which is significant considering a product developed for the US and EU genetic population can be up to 2x less effective when used in the Middle East, according to Detectiome’s research.

TECOM Group’s ecosystem is also home to healthcare innovators like in5’s ShopDoc, which launched the world’s first metaverse primary health venture for schools in 2022, and ProvenMed, which from its offices in Dubai Science Park delivers a wearable device to help discreetly and comfortably manage urinary incontinence.

Such success stories within our ecosystems – both at Dubai Science Park and TECOM Group – reiterate the intrinsic link between the future of healthcare and the transformative power of data. Dubai’s commitment to innovation, coupled with its geographic connectivity and visionary leadership, positions it as a global market of interest for precision-focused R&D in medicine, and Dubai Science Park will continue to harness the potential of data for the benefit of all.

Special thanks to Marwan Abdulaziz Janahi for his guest contribution.

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Published in PrecisionMed International magazine