Labworx

A total of 11 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) and cooperation agreements were penned at last month’s Riyadh Global Medical Biotechnology Summit. The event, which was the second iteration after its successful inauguration last year, is intended to bring together national, regional and international stakeholders in the field of biotechnology.

Through the gathering of the world’s best minds from the field of science, technology, healthcare and industry, the Summit hopes to push the boundaries of what is currently possible in medicine and facilitate agreements between relevant parties. Of course, the UAE was represented by some of the best and brightest individuals and enterprises in the sector.

Collaboration and cooperation

The Summit was held via a strategic partnership with the Saudi Ministry of Investment and under the auspices of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz. Spanning two days, it attracted the foremost scientists, experts and businesses in the field of biotechnology, with the express goal of fostering partnerships that can cement the Kingdom’s position as a global leader in the sector.

With 11 such agreements inked at the event, it will officially go down as an unqualified success. Among others, these included MoUs between the Ministry of Investment and corporate international heavyweights in biotech, including pharma giant Boehringer Ingelheim from Germany and the Danish multinational pharma company Novo Nordisk.

Five key pillars

Although the event was broadly aimed at furthering our knowledge and capabilities within the biotech sector, the discussions and exhibitions on display were further broken down into the following five key pillars:

• Cell and gene therapy
• Vaccines for infectious diseases
• Vaccines for cancer
• Genomics and precision medicine for rare diseases
• Clinical trials and real-world evidence

These issues were investigated at length during various scientific panel discussions, featuring over 55 speakers across 10 sessions. Among those who took to podium were researchers, doctors, pharmaceutical professionals and other experts from the field, while health research institutes and funders were in attendance.

A wealth of talent

Alongside all of the brilliant minds which participated in the panels, there were also exhibitions hosted by various bodies from the Kingdom on the fringes of the event. These included universities, research institutes and local and national drug and vaccine manufacturers, who showcased their latest products and explained their proposals for developing their treatment and prevention programmes further to all those interested.

The Summit’s ability to attract such a wealth of talent is testament to its global pull and marks out Saudi Arabia as a regional and international portal for the exchange of ground-breaking information on the subject of biotech. It aligns with the goals of the Saudi Vision 2030 by diversifying the Kingdom’s economy and expanding its expertise into areas such as research, technology and medicine.

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