Greetings Rejuve.AI Community,
I am Dr. John Thomson Smith, Senior Medical Advisor at Rejuve.AI. It is my privilege to contribute my very first post to our blog, commemorating a really special occasion.
I recently attended the renowned MedTech Malta 2024 conference in the beautiful and historic city of Valletta, Malta. Held from November 6–8, the conference attracted over 3,000 attendees, including industry leaders, clinicians, investors, and entrepreneurs. I had the pleasure of engaging in panel discussions, workshops, and networking sessions that showcase the latest innovations in medicine, and I was proud to speak on an international panel myself.
Filled with inspiration and optimism about the future of health, I’m excited to recap my experience of this one-of-a-kind event.
Malta and Medical Technology: A Secret No More
The flagship event of MedTech World, MedTech Malta is organized by the youthful and dynamic Dylan Attard MD and his team. As a fellow surgeon, Dylan invited me for my first visit to MedTech World back in October 2023.
Although it might feel like Malta is a well-kept secret, it has very much become a global hub for medical technology in recent years, backed by strategic investments and its prime geographical location.
Having attended many medical and surgical forums throughout my career, MedTech Malta differs in that it offers a vast diversity of delegates. At one of the first networking events, I found myself sitting around a dinner table with a regulatory lawyer, an investment banker, a genetic engineer, and a blockchain platform developer!
This diversity is crucial when individuals can often end up blinkered and institutionalized within their own professional environment. Only by appreciating the broader landscape can we work together in applying medical technology to optimize patient care and improve long-term outcomes.
Keen to relive the experience, I was delighted to be invited back to Malta and join a cutting-edge international panel discussion on 7 November titled: “Personalized Medicine: The Key To Longevity”.
Key Takeaways from Renowned Panelists
The panel included visionary global leaders: Dr. Ali Tinzali — CEO at Lifespin GmbH, Tony Hsu — CEO of 3x4 Genetics, Ibrahim Almaghlouth — Director of Clinical Information at NEOM, Alex Diaconu — CEO of AIGIA, and myself.
The exciting panel gave a unique blend of insights into health informatics, genetic profiling, metabolomics, and artificial intelligence in relation to personalized medicine and longevity.
Key highlights from the symposium included:
Preventive care — early diagnosis and detection of disease to optimize the ‘well’ before developing ‘sick’ patients.
Precision medicine — tailored treatment strategies to meet individual patient needs, in preference to protocol-driven population medicine
Longevity — bringing focus onto healthspan as well as lifespan, living healthier for longer throughout the aging process
Decentralization — democratization and ownership of your individual healthcare data to facilitate personalized AI-driven insights into longevity and wellbeing
All Eyes on the Big Oil of the Future
Throughout the three-day conference, the salient message was that data is king.
In fact, my favorite quote of the entire meeting was from Bjoern von Siemens, CEO of Caresyntax. Currently navigating the future of healthcare within the Gulf region, Bjoern described healthcare data as the new oil in terms of future global economics. A profound and revolutionary statement that resonates.
By harnessing contemporary technology solutions including blockchain, artificial intelligence, and decentralized healthcare data platforms, we can now democratize access and contributions to crucial scientific research within the healthcare and longevity space in a secure environment with incentivization as a driving force.
There is no doubt that the long-term goal within healthcare is to empower individuals, with ownership of their data, to extend their healthspan and lifespan using preventative care and personalized medicine as the pillars of longevity and wellbeing.
I will very much look forward to heading back to MedTech World in the fall of 2025!