Today's Edition
Khaled Al Khawaldeh (Abu Dhabi)
The UAE's high-quality data, dynamic attitude, and strong infrastructure make it a prime location for the utilisation of the latest AI healthcare solutions according Google, Life Sciences and AI CTO, Scott Penberthy.
Speaking to Aletihad at the Abu Dhabi Global Healthcare Week 2024, Penberthy said that a new generation of AI powered health solutions would require a complete overhaul of much of the underlying infrastructure of today, but lauded the proactive approach of the UAE in getting ahead of the curve.
"We're actually talking to teams here, because you have the world's best data and that data can help millions of people outside of the region as well, as well as in several regions," he said.
"I think UAE is an example where they have some infrastructure, but then they're making a large investment. I think it's very smart to do that."
Last week, Google released the AlphaFold 3 AI System, a molecular prediction model powered by the firms Google DeepMind AI. The new model claims it will revolutionise and radically speed up disease prevention and treatment by allowing us to effectively map out the complex molecular structures and relationships in the body with unprecedented accuracy.
This will allow researchers to effectively model the reaction of different molecules in the body to various drugs hence speeding up the process of discovering and testing new medicines, as well as giving researchers a better understanding of the human body.
"A few years ago, I realised we can actually see the source code of biology itself through a next generation sequencing programme. And I thought, well, we could actually read the source code and we can repair it," he said.
"And that was sort of a crazy idea, and now it's becoming real. And what we're finding is that if we can actually take data on a nano scale, we can understand that data, and we can now start to understand how the body itself works, and maybe debug it."
Penberthy explained that data collected on the nanoscale would be impossible to comprehend with the human mind, meaning the problem could only be solved through AI. He added that cancer was very similar to a bug in a computer system, and with enough data, it could possibly be "debugged" as well.
"You need something like an AI from Google to understand the patterns. So that's what I do, is I work with companies to figure out how do we get the data out so we can actually see it, and then find the patterns and use that to find new drugs, new diagnosis, therapies," he said.
With data being so crucial to the actual utilisation of the technology, Penberthy lauded projects like the UAE Genome project and Biobank initiative as being the right steps towards ensuring the Emirates would lead in the field in delivering personalised care.
"I think that it was very smart to say, 'let's step back and understand our genetics'. We can identify illness far earlier than we can be detect and then reverse it. And as a result, it's a lot less expensive to prevent something than to treat somebody," he said.
"It moves healthcare from like, I'm sick, help me, to like your phone just rang and you see, you're transitioning, eat more bananas. That's kind of where we're headed it is that you want to be wellness where you're reacting because it's identified for you as opposed to having a call in yourself."
Looking forward, Penberthy said that Google sees a lot of potential in the region, adding that the company is currently working towards deals with governments and partners that would see their leading technology utilised.
"It is a terrific revenue source for the region in the future, but also then how can you actually get that data and the insights in the hands of others to contribute? We're working through the policies and the techniques so that we continue investment."
