With the medical laboratory market in the UAE expected to continue on a growth trajectory, innovative products and next-generation technology remains a focus for the region’s medical laboratory and IVD industry
As the UAE gears up for a boom in the In-Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) market, expected to reach USD 0.83 billion by the end of 2020 , the medical community has turned its focus towards exciting new products and technologies to keep up with the demand for new diagnostic capabilities that can have a real impact on improving the health of patients across the region.
MEDLAB Exhibition & Congress, the world’s leading event for laboratory management and diagnostics, which takes place on 6th – 9th February 2017 at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre, presents a huge opportunity for global laboratory industry leaders, including manufacturers, dealers and distributors, to showcase new innovations and to introduce some cutting-edge products to the UAE market. More than 30,000 visitors are expected to attend the four-day exhibition where they can explore over 400 products and services from more than 700 exhibitors from 38 countries.
A number of companies associated with ABIMO (Brazilian Medical Devices Manufacturers Association) will be at MEDLAB to showcase products and services including diagnosis and laboratory reagents, IVD, devices for medical tests, laboratory tests, laboratory refrigerators and products for hematology.
According to Clara Porto, ABIMO’s marketing and exports manager, “There is almost no national production of the sector and, as such, the region is quite dependent on imports. Generally, there is a great acceptance of Brazilian products so we expect to make good contacts and profitable deals at this year’s show.”
Binding Site, one of the largest independent providers for IVD tests and equipment in the United Kingdom, will be at MEDLAB to launch its latest protein system that can process complex protein assays 40% faster than current systems. Charles de Rohan, CEO from Binding Site commented: “We wanted to bring simplicity to complex analytical processes. The result is Optilite, the latest innovation in special protein testing, which offers laboratories reliable results without compromising speed and efficiency.”
Meanwhile, Sysmex Corporate, one of the leading international providers of solutions for systemising processes for medical laboratories, will be at MEDLAB to showcase their new urinalysis series. For the first time, they are offering an ‘all-in-one’ series of analysers that will allow you to examine both through chemistry and sediment, followed by imaging and validation.
Another exhibitor bringing something new to the market is American Medical Technologists (AMT), an internationally recognised certification agency for allied health professionals, who will promote a set of practice exams for its respected laboratory certifications including Medical Technologists (MTs), Medical Laboratory Technicians (MLTs) and Phlebotomists.
“With a new practice test for those preparing to take the certification exam for medical technologist through AMT, candidates have an important tool to take them a step closer to becoming certified members of the clinical laboratory community,” said Christopher Damon, JD, Executive Director of AMT.
This year at MEDLAB, a selection of free workshops will also be available for all industry professionals offering learning and training opportunities from leading international IVD and laboratory companies. The free workshops are an addition to MEDLAB’s conferences, which will span from blood transfusion medicine, laboratory informatics, clinical diagnostics of cardiology and diabetes, to laboratory management, microbiology, immunology and clinical chemistry.
Dr Mansour Al-Zarouni, Member, General Secretariat Committee at Sultan Bin Khalifa International Thalassemia Award (SITA) and Chair of MEDLAB said: “With new cutting edge innovations having a lifecycle of approximately 24-48 months, it’s crucial for this congress to play a role in connecting and merging pre-existing gaps between clinicians and laboratory professionals, through the conferences, to ensure everything is done to improve patient care outcomes.”
According to Simon Page, Managing Director of Informa Life Sciences Exhibitions, the Organiser of MEDLAB: “It is not enough for our visitors to simply view the new technologies from afar – we want them to get a hand-on experience of these products through the free workshops directly offered by the manufacturers. For example, LabCorp from the USA and National Reference Laboratory in the UAE are coming together to host a workshop on coagulation reference testing to discuss the significance of the coagulation reference laboratory.”
“Another example is Sidra’s workshop, the Pediatric Pathology symposium, which will address anatomical pathology, hematopathology, microbiology and molecular microbiology, clinical chemistry, and genetics, which will be led by international experts and attended by pathologists, lab physicians and scientists in the region, who work with pediatric specimens”, he added.
MEDLAB Exhibition & Congress is supported by the UAE Ministry of Health & Prevention, Health Authority Abu Dhabi, Dubai Health Authority, Dubai Healthcare City Authority, Jebel Ali Free Zone, College of American Pathologists, Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute and the Saudi Society for Clinical Chemistry.