iSono Health crowned winner of Arab Health’s Innov8 competition
iSono Health, the world’s first AI-driven portable and automated 3D breast ultrasound scanner, has won this year’s Arab Health Innov8 competition, and with it, a cash prize of US$10,000, following an intensive week-long judging process that saw a total of 24 different companies pitch over the opening three days of Arab Health.
Finalists included Fitmedik, a one-stop solution for health systems to prevent, monitor, manage and treat burnout in real-time; Lazarus 3D, developers of 3D printing and advanced imaging analysis to create exact, physical replicas of patients’ organs; Robot Dreams, a patent-pending and unique AI-based software for the early detection of cardiovascular diseases; and Sky Medical Technology with their Geko device which is worn at the knee and increases venous arterial and microcirculatory blood flow.
iSono Health’s ATUSA scanner automatically captures the entire breast volume allowing for repeatable breast ultrasound imaging at the point of care without needing a trained ultrasound operator. With ATUSA’s proprietary scan method, physicians have advanced 3D visualisation available at their fingertips to gain confidence in their diagnosis and monitoring of patients. iSono Health announced its partnership with Abdul Latif Jameel Health this week at Arab Health, which will see its ATUSA scanner distributed in an initial 31 countries across the Global South.
Maryam Ziaei, PhD, Founder and CEO iSono Health, said: “We are transforming breast cancer screening by combining automated ultrasound and artificial intelligence (AI) to empower women and physicians with accessible and personalised breast health monitoring.
“ATUSA’s wearable accessory and intuitive user interface ensure fast, easy and comfortable image acquisition. Scans only take two minutes per breast and make breast imaging painless and convenient for patient and practitioner — finally!”
The technology ensures consistent accuracy through comprehensive 3D scanning and lesion localisation, on par with the best ultrasound specialists. The system is also fast by delivering fully automated and hands-free scans in two minutes, 10-15 times faster than manual probing, while also creating expert results at the point of care without requiring a trained ultrasound operator.
The judging panel included a renowned number of investors, entrepreneurs and medical experts; among them were Supreet Manchanda, General Partner Raiven Capital; Dr Maria Ibrahim, Head of Regulatory Affairs & Startups IROS CRO UAE; Dr Omar Najim, Manager, Executive Affairs Office, DoH; and Ahmed Osman, Associate Partner, McKinsey & Company UAE.
Rounding out the final day of Arab Health was the highly successful second edition of the Future Health Summit, which took place from 11 am – 2 pm at the Museum of the Future. The fully immersive, invite-only event for C-suite executives from the healthcare industry took a deep dive into the future of health and healthcare possibilities in the Metaverse, with a particular focus on AI and robotics and their impact on the evolvement of the healthcare industry.
World-renowned industry leaders, visionaries, metaverse experts, authors, and futurists were present. They included the surgeon who performed the world’s first augmented reality spinal surgery, Dr Timothy F. Witham, Professor of Neurosurgery and Orthopaedic Surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, who will discuss healthcare in the future in relation to the Metaverse.
He was joined by Dr Daniel Kraft Physician-Scientist, Innovator, Founder & Chair of NextMed Health, who discussed the Metaverse and the technological shift. Other speakers included Francesco Redivo, Senior Director of Business, G42 Healthcare; Shaker Zainal, Chief mSMEs Officer, Emirates Development Bank; and Bader Al Qubaisi, Chief Executive Officer, Sheikh Khalifa Medical City.
A range of senior representatives from the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention, the Dubai Health Authority and the Department of Health were joined by representatives from the Ministry of Health Oman, the Qatar Foundation, and a range of CEOs from leading UAE and international hospitals and investment companies, ensuring discussion at the very top level.
Ross Williams, Exhibition Director for Informa Markets, said: “Arab Health has been a resounding success. We’ve witnessed excellent attendee numbers and a series of major deals being concluded. The UAE has once again showcased why it is at the very heart of the healthcare industry in the world.”
