Doha: The University of Doha for Science and Technology (UDST) yesterday hosted an international conference on Technological Innovations for Cancer Screening and Prevention, where top researchers discussed the use of innovative technology to overcome the challenges of cancer.
Speakers discussed shaping the future of cancer prevention and screening through technology and aimed to identify priority technologies in cancer prevention and screening relating to Qatar and the best practices for adopting relevant emerging technologies in multidisciplinary and multi-sector approaches.
The event also aimed at recognising technological solutions to overcome challenges of cancer risk reduction and screening based on insights from the community and people living with cancer. The conference also focused on collaborations for cancer prevention and screening research, identifying priority research areas, and submitting policy recommendations to inform policymakers implementing Qatar Cancer Plan 2023-2026.
UDST President, Dr. Salem Al Naemi, said as the first applied university in Qatar, UDST believes in harnessing applied science and technology to unlock new possibilities and better serve humankind.
“Our College of Health Sciences is constantly engaging in research and working to develop a competent and confident healthcare workforce that is person-centred, a workforce that is prepared to integrate an interprofessional team and collaborate to meet the needs of the health care sector and support the Qatar National Health and the National Cancer Care strategies,” Dr. Al Naemi said during his address.
In a statement, Founder and Chairman of Qatar Cancer Society, Sheikh Dr. Khalid bin Jabor Al Thani lauded UDST’s efforts in the health sector
“The cooperation reflects QCS and University of Doha for Science and Technology in community service and effective partnership that contributes to achieving goals that are in the interest of all, especially since the cancer control issue requires concerted efforts to confront the disease,” he added.
Director of Applied Research Innovation and Economic Development Directorate, UDST, Dr. Michael Phillips, said UDST has the opportunity to produce scalable solutions for building capacity in cancer risk reduction in collaboration with the healthcare sector using AI, IoT (internet of things), high-performance computing, cloud, machine learning, 3D printing, virtual reality and augmented reality as significant contributors to the transformation of cancer care and healthcare solutions.
Head of the Early Detection, Prevention and Infections Branch at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC/WHO), Dr. Partha Basu, noted the importance of AI in accurately diagnosing several cancers that would otherwise be missed using regular testing. Dr. Basu called for more available data images, especially from the West Asia region to enable more testing.
