MEDICA LABMED FORUM: FOUR THEME DAYS ON CURRENT ISSUES, TRENDS AND INNOVATIONS IN LABORATORY MEDICINE

Important impulses for the entire healthcare market

 

   Cancer and coronary diseases, infections and new anti-bacterial active substances, digitalization and artificial intelligence – these are some of the top topics that will be discussed at the MEDICA LABMED FORUM as part of the MEDICA 2023 trade fair. Over the last years, the forum has developed into an important  part of the program at the leading international trade fair for the healthcare and medical technology industry and will be held on all four days of  MEDICA  (November 13 – 16, 2023) in Hall 1. High-caliber scientific stage programs will be offered daily  from 10:30 am to 4:00 pm.

 

   Despite the complexity of the topics, the MEDICA LABMED FORUM is characterized by the fact that the lectures are short, precise and easy to understand, and that they are discussed in depth in panel discussions.

 

 

   Like last year, the sophisticated program was organized by Prof. Stefan Holdenrieder and Prof. Georg Hoffmann (German Heart Centre at the Technical University of Munich). During each lunch break, exhibiting companies at MEDICA 2023 will have the opportunity to introduce themselves with short presentations about their company.

 

Day 1: Lab management

   On November 13,  MEDICA will start with two issues which currently cause heated debates in the laboratory medicine sector: the potential threat to the existence of small IVD companies and specialized labs posed by the “In-Vitro Diagnostics Regulation” (IVDR) and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) with new possibilities and also risks. Led by Prof. Astrid Petersmann (University of Oldenburg), in the morning there will be a professional discussion concerning the challenges posed by the new EU directive for the quality assurance of diagnostic tests, and how these can be overcome. In the afternoon, an equally exciting discussion will follow, about how artificial intelligence and machine learning will change the work in laboratories. One of the most advanced application areas currently is the automatic evaluation of microscopic images and complex data sets, for example in the diagnosis of leukemia.

 

Day 2: Advances in clinical diagnostics

   On November 14, new developments in laboratory medicine within the fields of oncology and cardiology will be discussed under the leadership of Prof. Stefan Holdenrieder, German Heart Centre Munich. Over the last years, research has shown the enormous potential of blood tests for the diagnosis, prognostication and therapy management of different types of cancer. For example, circulating tumor cells and nucleic acids are becoming established as a second methodological pillar, which opens up new perspectives beyond the classic examination of tissue for the field of oncology.

 

   A change of perspective is also evident in cardiology: Molecular diagnostic tests allow for the increasing improvement of risk assessment for arteriosclerotic cardiovascular diseases, and thanks to advances in heart surgery, the importance of genetic testing in congenital heart disease is also increasing. Furthermore, thromboinflammation presents a new pathophysiological concept for understanding thrombogenesis.

 

Day 3: The perspective of young scientists

  The third day of the forum (November 15) traditionally belongs to the next scientific generation in laboratory medicine. PD Dr Verena Haselmann, senior physician at the University Hospital Mannheim, will invite young colleagues to report on their current research and thus provide an outlook on the future of the scientific field.

 

   The theme for 2023 is set by the “data sciences”, which naturally have a special appeal for young people due to the intelligent evaluation of large amounts of laboratory data. The presentation subjects in the morning will range from AI-supported image evaluation and the  analysis of complex lab data to the automated generation of reports on diagnostic findings. In the afternoon, there will be a discussion about practical applications in hospitals, doctor’s practices  and within the diagnostics industry.

 

Day 4: Innovation from an industry perspective

    The last day of the MEDICA LABMED FORUM (November 16)  will begin with an overview of diagnostic solutions that significantly reduce the time to pathogen identification, enabling the most effective therapeutic response at an early stage, rather than risky diagnostic loops and wasted time. Special attention will be paid to managing septicaemia through quick identification of the pathogen and the targeted use of antibiotics.

 

More thorough research into scientific basics and possible applications opens up a perspective for future options beyond classic antibiotic therapy, with the goal of countering the problematic development of resistances through innovative approaches. The spectrum of possible approaches discussed will range from the use of small molecules against bacterial toxins or specific transporters in the bacterial wall to phage therapy. A look inside the world of “Next Generation Sequencing” (NGS) and bioinformatics  will round off the event. The focus will be on  characterizing the microbiome of newborns, a particularly vulnerable patient group.

   Another established tradition at MEDICA is the presentation of future trends from the point of view of the diagnostics and life science industry – a part of the forum program that has been organized for years by Dr Peter Quick, member of the board of the Diagnostics Industry Association (Verband der Diagnostica-Industrie, VDGH). This year, his association colleague Dr. Jan Gorka will participate for the first time as co-chairman. Both have chosen infectious diseases as the main topic for 2023, because “bacterial resistances to antibiotics are a serious and growing health problem that is accepted as the new normal in some healthcare systems, among them Germany, and could thus cost thousands of lives in the future”, according to Dr Quick.

 

   Last year, MEDICA and the concurrently held supplier trade fair COMPAMED attracted a total of 81,000 trade visitors (2021: 46,000), with an international share of 75%.

 

   More information about MEDICA LABMED FORUM: https://www.medica-tradefair.com/mlf2. 

 

   For further information on visiting or exhibiting at MEDICA 2023, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America; Telephone: (312) 781-5180; E-mail: info@mdna.com; Visit www.medica-tradefair.com  and www.mdna.com; Follow us on twitter at http://twitter.com/mdnachicago

 

 

   For hotel and travel information, contact TTI Travel, Inc. at (866) 674-3476; Fax: (212) 674-3477; E-mail: info@ttitravel.net; www.ttitravel.net