Day: February 13, 2023

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Georgia, Rwanda Prime Ministers share their countries’ experiences in accelerating innovation at the World Government Summit

DUBAI, Irakli Garibashvili, Prime Minister of Georgia, has described the UAE as a leading country in innovation and technology, pointing out that his country views the UAE as a role model in digital transformation and innovation.

On the first day of the World Government Summit (WGS) 2023, Garibashvili said the summit reflects the UAE’s strategy in forging effective partnerships, exchanging expertise and success stories and creating new business models to build a better future for humanity.

The Georgian Prime Minister affirmed that the WGS highlights the UAE’s pioneering experience in ambitious government management and leadership, indicating that the Georgian government is developing policies to maintain economic stability.

He added, “We witnessed growing economic activity across several sectors, including transport, logistics, financial services, construction, energy and tourism, among others,” pointing to the increase in FDI flow to his country, which helped provide 230,000 job opportunities and curb inflation at 9.4 percent in 2022.

Édouard Ngirente, Prime Minister of the Republic of Rwanda, shared his country’s leading model in accelerating innovation, in line with its government’s efforts to complete its digital transformation by 2024.

Ngirente said that more than 90 percent of the government services in Rwanda are digitally accessible via smart applications and websites. He further noted that Rwanda’s government believes that “technology and innovation shape the current status of humanity.”

He added that his country is exerting great efforts to invest in top-notch education, with a special and intensive focus on developing technology-based skills.

The Rwandan Prime Minister stressed that thanks to the policies adopted by Rwanda, it has been increasingly capable of attracting foreign investments over the past few years. He clarified that such policies mainly focus on technology and innovation, aiming to achieve sustainable development.

“Rwanda’s government continues to invest in roads and aviation to provide better connection with neighboring countries, in addition to its heavy investments in hospitality and sports. We have already developed and applied legislative frameworks to liberalize these sectors and enhance their attractiveness to domestic and foreign investments alike,” Ngirente added.

He further highlighted Rwanda’s keenness to invest in agriculture, with its aim being to increase the exports of this sector. He concluded by presenting the significant progress Rwanda has achieved in the field of agricultural research, which enabled it to produce the majority of seeds its uses in agriculture.

Source: Emirates News Agency

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Moro Hub collaborates with Intelligent Security Systems to strengthen digital security in UAE

DUBAI, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority’s digital subsidiary Moro Hub has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Intelligent Security Systems (ISS), a global provider of video management and analytics software solutions.

The partnership will enable both parties to collaborate on delivering cutting-edge digital video surveillance solutions to government entities and private companies of various sizes in the region.

The agreement was signed between Arif Al Malik, Chief Digital Products Officer of Moro Hub, and Aluisio Figueiredo, CEO of Intelligent Security Systems.

“This partnership will further elevate and improve critical operational efficiency and safety of the enterprises in the region, it will also help them get closer to achieving their digital transformation goals,” said Al Malik.

As part of the agreement, Moro Hub will provide its clients an end-to-end video management solution focusing on video management systems and more. In addition, it will also deliver the ANPR, Facial Recognition and Under Vehicle Surveillance Scanner (UVSS) which will offer government and enterprise clients the ability to accurately capture vehicle plate number information in all kinds of weather including fog and rain.

“Our association with Moro Hub will enable us to tap new customers and witness impressive growth, while at the same time propel our market share to the next level,” said Aluisio Figueiredo.

Source: Emirates News Agency

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Ground-breaking Thalassemia Clinical Trials to Begin in Abu Dhabi

As an incubator and hub for life-science research and innovation, Abu Dhabi is set to begin clinical trials to transform the way thalassemia is being treated, kicking it off with two global clinical trials. Under the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi’s (DoH) supervision and support, the “Phase 3” trials for adult patients with thalassemia, ENERGIZE and ENERGIZE-T aim to test the effectiveness and safety of a new drug, Mitapivat. Conducted at Abu Dhabi-based Burjeel Medical City, the clinical trials offer new hope for thalassemia patients in the country. The trials will be conducted in collaboration with several centres and multiple sites across the United States of America, the European Union, and Asia, enabling access to state-of-the-art therapies from the outset of clinical development.

Mitapivat is already approved in the US and the EU for its ability to manage pyruvate kinase deficiency, however, recently, it has demonstrated potential in earlier trials for transforming the treatment of thalassemia.

In the upcoming stage, the “Phase 3” program would evaluate the drug in two types of thalassemia with relatively different clinical needs. The ENERGIZE study aims to evaluate whether Mitapivat can effectively and safely improve haemoglobin levels in non-transfusion-dependent thalassemia patients who do not require regular transfusions. Previous studies from Burjeel Medical City researchers have shown that low haemoglobin levels can lead to significant morbidity and may lead to death. Furthermore, ENERGIZE-T aims to evaluate whether the same drug can decrease transfusion requirements in transfusion-dependent thalassemia patients.

Commenting on this breakthrough, Dr. Asma Al Mannaei, Executive Director, Research Centre and Innovation at Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, said: “As the Emirate’s healthcare regulator, we are relentlessly working on cementing Abu Dhabi’s position as a pioneering healthcare destination globally and the region’s hub for research and innovation in life science. Abu Dhabi was able to play a pivotal role in developing medicines and conducting clinical trials with several international partners. Today, we are witnessing the launch of new clinical trials, so that we continue our efforts as we aim to further improve healthcare services in Abu Dhabi, and helping all members of our community, and across the globe”.”

Last year, clinical trials in Abu Dhabi saw an increase of 27%, reaching 71 clinical trials in 2022, compared 56 trials in 2021. Furthermore, the UAE was one of the first countries to participate in clinical trials of COVID-19 vaccines, witnessing the largest clinical trial on the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine, covering more than 32,000 volunteers.”

Dr. Khaled Musallam, Group Chief Research Officer, Burjeel Holdings stated: “With DoH’s full support and encouragement, Abu Dhabi is now at the forefront of leading-edge innovations. Burjeel Medical City is committed to improving the health and well-being of patients by prioritizing the latest developments in treatment, research and development and actively participating in projects with some of the world’s leading institutions. If these studies meet their endpoints, this could be a game changer to how the disease is being treated today. A disease-modifying therapy can address persisting unmet needs of patients in the UAE and around the world.”

According to Dr. Musallam, this milestone comes only after stringent and thorough regulatory approvals to ensure the facility meets the necessary global standards for clinical trials. The “ENERGIZE” trials will start with a typical screening period and run for 24 weeks, while “ENERGIZE-T will run for 48 weeks, core treatment periods for primary results, followed by 5-year extensions. The trials will include clinical, radiologic, and laboratory assessments, which will be conducted at Burjeel Medical City using state-of-the-art technology.

Thalassemia, a group of inherited blood disorders that affect the body’s production of haemoglobin and red blood cells, is among the world’s most common genetic diseases and highly prevalent in the region.

Source: Department of Health Abu Dhabi