MEDICA LABMED FORUM 2024: International Experts Meet to Discuss Trending Topics in Laboratory Medicine

At MEDICA (Düsseldorf, Germany), the world’s premier trade fair for the healthcare industry and medical technology sector, this year’s event (November 11–14) will focus on the most exciting medical advancements. Professional forums and their accompanying stage programs will delve into health IT, medical technology trends, healthcare policy, and laboratory medicine. Among the highlights is the MEDICA LABMED FORUM, known for its informative lectures and expert panel discussions, which has become a key feature of the MEDICA program. Around 6,000 companies have secured their spots at MEDICA 2024 and COMPAMED 2024, the concurrent supplier trade fair. Last year, both events together attracted a total of 83,000 visitors.

This year, the focus is on massive digitalization, networking, big data applications, and artificial intelligence (AI), collectively referred to as "Lab 4.0." On November 11, the opening day of MEDICA 2024, the MEDICA LABMED FORUM will address the hot topic of digitalization and AI. The morning session will concentrate on the shortage of skilled personnel, a pressing issue in laboratory medicine. Panelists will explore how automation and digitalization could help resolve this crisis. The afternoon session will shift to AI and big data tools that are either currently available or in development. Discussions will cover image recognition through deep learning, now standard for automated leucogram analysis, and the developmental state of machine learning for handling the vast multivariate data sets in laboratory diagnostics. A key question will be whether large language models can clarify complex lab findings and whether AI is making us smarter or dumber.

On the second day, discussions will focus on developments in laboratory medicine regarding cardiovascular diseases and cancer, the leading causes of mortality in the Western world. The cardiology section will highlight congenital heart defects, which are increasingly surgically correctable in childhood and are becoming more prominent in adult medicine due to extended life expectancy. Speakers will provide a clinical perspective and demonstrate the potential of machine learning in modern data evaluation. The afternoon session will cover highly sensitive cancer diagnostics using blood, known as “liquid biopsy,” which is revolutionizing oncology by allowing closer monitoring of tumor progression than conventional tissue biopsies. The session will also explore new techniques like analyzing methylation profiles for early detection of hereditary cancer forms and single-cell analysis using microfluidics.

On Young Scientists' Day, the next generation of researchers will present their perspectives on the future of laboratory medicine, offering insights into the latest advancements and challenges. Topics will include wearables for continuous diagnostic monitoring and the ongoing shortage of skilled personnel. The afternoon will feature discussions on personalized therapy based on individual laboratory parameters, the integration of laboratory and imaging diagnostics, and the role of AI in these fields.

The forum’s final day traditionally focuses on diagnostic research institutes and companies looking to introduce new applications in laboratory medicine. The theme for 2024 will center on aging, with sessions examining pathophysiology, diagnostics, and treatment. Topics will include the genetic and epigenetic factors influencing biological aging, protein misfolding as a basis for neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, and the role of gut microbiota in strokes. As the forum’s "grand finale," discussions will address theories and practical approaches to slowing the aging process, such as anti-aging drugs, the effects of anti-inflammatory agents, environmental influences on aging in the central nervous system, and methods for repairing nervous system lesions.

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