Scientific program

• 17:00-19:00

Welcome addresses

Opening Lecture

Chair: Tomris Ozben (Turkey)
Pushing forward the frontier of cfDNA diagnostics – Dennis Lo (Hong Kong, China)

• IFCC SYMPOSIUM 1
  09:00-11:00 PRESENT AND FUTURE OF CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE AND ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY DETECTION
  Chairs: Joe M. El-Khoury (USA), Rajeevan Selvaratnam (Canada)
  Updates on new eGFR equations and acute kidney injury definitions – Joe M. El-Khoury (USA)
  An update on albuminuria as a chronic kidney disease marker – Joris Delanghe (Belgium)
  Everything is acute until it becomes chronic – biomarkers of kidney injury – Rajeevan Selvaratnam (Canada)
  Using machine learning methods and leveraging electronic health records for acute kidney injury detection and management – Lama Ghazi (UK)

Credits: 2 CPECS®

• SYMPOSIUM 1
  09:00-11:00 THE PROMISE OF – OMICS BIOMARKERS
  Chairs: Hans Jacobs (the Netherlands), Sergio Bernardini (Italy)
  Glycomics and glycoproteomics: a new biomarker domain debuts in translational research – Manfred Wuhrer (the Netherlands)
  Dynamic monitoring of myeloma minimal residual disease with targeted mass spectrometry – Hans Jacobs (the Netherlands)
  Integration of artificial intelligence and plasma steroidomics with Laboratory Information Management Systems: application to primary aldosteronism – Graeme Eisenhofer (Germany)
  Generative AI as a catalyst for precision medicine research: bridging potential with reality – Zeina Al-Mahayri (Syria)
  Deciphering Biological Impact of Nitrous Oxide Abuse: Insights from Targeted Metabolomics Analysis – Emeline Gernez (France), Guillaume Grzych (France)

Credits: 2 CPECS®

• SYMPOSIUM 2
  09:00-11:00 APTAMERS BASED DIAGNOSTIC FOR BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS
  Chairs: Mohammed Zourob (Saudi Arabia), Rajiv T.Erasmus (South Africa)
  Development of diagnostics for SARS-CoV-2 with high-affinity DNA aptamers – Yingfu Li (Canada)
  Continuous, real-time drug measurements in situ in the living body – Kevin Plaxco (USA)
  Development of rapid and low-cost aptameric biosensors for biomedical applications – Mohammed Zourob (Saudi Arabia)
  Aptamer-based label-free electrochemical biosensors for the diagnosis of sickle cell anemia – Wjdan Arishi (Saudi Arabia)
  Molecular mouse gram-negative resistance cartridges are a valid option for rapid antibiotic resistance detection in blood culture bottles – Veronica Seija (Uruguay)

Credits: 2 CPECS®

• AFCB SYMPOSIUM 1
  09:00-11:00 METABOLIC DISEASES IN ARABIC COUNTRIES
  Chair: Myrna Germanos (Lebanon), Adnan Alkhatib (Syria)
  Rare genetic diseases in the MENA region – Andre Megarbane (Lebanon)
  Inborn errors of immunity in highly consanguineous populations: from diagnosis to intervention – Mohamed Ridha Barbouche (Bahrain)
  Epidemiology of the lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs) IN NORTH Africa – Layachi Chabraoui (Morocco)
  Overweight and Obesity: the Weight of Genes – Mohamed Makrelouf (Algeria)

Credits: 2 CPECS®

• WASPaLM SESSION
  09:00-11:00 THE ROLE OF CLINICAL LABORATORY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW DRUGS
  Chairs: Roberto Verna (Italy), Veronica Seija (Uruguay)
  The Laboratory in Clinical Research – Roberto Verna (Italy)
  The Role of Microbiota in Human Health – Luigina Romani (Italy)
  Revolutionizing Antibiotic Strategies: The Power of Innovative Technologies – Veronica Seija (Uruguay)

Credits: 2 CPECS®

• EFLM SESSION
  09:00-11:00 GREEN LABS. IMPLEMENTING SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES IN MEDICAL LABORATORIES
  Chairs: Tomris Ozben (Turkey), Snezana Jovicic (Serbia)
  Green labs: Implementing sustainable practices in medical laboratories – Tomris Ozben (Turkey)
  Striking the Right Balance: Sustainability and Innovation – Ffion Jackson (UK)
  Strategies for energy conservation and sustainability – Snezana Jovicic (Serbia)
  Waste management for clinical laboratories – Alistair Gammie (UK)

Credits: 2 CPECS®

• 09:00 – 09:15 Opening Message – Mariam Almheiri (UAE)
  UAE GDA SESSION
  LONGEVITY: DIET & & SMART AGING
  Chairs: Mishkat Shehata (UAE), Jaffer Khan (UAE), Maryam Matar (UAE)
  09:15 – 09:30 Mediterranean diet & the prevention of cardiovascular disease – Samia Mora (USA)
  09:30 – 09:45 Glycans are modifiable biomarkers and functional effectors of age-related diseases – Gordon Lauc (UK)
  09:45 – 10:00 Healthy Longevity Medicine: Restoring and maintaining biological age of optimal performance – Evelyne Bischof (Switzerland)
  10:00 – 10:15 The role of membrane lipidome in lifespan: why dietary lipids can impact on longevity – Vincenzo Di Donna (UAE)
  10:15 – 10:30 Novel strategies to delay brain aging and cognitive decline – David Vazour (UK)

Credits: 1 CPECS®

• UAE GDA SESSION
  ADVANCES IN GENOMICS & EPIGENETICS
  Chairs: Rifat Hamoudi (UAE), David Vauzour (UK), Kamal Khazanehdari (UAE)
  10:30 – 10:45 Deconstructing rare diseases with functional genomics – a Middle Eastern adventure – Luis Saraiva (Qatar)
  10:45 – 11:00 Epigenetics and Cancer – Ali Hamiche (France)

Credits: 0,5 CPECS®

• 11:30 – 12:30 PLENARY LECTURE

Chair: Khosrow Adeli (Canada)

Precision, Prevention and Women’s Cardiovascular Health: A Global Perspective – Samia Mora (USA)

Credits: 1 CPECS®

• 12:30 – 13:00 POSTER SESSION + LUNCH

• UAE GDA SESSION
  GENOMICS & MICROBIOME DISCOVERIES 
  Chairs: Ahmed AlHammadi (UAE), Azzam Kayasseh (UAE),
  14:00 – 14:30 Breaking the $100 Genome Barrier: Our Journey from Bp to Pb – Toby Huang (USA)
  14:30 – 15:00 Enhancing Longevity: Unveiling the Impact of the Gut Microbiome – Alla Zaentc (UAE)
  15:00 – 15:30 Understanding the microbiome in rare genetic disorders – Lessons from Very Early Onset inflammatory bowel disease – Souhaila Al Khodor (Qatar)
  15:30 – 16:00 Investigating microbiome dysbiosis and species interactions within colonies under diseased conditions employing systems biology approaches. – Mohammad Tauqeer Alam (UAE)

Credits: 2 CPECS®

• UAE GDA SESSION
  PANEL DISCUSSION – LONGEVITY & SMART AGING
  Chairs: Evelyne Bishof (Switzerland), Mussaad Al-Razouki (UAE), Saba Habibollah (UAE)
  16:15- 17:00 Panel discussion – David Vauzour (UK), Jaffer Khan (UAE), Alla Zaentc (UAE), Mishkat Shehata (UAE)

Credits: 0,5 CPECS®

• IFCC SYMPOSIUM 2
  14:30 – 16:30 FLOWCYTOMETRY PRINCIPLES AND ITS ROLES IN PRECISION MEDICINE
  Chair: Claude Lambert (France), Heba Raslan (Saudi Arabia)
  Principle of flow cytometry and issues in diagnosis – Claude Lambert (France)
  FCM in characterizing Lymphoproliferative disorders – Mohamed Brahimi (Algeria)
  FCM in diagnosis of immunological disorders and biotherapies – Najla Mekki (Tunisia)
  FCM in characterizing acute leukemic disorders – Heba Raslan (Saudi Arabia)

Credits: 2 CPECS®

• SYMPOSIUM 3
  14:30-16:30 THOUGHTS ON MAINTAINING INNOVATION AND AVAILABILITY OF MEDICAL TESTS OR HOW TO MEET REGULATORY CHALLENGES FOR LAB-DEVELOPED-TESTS
  Chairs: Michael Neumaier (Germany), Alexander Haliassos (Greece)
  Regulatory considerations for Laboratory-Developed Tests from an international perspective: Opportunities and risks for patient care – Folker Spitzenberger (Germany)
  Impact of diagnostic regulations on laboratory developed tests in the US – Tina Lockwood (USA)
  Off-label Diagnostics – an analogy to individualized therapeutic medicine: the oncology case – Michael Neumaier, Ralf Hofheinz (Germany)
  Laboratory medicine and integrated diagnostics: the role of information technology – Mario Plebani (Italy)

Credits: 2 CPECS®

• IFCC SYMPOSIUM 3
  09:00-11:00 THE POTENTIAL OF SINGLE CELL AND SPATIAL BIOLOGY IN THE EVOLUTION OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
  Chairs: Andrew South, Paolo Fortina (USA)
  Using single-cell RNA-sequencing to interrogate biologic drug response in psoriasis – Raymond Cho (USA)
  Understanding chronic wounds and wound healing using single cell profiling –Ignacia Fuentes
  Deconvolution of Cell Populations in Non-Melanoma Skin Cancer Using single cell RNA-Seq and Nanostring digital spatial profiling – Bonnie LaFleur
  Determining the mechanism of action of cancer therapeutics through single cell profiling – Paolo Fortina (USA)

Credits: 2 CPECS®

• SYMPOSIUM 4
  09:00-11:00 THE ROLE OF LABORATORY MEDICINE IN DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER TESTING (DTCT)
  Chair: Sverre Sandberg (Norway)
  What is Direct To Consumer Testing, DTCT and is it compatible with the “choose wisely” campaign? – Sverre Sandberg (Norway)
  The variety and range of direct-to-consumer testing – Patti Shih (Australia)
  We must speak up – what is the role of laboratory medicine in DTCT? – Matthias Orth (Germany)
  How to compare point-of-care testing results with hospital laboratory results: recommendations for primary healthcare laboratories – Anne Stavelin (Norway)
  Dutch Multicenter Study: Point-of-Care Test for CT Lesion Prediction in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury using GFAP and UCH-L1 – Walid Chayoua (the Netherlands)

Credits: 2 CPECS®

• SSCC SYMPOSIUM 1
  09:00-11:00 INBORN ERRORS OF METABOLISM IN SAUDI ARABIA
  Chairs: Ali Alothaim (Saudi Arabia), Khalid Al Harbi (Saudi Arabia)
  Novel inborn errors of metabolism discovery in Saudi Arabia – Majid Alfadhel (Saudi Arabia)
  Landscape of Mitochondrial disorders in Saudi Arabia – Naif Almuntashri (Saudi Arabia)
  Overview of Newborn screening program in Saudi Arabia – Faud Almutairi (Saudi Arabia)
  Integrates genomic and Metabolomics technologies to unravel the diagnostic odyssey in rare diseases – Malak Alghamdi (Saudi Arabia)

Credits: 2 CPECS®

• SYMPOSIUM 5
  09:00-11:00 MACHINE LEARNING AND CLINICAL DECISION SUPPORT: TECHNOLOGIES THAT
  GENUINELY MAKE PEOPLE’S LIFE BETTER
  Chairs: Hernán Fares Taie (Argentina), Waleed Al Tamimi (Saudi Arabia)
  Clinical decision support and Machine Learning: Improving medical decisions and enhancing the value of the clinical laboratory in healthcare – Hernán Fares Taie (Argentina)
  Navigating Through Current ML Applications in Clinical Labs: From Preanalytical to Post-analytical Phases – Deniz Ilhan Topcu (Turkey)
  Machine Learning in healthcare: Current applications and future perspectives – Stephen Master (USA)
  Artifical intelligence (AI)-driven clinical decision support to predict urine culture outcome – Lieselot Dedeene (Belgium)
  Tackling the implementation hurdle: user-centric validation of a machine-learning decision support tool for the screening of mild bleeding disorders – Henning Nilius (Switzerland)

Credits: 2 CPECS®

• UAE SYMPOSIUM 1
  09:00-11:00 METABOLIC AND NONCOMMUNICABLE DISEASES
  Chairs: Fayha Salah Ahmed (UAE), Abdelhalim Chachou (Algeria)
  UAE cardiometabolic guidelines – Hani Sabbour (UAE)
  The burden of Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: screening, diagnosis and management. – Fayha Salah Ahmed (UAE)
  Diabetes in UAE – Riad Bayoumi (UAE)
  Markers of Alzheimer and neurological disorders. – Laila AbdelWareth (UAE)

Credits: 2 CPECS®

• APFCB SESSION
  09:00-11:00 CLINICAL DECISION SUPPORT
  Chairs: Kay Weng Choy (Australia), Tze Ping Loh (Singapore)
  Clinical decision support in clinical practice: a systematic review – Adriana Esho (Australia)
  Electronic clinical decision support for pathology requesting – Ken Sikaris (Australia)
  Automated intelligent validation and verification of results – Wei Cui (China)
  Considerations for result interpretation clinical decision support – Tze Ping Loh (Singapore)

Credits: 2 CPECS®

• 09:00 – 09:15 Opening message – Sean Ng
  UAE GDA SESSION
  STEM CELLS & REGENERATIVE MEDICINE
  Chairs: Sfoug AlShammary (Bahrein), Yahya Kiwan (UAE), Fatima Jamali (UAE)
  09:15 – 09:30 Development of myocardial regenerative medicine for severe heart failure – Yoshiki Sawa (Japan)
  09:30 – 09:45 Corneal stem cell therapies: from lab to clinic – Sujjad Ahmad (UK)
  09:45 – 10:00 Towards a better Understanding of Diabetes-Associated Gene Function through iPSC- Derived Islet Organoids – Essam Abdelalim (Qatar)
  10:00 – 10:15 TBD – Fatima Al Kaabi (UAE)

Credits: 1 CPECS®

• UAE GDA SESSION
  ADVANCING CANCER CARE
  Chairs: Burhan Fakhurji (Saudi Arabia), Thomas Adrian (UAE), Mahmood Yaseen Hachim Al Mashhadani (UAE)
  10:20 – 10:40 Towards eliminating minimal residual disease in ovarian cancer to prevent recurrence – Ahmed Ashour Ahmed (UK)
  10:40 – 11:00 AI in Cancer: Pathology Applications – Aaron Han (UAE)
  11:00 – 11:20 Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1: Bridging Bench and Clinic in Cancer Research – Khalid Bajou (UAE)

Credits: 1 CPECS®

• 11:30-12:30 PLENARY LECTURE

Chair: Maurizio Ferrari (Italy)

Genomics in the Middle East: A report card – Fowzan Sami Alkuraya (Saudi Arabia)

Credits: 1 CPECS®

• UAE GDA SESSION
  LEADING PRECISION THERAPIES
  Chairs: Tomris Ozben (Turkey), Aaron Han (UAE), Rachel Stratton (UAE)
  14:00 – 14:30 Unlocking the Potential of “Body on a Chip” to recapitulate Living Systems in vitro – Ken-ichiro Kamei (UAE)
  14:30 – 15:00 Pharmacogenetics and its application to clinical daily life – Andrea Griesmacher (Austria)
  15:00 – 15:30 Exploring Pharmacogenomics in the Middle East: Opportunities and Challenges – Mohammed Alsbou (UAE)
  15:30 – 16:00 Advances in Bone Marrow Transplant – Shahrukh Hashmi (UAE)

Credits: 2 CPECS®

• UAE GDA SESSION
  PANEL DICUSSION – STEM CELLS & REGENERATIVE MEDICINE 
  Chairs: Emmanouil Nikolousis (UAE), Fatima Jamali (UAE), Saba Habibollah (UAE)
  16:15 – 17:00 Panel Discussion – Sajjad Ahmad (UK), Falco Geppino (Italy), Fatima Al Kaabi (UAE), Essam Abdelalim (UAE)

Credits: 0,5 CPECS®

• IFCC SYMPOSIUM 4
  14:30-16:30 ON THE WAY TO CARDIOVASCULAR PRECISION DIAGNOSTICS
  Chairs: Tony Badrick (Australia), Patrick Bossuyt (the Netherlands)
  Urgent need for Cardiovascular Precision Diagnostics to address Residual Cardiovascular Risk. – Christa M. Cobbaert (the Netherlands)
  Establishing an SI-traceable Reference Measurement System for 7 Serum Apolipoproteins. – Renee Ruhaak (the Netherlands)
  Evaluating the Clinical Effectiveness of Cardiovascular Precision Diagnostics. – Patrick Bossuyt (the Netherlands)
  Demonstrating the clinical value of a multiplexed serum Apolipoprotein Panel in the Odyssey Outcome Study. – Esther Reijnders (the Netherlands)

Credits: 2 CPECS®

• SYMPOSIUM 6
  14:30-16:30 DIGITAL COMPETENCE AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN LABORATORY MEDICINE
  Chairs: Damien Gruson (Belgium), Santiago Fares Taie (Argentina)
  Embracing the Digital Frontier: Unveiling Unmet Needs in Laboratory Medicine’s AI Journey – Andrea Padoan (Italy)
  Revolutionizing Diagnostics: The Clinical Value of Artificial Intelligence in Laboratory Medicine – Damien Gruson (Belgium)
  Efficiency Amplified: Unleashing Operational Benefits through Digital Competence and AI in Laboratory Medicine – Shaikha Almazrouei (UAE)
  Harnessing GPT-4 turbo for intelligent laboratory test recommendations : a step forward in next-generation clinical decision support – Ahmed Zayed (Belgium)
  Leveraging Machine Learning to Improve Current Diagnostic Algorithms and Laboratory Stewardship – He Sarina Yang (USA)

Credits: 2 CPECS®

• IFCC SYMPOSIUM 5
  09:00-11:00 BIOMARKERS FOR NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES – IDENTIFICATION, STANDARDIZATION OF PREANALYTICAL AND ANALYTICAL PROCEDURES AND CLINICAL VALIDATION
  Chairs: Hans Frykman (Canada), Kaj Blennow (Sweden)
  The different clinical types of dementia – epidemiology. – Sokratis Papageorgiou (Greece)
  Metrological standardization of AD biomarkers – current status future perspectives. – Henrik Zetterberg (Sweden)
  Identifying clinically useful biomarkers in neurodegenerative diseases – moving from CSF to blood. – Kaj Blennow (Sweden)
  Biomarker panels: analytical and clinical validation against clinically relevant reference standards. – Hans Frykman (Canada)

Credits: 2 CPECS®

• SYMPOSIUM 7
  09:00-11:00 MEETING THE CHALLENGE OF DEMONSTRATING VALUE IN LABORATORY MEDICINE
  Chair: Andrew St John (Australia)
  The challenges of delivering value through better test implementation – Andrew St John (Australia)
  The EFLM TE-WG Evaluation Framework and Clinical Needs Assessment Strategy; Key Practical Tools for Value-Based Biomarker Implementation. – Phillip Monaghan (UK)
  How we harnessed laboratory data to improve health and economic outcomes – David G. Grenache (USA)
  Impact of a cyber attack on laboratory operatons in a university hospital: immedidate response and patient security – Sana Yaacoub (Lebanon)
  Le Mans Protocol – evidence-based approach to proof your choice of production concept – Jean-Philippe Galhaud (France), Daria Dimitrova (Switzerland)

Credits: 2 CPECS®

• SYMPOSIUM 8
  09:00-11:00 HOW TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO LAB TESTING IN MIDDLE & LOW INCOME COUNTRIES?
  Chairs: Mario Plebani (Italy), Michael Wilson (USA)
  The Lancet Commission on Diagnostics – Michael Wilson (USA)
  A Global Diagnostics Alliance – Mikashmi Kohli (Switzerland)
  The WHO model list of essential in vitro diagnostics and its role in improving access to lab testing in LMICs – Ana Aceves Capri (Switzerland)
  Can lipid mediators be useful biomarkers in schizophrenia? – Ahlem Ben Messaoud (Tunisia)

Credits: 2 CPECS®

• AFCB SYMPOSIUM 2
  09:00-11:00 EPIDEMIC AND PANDEMIC INFECTIOUSIS IN ARABIC REGIONS
  Chair: Abderrazek Hedhili (Tunisia)
  Earthquakes, wars, and emerging infectious disease – Christian Haddad (Lebanon)
  Evolution of the epidemiology of viral diseases in relation to migratory movements in the Arab Maghreb countries – Abdelhalim Trabelsi (Tunisia)
  Prevalence and incidence Rate of infectious diseases in the Middle east and North Africa: Management of such diseases in low-income countries – Ghassan Shannan (Syria)
  Viral transmission from animal to humans (zoonosis) in Middle East Challenges and risks – Robin Abu Ghazaleh (Palestine)

Credits: 2 CPECS®

• SYMPOSIUM 9
  09:00-11:00 HEALTHCARE DELIVERY IN THE 21 CENTURY AND THE ROLE OF THE CLINICAL LABORATORY
  Chair: Nader Rifai (USA), Nashat Nafouri (Saudi Arabia)
  Implementation of Emerging Technologies – Ronda Greaves (Australia)
  Sustainability and Environmental Impact of the Clinical Laboratory – Ian Young (UK)
  The Role of the Clinical Laboratory in Supporting Equity in the Delivery of Healthcare – Christina Pierre (USA)
  A Green Laboratory Approach to Medical Sample Transportation between two Medical Laboratories: Assessing the Environmental Impact of Drone, Combustion Car, and Electric Car Transportation of Medical Samples – Noel Rouven Stierlin (Switzerland)
  Green laboratory medicine in Africa: what is the contribution to environmental toxicity and how prepared is the continent for sustainable laboratory medicine? – John Anetor (Nigeria)

Credits: 2 CPECS®

• COLABIOCLI SESSION
  09:00-11:00 EMERGING AND RE-EMERGING DISEASES IN LATIN AMERICA, A VIEW
  FROM PUBLIC HEALTH
  Chairs: Maria Elizabeth Menezes (Brazil), Moisés Ramos Solano (Mexico)
  Current Molecular Diagnosis of Dengue, Zika and Chikungunya in the Region of the Americas – Maria Elizabeth Menezes (Brazil)
  Molecular and Epidemiological Aspects of Dengue Infection – Moisés Ramos Solano (Mexico)
  Advances in the study of innate immunity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis – Luisa María Nieto Ramirez (Colombia)
  Zika a Virus that changed the History of a Generation – Marcela Mercado (Colombia)

Credits: 2 CPECS®

• 09:00 – 09:15 Opening Message – Fatima Al Kaabi (UAE)
  UAE GDA SESSION
  GENOMICS OF RARE DISEASES I
  Chairs: Bassam Ali (UAE), Maryam AlShehhi (UAE), Shaikha Almazrouei (UAE)
  09:15 – 09:40 Unraveling common dyslipidemia in a population through genetic screening – Fahad Mahmood Al Zadjali (Oman)
  09:40 – 10:00 Genetics of Pediatric Cardiomyopathy: New Findings and Challenges – Alireza Haghighi (USA)
  10:00 – 10:15 Deciphering the Genetic Landscape of ADPKD: Paving the Way for Novel Therapeutic Targets – Hamad Ali Yaseen (Kuwait)
  10:15 – 10:30 Newly identified Syndromes with novel phenotypes in Omani patients – Musallam Al Araimi (Oman)
  10:30 – 10:45 Promoting Rare Diseases Research in China: Challenges and Solutions – Boya Yu (China)
  10:45 – 11:00 Unveiling the Genetic Landscape of the Arab Population – Zeina Almahayri (UAE)

Credits: 1,5 CPECS®

• 11:30-12:30 PLENARY LECTURE

Chair: Matthias Muller (Austria)

Obesity: novel developments in diagnostics of underlying causes and treatment – Elisabeth van Rossum (the Netherlands)

Credits: 1 CPECS®

• UAE GDA SESSION
  GENOMICS OF RARE DISEASES II
  Chairs: Habiba Al Safar (UAE), Hibat Omer (UAE), Noura Almatrooshi (UAE)
  14:00 – 14:30 Global and Regional burden of Congenital Disorders Compared with the UAE’s National Burden – Wael Osman (UAE)
  14:30 – 15:00 Testing and Counselling for Genetic Disorders in the Genomic Era – Qurratulain Hasan (India)
  15:00- 15:20 Rare Diseases(RD): The Importance of Early Detection and Treatment in Ramathibodi Hospital Thailand – Thanyachai Sura (Thailand)
  15:20 – 15:40 Rare Diseases and Gene Editing: Applications in the Neuromuscular Field – Jon Andoni Urtizberea (France)
  15:40 – 16:00 A Holistic Model Addressing the Needs of Rare Disorders- Case of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) – B. R. Lakshmi (India)

Credits: 2 CPECS®

• UAE GDA SESSION
  PANEL DISCUSSION – RDI GLOBAL COMMISSION FOR RARE DISEASES HYBRID: PATIENT AND FAMILY EMPOWERMENT
  Chairs: Mariam Aleissa (Saudi Arabia), Hibat Omer (UAE), B. R. Lakshmi (India)
  16:15 – 17:0 Panel Discussion – Various from RDI

Credits: 0,5 CPECS®

• AFCC SESSION
  14:30-16:30 INBORN ERRORS OF METABOLISM IN AFRICA
  Chair: A.B. Okesina (Nigeria)
  Challenges in National Newborn Screening Program in Africa – A.B. Okesina (Nigeria)
  Prevalence of Inborn Errors of Metabolism in Africa – John I. Anetor (Nigeria)
  Clinical, Laboratory and Molecular Spectrum of Galactosaemia in Newborns in Africa – R.T. Erasmus (South Africa)
  Requirements for the establishment of Newborn Screening Program in Africa – G.T. Akalu (Ethiopia)

Credits: 2 CPECS®

• SYMPOSIUM 10
  14:30-16:30 TOXICOLOGY ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH EFFECTS
  Chair: Abderrazek Hedhili (Tunisia)
  Use of Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in medical technologies, what are the challenges with finding alternatives, how these technologies containing PFAS are handled at the end of life and how risks are managed – Aldo Tomasi (Italy)
  Exposure and Health Effects of Perfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS): Insights from Population Surveys and Risk Assessment  – Nolwenn Noisel (Canada)
  Biomedicine and as Biomarker in Clinical Practice and in Environmental Pollution – Alessio Bocedi (Italy)
  The evolution of human biomonitoring and its impact on clinical laboratory medicine – David Kinniburgh (Canada)

Credits: 2 CPECS®

• NAFCC SESSION
  14:30-16:30 LABORATORY MEDICINE ADVANCING GLOBAL HEALTH ACROSS THE LIFESPAN
  Chairs: Octavia M Peck Palmer (USA), Paul M. Yip (Canada)
  Pediatric health: Vitamin and Trace element testing – Kamisha Johnson-Davis (USA)
  New chance at life: Infectious disease testing – Allison A Venner (Canada)
  Maternal-fetal health: Early detection of pre-eclampsia – Paul M. Yip (Canada)
  Medically underserved populations: Delivering evidence-based care via point of care testing – Octavia M Peck Palmer (USA)

Credits: 2 CPECS®

• SYMPOSIUM 11
  09:00-11:00 CIRCULATING CANCER BIOMARKERS: QUO VADIS?
  Chairs: Ron HN van Schaik (the Netherlands), Dobrin Svinarov (Bulgaria)
  Liquid biopsy / cell free DNA analysis: too hot to handle, or right up our alley? – Ron HN van Schaik (the Netherlands)
  Liquid biopsy: from discovery to clinical implementation – Simon Joosse (Germany)
  Integrating liquid biopsy with advanced imaging analysis to improve the prediction of response to immune therapy in patients with NSCLC – Marzia del Re (Italy)
  Improving endpoint digital PCR in multiplexing capacity and specificity for multigene-associated disease detection – Dongdong Liu (China)

Credits: 2 CPECS®

• SYMPOSIUM 12
  09:00-11:00 PREVENTING KIDNEY DISEASE USING ADVANCED URINE SCREENING AND
  KIDNEY DAMAGE MARKERS
  Chairs: Joris Delanghe (Belgium), Osama Najjar (Palestine)
  Update to laboratory assessment of kidney diseases – Joris Delanghe (Belgium)
  Preventing diabetic nephropathy, follow-up with laboratory markers – Marc De Buyzere (Belgium)
  Urine particle analysis in detection of kidney diseases – Rosanna Falbo (Italy)
  Raman spectroscopic analysis of urine combined with machine learning identifies life-threathening inborn errors of metabolism – Jing Cao (USA)
  Interferences in non-immunological albumin assays by carbamylated albumin – Hans Günther Wahl (Germany)

Credits: 2 CPECS®

• SSCC SYMPOSIUM 2
  09:00-11:00 DYSGLYCEMIA – NOVEL BIOMARKERS FOR DIAGNOSIS AND MONITORING PROGNOSIS
  Chair: Suhad Bahijri (Saudi Arabia), Manel Chaabane (Tunisia)
  Epidemiology of Diabetes in the Arabian Gulf Countries: Challenges and Opportunities – Yousef Al Saleh (Saudi Arabia)
  Use Of Glycated Products In Diagnosis – Nafila Al Riyami (Oman)
  Use of 1-hour glucose challenge test in diagnosis and predicting future complications – Jaakko Tuomilehto (Finland)
  Novel Biomarkers to improve diagnosis and monitor prognosis – Suhad Bahijri (Saudi Arabia)

Credits: 2 CPECS®

• SYMPOSIUM 13
  09:00-11:00 PERFORMANCE SPECIFICATIONS OF MEDICAL TESTS BASED ON
  CLINICAL OUTCOME STUDIES
  Chair: Andrea Rita Horvath (Australia), Mohammed Habbab (Saudi Arabia)
  Outcome-based analytical performance specifications – current status and future directions – Andrea Rita Horvath (Australia)
  Testing related outcomes and analytical performance – the linked evidence approach – Patrick Bossuyt (the Netherlands)
  A practical approach to determining blood ketone performance specifications – Eric Kilpatrick (Qatar)
  Why most diagnostic studies overestimate test performance: evidence from a large-scale meta-analysis – Michael Nagler (Switzerland)
  Implementation and evaluation of hyper-automated newborn bloodspot screening for SCID and SMA in Victoria, Australia – Nazha Mawad (Australia)

Credits: 2 CPECS®

• SYMPOSIUM 14
  09:00-11:00 UTILIZATION MANAGEMENT AND SUCCESSFUL APPROACHES TO CHANGE
  AND IMPROVE TEST REQUESTING
  Chair: Mario Plebani (Italy)
  Utilization management and appropriateness in clinical laboratory: state-of-the-art – Mario Plebani (Italy)
  How to deal with inappropriate laboratory retesting? – Ivana Lapic (Croatia)
  The noble art of leaving out – Prabath Nanayakkara (the Netherlands)
  Monitoring magnesium status in the pediatric liver tranplant: total or ionized? – Estéfani Martínez Chávez (Spain)
  Comparison of non-invasive testing strategies by costs and referral rates in veteran population with Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD) – Artem T. Boltyenkov (Germany)

Credits: 2 CPECS®

• UAE SYMPOSIUM 2
  09:00-11.00 AI & MACHINE LEARNING APPLICATIONS IN LABORATORY MEDICINE
  Chair: Laila AbdelWareth (UAE)
  Case study of machine learning and AI application in pathology – Ayub Nahal (UAE)
  AI and Decision support systems – Hady Elkodary Dubai (UAE)
  Intraoperative Mass Spectrometry; Recent updates and Challenges to Implementation – Shereen Hassan Atef (UAE)
  Medical Laboratories between shrinking workforce and Artificial Intelligence – Ola Elgaddar (UAE)

Credits: 2 CPECS®

• 09:00 – 09:15 Opening Message – Mazin Gadir (UAE)
  UAE GDA SESSION
  GLOBAL HEALTH AI: UNITING NATIONS FOR GENOMIC INSIGHTS AND DATA GOVERNANCE
  Moderator: Mazin Gadir (UAE), Fady Hannah-Shmouni (UAE), Philippe Gerwill (UAE)
  09:15 – 09:30 From Data to Action: AI-powered Personalized Medicine and Global Health Equity – Noor AlSaadoun (Saudi Arabia)
  09:30 – 09:45 Will Artificial Intelligence deliver Genomic Medicine? Review of applications of artificial intelligence in genomic medicine. – Mark Bartlett (UK)
  09:45 – 10:00 Genomic Data Privacy & Security: Emirati Genome Project – Tiago Magalhaes (UAE)
  10:00 – 10:15 The Automation of Clinical Genetic Data through Implementation of ACMG guidelines – Mariam Eldesouky (UAE)
  10:15 – 10:30 Beyond Borders, Beyond Bias: Can XR Revolutionize Healthcare Equity? – Sana Farid (Saudi Arabia)
  10:30 – 10:45 PreciousGPT: Multimodal multiomics multi-species, multi-tissue multitasking transformers for aging research and drug discovery – Alex Zhavoronkov (UAE)

Credits: 1,5 CPECS®

• UAE GDA SESSION
  PANEL DISCUSSION – GENOMICS IN THE METAVERSE 
  Chairs: Philippe Gerwill (UAE), Noor AlSaadoun (Saudi Arabia)
  10:45 – 11.30 Panel Discussion – Ben El Idrissi (UAE), Khulood AlSayeah (UAE), Alex Zhavoronkov (UAE), Sonal Ahuja (UAE), Sana Farid (Saudi Arabia)

Credits: 0,5 CPECS®

• 11:30-12:30 PLENARY LECTURE

Chair: Anwar Borai (Saudi Arabia)

Making molecular diagnostics faster – Carl Wittwer (USA)

Credits: 1 CPECS®

• CLOSING CEREMONY
  12.30-13.00 Closing Remarks
  Welcome to WorldLab 2026
  Farewell cocktail