Five Innovations You Need To Know About at WISH’s Innovation Hub

The Innovation Hub is an interactive exhibition space where organizations from across the world come to showcase their latest in innovation. It’s a space for informal discussions, hands-on experiences with technology, and great opportunities for networking! This year’s exhibition was the largest hosted by WISH to date.

Here are five interesting projects from this year’s Innovation Hub:

1. Tilapia Skin Grafts

In Brazil, higher-quality skin grafts from human skin or artificial alternatives are costly and aren’t readily available. Because tilapia fish is in abundance in Brazil, doctors and medical researchers have found that tilapia skin can actually treat severe skin burns. Tilapia Skin Grafts, a research project being conducted by the Federal University of Ceará (Universidade Federal do Ceará), was one of the many booths at the Innovation Hub, where doctors Felipe Rocha and Carlos Paier shared more information about the innovative medical treatment. Tilapia skin is compatible with human skin, which is why it helps in the regenerative process. Unlike other skin grafts, tilapia skin doesn’t need to be changed as frequently. For more superficial second-degree burns, it can remain until the human skin starts to heal. It also helps to reduce the pain from burns.

2. Qatar Genome Project

The Qatar Genome Project is working on implementing precision medicine in Qatar. It’s a population-based project that will produce the ‘Q-Chip’, a chip that will contain gene variants specific to the Qatari population. Currently, the project has generated a large database that includes over 10,000 whole genomes sequenced from Qatari citizens! The wealth of such data empowers researchers to make breakthrough discoveries and helps policymakers to better plan for future healthcare directions in Qatar. Having such projects in Qatar also means that diagnoses will be more accurate, relevant and efficient, as samples won’t have be to sent abroad. At WISH 2018, Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation, received the first Q-Chip! The next phases for the project are clinical applications and personalized medicine. Once implemented, the Q-Chip will be able to report on participants’ wellness, diet, disease risk and response to certain medication.

3. Pristina Dueta

Mammograms are generally considered a painful and uncomfortable experience for patients, leading to fewer women having their regular check-ups for early detection of breast cancer. Pristina Dueta, a mammogram machine by General Electronics, removes some of that pain by giving women an active role in their check-up. GE’s research lab, situated in Qatar Science & Technology Park, a member of Qatar Foundation, helped to develop a machine that allows patients to control the level of compression using a hand-held remote. The overall design includes soft armrests and curved edges that help patients relax. The Pristina also has the lowest radiation dose of all 3D FDA-approved mammography systems in the world.

4. TrustCircle

In an effort to bridge the gap between mental health and services to help those with the illness, TrustCircle provides a holistic approach to empower people to take control of their own health. The website and app provide help in five key areas that they call Smiles, Tests, Connect, Insights, and Care. These key areas help patients track their moods to understand emotional resilience or mental health issues, offer partner administrators access to patients’ and advice patients on the best methods to deal with their health. What the app most prides itself on is the ‘Connect’ feature, which provides an anonymous community for people to feel validated in, discuss their issues. and form their own trust circle.

5. SeeDo

SeeDo is an interactive robot teacher that helps hearing-impaired children embrace sign language. The robot was developed by Qatari inventor, Mohammed Al-Jefairi during Stars of Science, an initiative of Qatar Foundation. SeeDo is a form of early intervention, ensuring children pick up on important vocabulary in their formative years. The robot plays with children and talks to them in sign language while telling them stories that help increase their vocabulary. But in recognizing that there are multiple sign languages across the world, Al-Jefairi also developed DeafPedia.net; a database where people can input different types of sign languages by teaching the sign to a Bot. WISH is where new ideas and concepts come to life - and this year’s Innovation Hub was one way of making that happen! Are you interested in innovations in healthcare and in knowledge-sharing? Keep an eye out for the next WISH - you can register as either a participant or an attendee!