Abu Dhabi Global Health Week Innovation Prize

The 2025 Abu Dhabi Global Health Week (ADGHW) Innovation Awards celebrated groundbreaking advancements in healthcare, spotlighting innovators who are reshaping the future of medicine through digital health, biotechnology, and diagnostics. With over 90 submissions from around the world, the awards highlighted transformative projects across four key categories, sharing a $200,000 prize fund.

It was a pleasure to be invited to serve as one of the judges and attend the Gala dinner at the Emirates Palace Hotel.

🌐 A Platform for Global Health Innovation

Abu Dhabi Global Health Week, under the theme "Towards Longevity: Redefining Health and Well-being," serves as a major government-led initiative by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH). It drives transformative innovation and collaboration, placing a strong emphasis on community-driven health and well-being with a proactive approach centred around preventive, personalised, and holistic care. By convening diverse stakeholders from around the world, ADGHW is a community without borders that seeks to advance the future of health and well-being.

Submissions were evaluated based on originality, impact, scalability, and sustainability. The rigorous assessment process was overseen by a panel of esteemed experts in healthcare, digital health, and public policy including Dr. Asma Al Mannaei Executive Director of the Health Life Sciences Sector at DoH; Prof Shafi Ahmed, multi-award-winning surgeon, teacher, futurist, innovator and entrepreneur; John Nosta , President of NostaLab, Lina Shadid , Middle East Health Industries Lead, PwC; and Zubin Daruwalla , Asia Pacific Health Industries Lead, PwC.

🧬 Individual Category

Winner:

Dr. Ardem Patapoutian , Nobel Laureate from the Scripps Research Institute, was honoured for his discovery of novel molecular targets involved in pain perception. His work is unlocking new therapeutic pathways to treat chronic and neuropathic pain, significantly advancing personalised medicine and neuroscience.

Runners-up:

Hesham A. Abdullah, MD, MSc from GSK, recognised for his impactful oncology research and contributions to healthcare innovation in the region.

Kourosh Lotfi from Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City - SSMC is acknowledged for advancing 3D bioprinting technologies for personalised regenerative medicine.

🏥 Global Institute Category

Joint Winners:

@Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for the development of prenatal therapeutic gene editing technologies.

University of Pennsylvania for its pioneering work in mRNA platform technology, the foundation of several next-generation vaccines.

Runners-up:

Children's National Hospital for its StrepApp, an AI-driven diagnostic tool enhancing the accuracy and efficiency of pediatric care.

Eli Lilly and Company for revolutionising obesity care through the first dual GIP/GLP-1 treatment, redefining approaches to metabolic diseases.

Neo Q Quality in Imaging GmbH for RadioReport Automatic AI, transforming radiology reporting through automation and precision.

🌍 Regional Institute Category

Winner:

King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center was recognised for revolutionising organ transplantation through robotic-assisted surgery. The hospital's innovative use of robotics enhances surgical precision, reduces recovery time, and sets a new benchmark for transplant care in the Middle East and beyond.

Runners-up:

AmplifAI for its AI-based thermal camera to screen diabetic foot ulcers, enabling early detection and proactive care to reduce complications.

Proteinea for its AI-enabled Protein Engineering Platform, designed to accelerate next-generation biotherapeutic development.

Pioneera Biosciences for BestCAR, an allogeneic CAR-NK cell therapy leveraging mRNA-LNP technology to target CD19 in hematologic malignancies.

🇦🇪 Local Institute Category

Winner:

BioSapien Inc. was awarded for its MediChip, a novel drug delivery platform that localises treatment to targeted areas, reducing systemic side effects and enhancing efficacy. The technology represents a significant leap forward in precision therapeutics and patient-centric care.

Runners-up:

New York University Abu Dhabi for LAMINATE MS, an advanced neuroimaging platform to improve the diagnosis and treatment of multiple sclerosis.

Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City - SSMC CHESS-Osteoporosis, a multi-centre validation trial driving innovation in bone health screening.

EpiBone, Inc., for its AI-powered living skeletal implants, redefining bone repair and personalised orthopaedic care.

Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City - SSMC for advancing haematological diagnostics, enhancing AI models through multimodal data integration and clinical validation