Back to the complete issue
Friday, 14 October 2016

Innovations in health

The health industry is on the verge of a breakthrough: “The world’s last tn USD industry was created out of computer code. The world’s next tn USD industry is going to be created out of a genetic code,” former US Department of State Senior Advisor for Innovation Alec Ross tells Big Think. Only 15 years ago, the procedure for genome mapping was as expensive as USD 2.7 bn. Five years ago it cost USD 100k. Now the procedure can be done for as cheap as a few thousand USD. Genome mapping will allow for detection at far earlier stages, says Ross. An example of this is a liquid biopsy, a non-invasive blood test that can detect cancerous cells at 1/100 the size of what can be detected by an MRI. Genome mapping also opens up the possibility of precision medicine as early as within five years, adds Ross. Medicines they will be personalized to account for our personal genetic makeup as well as the specific genetic makeup of the illness that we have.

Enterprise is a daily publication of Enterprise Ventures LLC, an Egyptian limited liability company (commercial register 83594), and a subsidiary of Inktank Communications. Summaries are intended for guidance only and are provided on an as-is basis; kindly refer to the source article in its original language prior to undertaking any action. Neither Enterprise Ventures nor its staff assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, whether in the form of summaries or analysis. © 2022 Enterprise Ventures LLC.

Enterprise is available without charge thanks to the generous support of HSBC Egypt (tax ID: 204-901-715), the leading corporate and retail lender in Egypt; EFG Hermes (tax ID: 200-178-385), the leading financial services corporation in frontier emerging markets; SODIC (tax ID: 212-168-002), a leading Egyptian real estate developer; SomaBay (tax ID: 204-903-300), our Red Sea holiday partner; Infinity (tax ID: 474-939-359), the ultimate way to power cities, industries, and homes directly from nature right here in Egypt; CIRA (tax ID: 200-069-608), the leading providers of K-12 and higher level education in Egypt; Orascom Construction (tax ID: 229-988-806), the leading construction and engineering company building infrastructure in Egypt and abroad; Moharram & Partners (tax ID: 616-112-459), the leading public policy and government affairs partner; Palm Hills Developments (tax ID: 432-737-014), a leading developer of commercial and residential properties; Mashreq (tax ID: 204-898-862), the MENA region’s leading homegrown personal and digital bank; Industrial Development Group (IDG) (tax ID:266-965-253), the leading builder of industrial parks in Egypt; Hassan Allam Properties (tax ID:  553-096-567), one of Egypt’s most prominent and leading builders; and Saleh, Barsoum & Abdel Aziz (tax ID: 220-002-827), the leading audit, tax and accounting firm in Egypt.