Dubai: New study to remotely monitor heartbeats of high-risk people to prevent sudden deaths

Dubai: As many as 100 people will be part of a new study in Dubai to monitor their heartbeats and prevent sudden deaths in the UAE.

Al Jalila Foundation, a member of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, on Wednesday announced its partnership with Fundacion Iker Casillas and IDOVEN to improve monitoring of cardiac health through the use of technology, artificial intelligence (AI) and innovation applied to health to improve lives.

Together with Al Jalila Foundation, which is dedicated to transforming lives through medical innovation, the parties will lead a pilot study to monitor cardiac health of a cohort of 100 people who will undergo extensive professional medical assessment and provide their ‘heartbeat data’ to contribute to research and prevention of sudden death among groups at high risk of heart disease.

Leading cause of death

According to the World Health Organisation, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death globally with almost 20 million lives being lost every year. It is also the primary cause of death in the UAE contributing to 30 per cent of fatalities annually. The partnership aims to reduce preventable heart diseases.

Fundacion Iker Casillas is a non-profit entity chaired by football legend Iker Casillas who created the foundation to support, promote and develop activities that help improve the health and quality of life. IDOVEN is a European startup based in Madrid that seeks to prevent cardiac diseases, myocardial infarction, and sudden death.

‘Technology is revolutionising health care’

Dr Abdulkareem Al Olama, CEO of Al Jalila Foundation, welcomed Iker Casillas, the Founder of Fundacion Iker Casillas, and Dr Manuel Marina Breysse, chief executive officer and co-founder of IDOVEN, and took them on a tour of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Medical Research Institute and briefed them on the foundation’s education and research programmes.

Dr Al Olama said: “From telemedicine to artificial intelligence and robotic surgery, technology is revolutionising the health-care industry. Advances in medical technologies are beyond anything we could have ever imagined. These innovations have allowed us to advance patient treatment and, sometimes, even predict the onset of illnesses to prevent serious complications and even premature death.”

He added: “Today, thanks to advances in medical research, people are living longer and healthier lives. With remote patient monitoring, physicians can now know what is going on with a patient without physically being close. This pilot study will give us new insights into preventing heart attacks and other heart problems, which can contribute to saving lives and benefiting millions of people.”

Remote monitoring

According to the Dubai Media Office, the partnership will pioneer the implementation of automatic cardiac diagnostic systems, making it possible to remotely monitor patients through scalable technology in the future and at the same time contribute to research and prevention of cardiovascular diseases in the UAE.

Casillas, Founder of Fundacion Iker Casillas, said: “I am proud to foster prevention and health beyond the borders of my country. Thanks to Al Jalila Foundation, today I can strengthen my foundation’s commitment to reduce heart diseases. Through this alliance with IDOVEN and its artificial intelligence, we will achieve more accessible health and a healthier population in the UAE.”

Dr Breysse said: “At IDOVEN, we are proud to collaborate with Al Jalila Foundation and Fundacion Iker Casillas bringing our cardiac technology to the UAE. It is our belief that this project will contribute to the health and wellbeing of the country’s diverse population to support the UAE’s national health-care strategy and its drive to deliver innovative healthcare programmes to its people.”

Innovative researches

Since its inception in 2013, Al Jalila Foundation has led opportunities to increase innovative and impactful medical research investing Dh28 million to award 100 research grants and nine international research fellowships to discover solutions for the region’s biggest health challenges such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity, mental health and emerging diseases.

In 2021, Mohammed Bin Rashid Medical Research Institute, a subsidiary of Al Jalila Foundation, pledged Dh8 million annual funding to Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences to advance biomedical research.