Precision medicine aims to make it possible to increasingly individualize the prevention and treatment of diseases. Artificial intelligence (AI) can help to manage the large volumes of data required for this. The opportunities and challenges involved were the subject of the conference.

It was emphasized that precision medicine and AI can help to make healthcare not only more individual, but also more effective, less side effects and more efficient. The potential is huge, emphasized Moritz Hartmann, Head of Roche Information Solutions: “97 percent of the data generated in hospitals has not yet been used.”

The need for innovation is great, emphasized Dr. Christian Rommel, Head of Research and Development at Bayer Pharmaceuticals. Today, hundreds of proteins are known to cause diseases: “But there are only drug treatments for around ten percent of them.”

“Biological and socio-cultural gender are important building blocks on the path to precision medicine,” emphasized Carolin Lerchenmüller, Professor of Gender Medicine at the University of Zurich. Too often there is still a lack of gender-specific treatment guidelines. AI could help to improve the situation.

In the parallel sessions of the event, start-ups were presented that are breaking new ground - for example by using menstrual blood (MenstruAI project) or sweat (Age Resist) to improve diagnostics.

What investors want

But how does a young company attract investors? Jacqueline Ruedin Rüsch, founder of the venture capital company Privilège Ventures, experiences time and again that company founders are not clear enough about their project, the market for it and give too little thought to which investors would suit their business.

At the panel discussion, it was emphasized that appropriate financial incentives and resources are needed for digitalization in medicine to move forward. It is important to base the further development of medicine on the needs of patients.

4th Life Science Zurich Impact Conference
The conference took place on May 26 at Technopark Zurich. It was organized by the Life Science Zurich Business Network, the Economic Development Office of the Canton of Zurich and the Bio-Technopark Schlieren-Zurich. Partners of the conference were Life Science Zurich, the City of Zurich, the University of Zurich, ZHAW and Innosuisse. Sponsors: CSEM, Roche, Super Computing Systems, University Hospital Zurich, USZ Health Innovation Hub.