Editor’s Letter
Films like Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner have painted a dystopian future with robots living among our human society, and while such smart machines are expected to further permeate our lives moving forward, perhaps the future would not be as haunting as portrayed in films.
Machines have evolved from merely taking instruction to learning through large amounts of data, recalibrating their responses with higher accuracy. The possibility of utilising machines to improve our standard of living and solve some of the world’s biggest problems is endless, and in this issue, we explore the applications of artificial intelligence and robotics in the healthcare space.
First off, we hear from Christopher Khang, President and CEO of GE Healthcare ASEAN, on how innovative technologies such as AI and automation are shaping a bright future for radiologists and their patients (p.20). Then, we have David Irecki from Boomi, who proposes that a unified view of patient data can enable holistic, coordinated services that will improve people’s overall quality of life (p.24), and an article contribution by Lewis Ho, Chief Executive Officer at Avalon SteriTech on innovative healthcare solutions and the future of smart cleaning (p.28).
In Spotlights, we attended a webcast to hear from Dr. Mark Gooding, Chief Scientific Officer at Mirada Medical on the concept of artificial intelligence and how it is being introduced into clinical practice (p.34).
Shifting away from intelligent machines, we had the opportunity to speak to Dr. Goh Choo Beng, Head of Medical Affairs at Takeda APAC, on unmet disease areas and learn more about the different treatments and trials currently in the pipeline at Takeda (p.40). And finally, as we wrap up the year 2021, Lu-Ching Lau, Director for External Affairs, Policy and Communications, Singapore and Malaysia, MSD, shares with us how we may navigate through current and future health challenges (p.16).
In other news, some interesting research highlights include using smartphones to detect lung cancer risk (p.6), healing bone defects with a pencil plasma device (p.58), and using artificial intelligence technology to diagnose rare diseases (p.71).
With machine intelligence on the rise, we will possess one of the most dangerous weapons that could destroy mankind or revolutionary solutions that will break the boundaries of humanity and take us further. And while history has proven humanity’s destructive nature, I hold on to the promise of human ingenuity, that we may be able to navigate past our differences and solve the problems of tomorrow.
Carmen Chan
Editor