2023-03-02
Realhearts Azad Najar Keynote Speaker at Dubai Innovation Conference
Realheart's founder and innovator Azad Najar was the keynote speaker at the "Future of Innovation" conference held in Dubai at the end of February 2023. The conference, organised by the Dubai Innovation Association, brought together innovators, hospital management, scientists and representatives from the government of Dubai as well as other states in the UAE.
Dr Najar had the honour to talk about the innovation journey of Realheart® TAH, i.e. the path from an idea to a soon-to-be finished product. The journey takes many years of research, development, funding solutions and the need for excellence. But Azad also stressed the importance of patience and courage to succeed.
"We are delighted that the unique benefits of Realheart® TAH, have been so widely adopted around the world. This specific conference has great significance as it is organised by local innovators in the UAE, opening the door to meetings with new interest groups, in addition to the medical researchers, surgeons and physicians we have previously presented to. Our strategy is to reach out to several major markets in the world at the same time" said Azad Najar, Chief Innovation and Medical Officer of Realheart.
Realheart® TAH is the world's first artificial heart designed to mimic the structure and function of the human heart. It will be able to completely replace diseased hearts, saving the lives of patients with life-threatening heart failure. Pre-clinical studies are currently underway, with the goal of initiating clinical trials in 2024.
64 million patients worldwide suffer from heart failure, but few are currently treated with an artificial heart because the options available so far are not good enough. Realheart develops a total artificial heart that produces a physiological blood flow with the aim to reduce common side effects, to enable a better quality of life for patients. In the Middle East, about 3.8 million people suffer from heart failure, and patients are affected on average ten years younger than in the West.
