The key to longer, healthier lives may not lie in a breakthrough drug or expensive therapy, but in the data hospitals already collect every day. That was the message from Dr Maryam Matar, Founder & Chairperson of UAE Genetic Diseases Association (UAEGDA) who spoke about the growing role of predictive medicine and genetic testing in extending lifespan and improving wellbeing at the 5th Future of Healthcare Summit 2025 in Dubai on Wednesday, October 8.

Dr Matar said the country is entering a new phase of longevity medicine, where genetic and health data can be used to predict and prevent chronic conditions before symptoms appear.“We now have enough population data to move from generalised healthcare to precision prevention,” she said.“The challenge is not collecting information, it's using it wisely. Your medical record, your genetic data, even wearable devices, together they can tell the story of your future health.”

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The summit, organised by Khaleej Times under the theme“Echoes of Tomorrow | Building the Future of Care,” brought together regional leaders from public and private healthcare sectors to explore how innovation, technology, and collaboration are reshaping care delivery.

Dr Matar added that longevity medicine is not just about living longer, but about staying healthier for more years.“We are shifting from managing disease to maintaining wellbeing,” she said.“That means creating a preventive health ecosystem that connects labs, hospitals, insurers, and families.”

Kimberley Pierce, CEO of King's College Hospital London, agreed that the biggest opportunity lies in making better use of the data healthcare systems already have.“We are sitting on years of medical records, diagnostic reports, and wearable data that could help identify risks early,” she said.“But too often, this information stays locked within institutions. The first step toward longevity medicine is breaking those silos.”

Pierce said the UAE's digital health infrastructure is advanced enough to support this shift, yet collaboration between public and private sectors remains limited.“Hospitals invest in data platforms, insurers collect health usage data, and individuals track wellness metrics, but they rarely talk to each other,” she said.“If we connect these dots, predictive healthcare becomes not just possible, but practical.”

Both speakers also cautioned that responsible data use and patient consent must guide the transition.“People must understand how their data is used and what value it brings them,” Dr Matar said.“Without trust, even the best predictive tools will fail.”

As the discussion concluded, both experts agreed that the future of healthcare will depend less on discovering new treatments and more on rethinking how existing knowledge is shared and applied.“The answers are already there,” Pierce said.“We just have to listen to what the data is telling us.”

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