As we publish our achievements for 2023-24, things are busier than ever at Life Sciences Hub Wales. We’ve already made huge strides towards delivering on our plans for 2024-25, so I wanted to give you an update.
Cari-Anne Quinn
CEO
This last month, we published our Annual Report for 2023-24 and it’s packed with achievements. From our work to help steer the Wales Cancer Industry Forum, to all the progress we made in last year’s key priority areas of precision medicine, and digital and artificial intelligence. You can read all about the impact we made, including the 50,000 people that benefitted from health innovations our organisation touched, in our Annual Report 2023-24.
But the annual report only tells you about our work up to April this year. Since then, we’ve been working hard to deliver on our plans for 2024-25. Here are just a few of the latest updates:
Our new First Minister for Wales
In August we welcomed Eluned Morgan as the first female First Minister for Wales. We worked closely with Eluned and her team in her former role as Minister for Health and Social Services, and we’ve seen first-hand her commitment to collaborating with industry to introduce health innovations and new technologies across NHS Wales.
Now we’re looking forward to seeing how she’ll continue to drive change in health and social care, and what the next term of Government will mean for Wales. And, of course, we’re eager to continue to support any and all plans that will unlock the potential for life sciences to promote health and prosperity for the people of Wales.
Tackling Cancer
One of our proudest moments from last year was our work with the Wales Cancer Industry Forum. The value of a long term commitment to convening the right people, and continually working to ensure work is driven towards patient need, has never been clearer. Over two years’ effort ultimately led to the launch of Welsh Government’s Tackling Cancer programme, which brings a real shift in gear this year: all-Wales initiatives to improve cancer outcomes across our nation. This is a real opportunity to focus on a programme of work that can have a huge nationwide impact and we’re looking forward to the transformative effect this could have.
In recognition of the urgency of need in cancer, this year we’ve added Cancer: Improving outcomes in Wales to our priority areas of work. And we’ve already launched our cancer series – video case studies highlighting the remarkable work of two projects using innovative technology to advance cancer care.
One of the projects featured in our cancer series – QuicDNA – is one we’ve been pleased to play a role in, from its inception. We’ve continued this support this year, including in the communication of the national roll out of their groundbreaking genomics and DNA sequencing technologies for lung cancer diagnosis. A quick non-invasive liquid biopsy test is set to have a transformative effect on the speed we will be able to diagnose lung cancer, and we’re pleased and proud to continue to support this work.
Implementing the AI Commission
Last year we played a pivotal role in convening an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Special Interest Group to encourage collaboration and sharing of AI innovation for the good of patients. This year, we’re working with Welsh Government to implement the AI Commission to drive forward the responsible adoption of AI in Wales. We’re supporting the Commission to develop and review innovative approaches that will make AI technologies more accessible in Wales, whilst ensuring that they are implemented safely and ethically.
This has just been a snippet of all we’ve achieved already towards our goals for 2024-25, so I’m already looking forward to everything we’ll have to report on by the end of the year.
For all of last year’s achievements, read our 2023/24 Annual Report now.
