The MEDICA LABMED FORUM will take place as part of MEDICA 2026 during November 16–19 in Düsseldorf, Germany. Led by Prof. Dr Stefan Holdenrieder from the German Heart Center Munich at the Technical University of Munich, the forum will combine the latest scientific developments with practical issues in healthcare provision – ranging from the shortage of skilled staff, through robotics and artificial intelligence, to precision diagnostics and health resilience.

The forum exemplifies MEDICA’s transformation process: what matters is not the technology alone, but how it is integrated into existing healthcare structures, supports medical staff, improves decision-making, and ultimately benefits patients.

Short presentations, panel discussions, and case studies will forge a close link between science, industry and practical application. 

Topics include:

• Strategies to tackle the shortage of skilled staff on November 16.
• New methods of specimen transport on November 16.
• Robotics and artificial intelligence in the context of everyday laboratory work on November 17.
• A session on November 17 regarding an early cancer detection program based on epigenetic changes in cell-free DNA in blood plasma, its implementation in the UK, and the planned expansion to Australia.
• Laboratory 4.0.: how decentralized diagnostics, lab-on-a-chip systems, standardized laboratory values, and AI might interact in the future – and how diagnostic information can become available more quickly where it is needed for medical decisions on November 17.
• New biomarker technologies and their journey from research to treatment decisions on November 18.
• “Careers in Laboratory Medicine: Skills – Flexibility – Future” on November 18.
• On November 19, the topic of health resilience from two perspectives will be explored: How can precision medicine and diagnostics help to maintain health for as long as possible? And how must healthcare systems be structured to ensure they remain effective even under changing or challenging conditions?
• The concluding session on November 19 will take a critical look at precisely this sequence of events: What hurdles are still preventing new technologies from being integrated into everyday healthcare practice? What conditions are required for their implementation? And what examples already demonstrate today that innovation can be successfully translated into healthcare practice?

The MEDICA LABMED FORUM is free of charge with a regular MEDICA ticket. For more details: https://www.medica-tradefair.com/mlf2.