NE HEALTH BUREAU
CHENNAI, JULY 24
The future of spine surgery may not be shaped in operating theatres alone—it will increasingly be engineered at the intersection of medicine, technology, artificial intelligence and advanced computing. This powerful message resonated at the inauguration of the Minimally Invasive Spine Surgeons Association of Bharat Annual Conference (MISSABCON 2026) in Chennai, where the country’s leading spine specialists joined hands with global experts to chart the next frontier of minimally invasive care.
- MISSABCON 2026 brings 800 spine surgeons from 16 countries together to advance minimally invasive care
- IIT Madras Director V. Kamakoti calls for a powerful medicine-engineering alliance to create affordable, personalised and predictive healthcare
- Conference spotlights latest global breakthroughs, practical training and evidence-based guidelines in complex spine surgery
- MISSAB and PASMISS unite global expertise to train the next generation of minimally invasive spine surgeons
- As biology and healthcare enter the era of advanced computing, Chennai becomes a crucible for surgical innovation
Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, inaugurated the conference, being held from July 23 to 26 in Chennai in association with the Pacific and Asian Society of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgeons (PASMISS), the major spine society in Asia.
Addressing the gathering, Prof. Kamakoti said the future of healthcare lay in bringing together technology, engineering and medicine to develop affordable, personalised and predictive healthcare solutions tailored to India’s unique needs.
He pointed out that leading institutions, including IIT Madras, IIT Kharagpur, IIT Kanpur and IISc, had launched interdisciplinary programmes combining medicine and technology to develop innovative healthcare solutions.
“Biology and healthcare will become the biggest areas requiring advanced computing and engineering solutions,” he said, underlining the growing need for close collaboration between medical professionals, engineers, technologists and researchers.
800 surgeons, 16 countries, one global spine dialogue
The four-day conference has brought together around 800 spine surgeons from 16 countries, including more than 100 international spine surgeons, to deliberate on the latest advances in minimally invasive spine surgery.
The conference is designed not merely as a platform for academic exchange but as a bridge between global innovation and Indian surgical practice. The latest advances taking place across the world are being brought to India, while young surgeons are receiving opportunities for practical training and exposure to evolving techniques in one of the most complex areas of modern medicine.
The Minimally Invasive Spine Surgeons Association of Bharat, one of India’s leading spine societies, has around 1,200 members specialising in minimally invasive spine surgery. The organisation plays a key role in establishing guidelines for the treatment of spinal problems and in educating and training young doctors seeking to specialise in this highly complex field.
Training the next generation of spine specialists
A major focus of MISSABCON 2026 is the continuous education of surgeons—both young doctors entering the specialty and senior surgeons seeking to remain abreast of rapidly evolving techniques and technologies.
MISSAB conducts its annual meeting every year in different parts of the country to strengthen practical training, continuing medical education and knowledge-sharing. The conference also provides an important platform for Indian surgeons to engage with the latest global developments in minimally invasive spine care.
Held jointly with PASMISS, the meeting is expected to deepen international collaboration and facilitate the exchange of knowledge, surgical expertise and best practices in minimally invasive spinal procedures.
The conference was attended by V.R. Venkataachalam, Chancellor, and Samyuktha Venkataachalam, Trustee, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research.
Also present were Dr K. Karthik Kailash, Head of Spine Surgery, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research and President of MISSAB, and Dr Sudhir Ganesan, Organising Secretary, MISSAB and Professor of Spine Surgery, SRIHER.
With spine surgery becoming increasingly technology-driven, MISSABCON 2026 is positioning Chennai as a meeting point for surgical precision, engineering innovation and global medical collaboration—offering a glimpse of a future where the operating room and the laboratory work as one.
