Technology
Abu Dhabi signs 22 life sciences agreements, with AI running through genomics, drug discovery and biobanking
These partnerships embed AI across genomics, drug discovery, & biobanking to shift healthcare toward predictive and personalized medicine
The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH) has signed 22 strategic partnerships and agreements during its fifth strategic mission to the United States, with artificial intelligence featured across genomics, drug discovery, virtual patient modelling and biomanufacturing rather than as a standalone track.
The delegation, spanning San Francisco, San Diego and Los Angeles, brought together more than 40 senior representatives from 16 Abu Dhabi government, healthcare, research and industry organisations for over 30 meetings and 15 site visits with US healthcare and life sciences counterparts.
On the AI side specifically:
-
DoH signed collaborations with Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis and Eli Lilly to expand AI-enabled genomics capabilities alongside research into disease genetics, obesity and Alzheimer’s disease.
-
M42 announced a partnership between Abu Dhabi Biobank and BioTwin to expand Virtual Human Twin technology in the UAE — a step toward AI-based modelling of individual patients using biobank data.
-
Masdar City, M42 and Attentive Science launched Biosphere Labs, laboratory infrastructure intended to accelerate biotechnology research and commercialisation.
-
The delegation’s broader US engagements covered AI-enabled drug discovery and gene editing, alongside gene therapies for rare and inherited diseases and healthy longevity.
UAE-based MedSahra targets gaps in healthcare commerce with new B2B medtech platform
MedSahra connects medical equipment, professional services, logistics providers, healthcare businesses and industry participants across the GCC within one unified digital ecosystem.
It enables clinics, suppliers, service providers, investors and other market players to discover opportunities faster, communicate directly, close deals more efficiently and grow their businesses through a more transparent, connected and modern healthcare commerce infrastructure.
The launch comes as the GCC healthcare market continues to expand, with the sector valued at approximately US$33 billion in 2026 and expected to nearly double to around US$60 billion by 2030.