The Abu Dhabi Biobank — the joint strategic initiative between the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, the emirate's healthcare sector regulatory authority, and M42, a leading global health company — has announced the signing of a strategic partnership agreement with BioTwin to expand the development of AI-powered Virtual Human Twin technology, with a focus on early diagnosis, prevention and precision medicine in Abu Dhabi.
The announcement was made on the sidelines of the BIO International Convention 2026 in San Diego, United States. The partnership combines BioTwin's longitudinal biomarker platform and Virtual Human Twin technology with the Abu Dhabi Biobank's capabilities to link biological data with genomic, clinical and AI-derived insights, thereby contributing to a deeper understanding of complex diseases, accelerating clinical research, and shifting healthcare from a disease-reactive approach to a proactive, prevention-focused model.
Dr Noura Khamis Al Ghaithi, Undersecretary of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, said: "Abu Dhabi has successfully built a leading intelligent life sciences ecosystem by combining population-level genome programmes, advanced longitudinal health data, real-world evidence, and flexible legislative and regulatory frameworks to establish an integrated, future-ready ecosystem."
The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi also signed a memorandum of understanding with Arbor Biotechnologies, a company specialising in the development of next-generation gene-editing technologies and targeted gene therapies, also on the sidelines of the BIO International Convention 2026 in San Diego, United States.
Under this collaboration, both parties will work to explore opportunities to advance gene-editing research and clinical development, support the development of innovative treatments for rare and genetic diseases, and strengthen scientific and clinical capabilities.
This partnership represents a new step in Abu Dhabi's journey from leveraging population-level genomic data towards developing the next generation of advanced therapies.
The Department also signed a memorandum of understanding with Novartis Middle East FZ-LLC to explore opportunities for collaboration in the areas of genome research, scientific capacity building and advanced therapies, reflecting their shared commitment to driving healthcare innovation and improving patient outcomes.
This collaboration strengthens Abu Dhabi's advanced genomics ecosystem by linking global scientific expertise with one of the world's largest population genome programmes.