The second day of Abu Dhabi Global Health Week brought another slew of investments in new treatment and detection centers, advanced biotech, and R&D.

BIOTECH-

#1- IHLAD and Singleron launch precision medicine JV: The Institute for Healthier Living Abu Dhabi (IHLAD) and China-based single-cell sequencing technology services firm Singleron Biotechnologies have partnered to create AD-Omics, a joint venture aimed at introducing precision medicine to the Middle East, Singleron announced in a press release.

The focus: AD-Omics will focus on integrating single-cell multi-omics technologies to provide diagnosis and treatment solutions, especially for chronic diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular issues, and cancer. The venture will also use AI to analyze complex multi-omics data to provide a clearer picture of disease progression and set up regional centers of excellence to train healthcare professionals.

SOUND SMART- Single-cell multi-omics technologies allow researchers to analyze and take measurements of multiple layers of biological information and data at a single-cell level.

#2- Homegrown private healthcare group Burjeel Holdings has teamed up with US-based AI firm Paige to integrate its AI-powered cancer diagnostic tools across Burjeel’s healthcare network in the MENA region, according to a press release. The partnership will address the shortage of pathologists and improve access to reliable cancer diagnoses for underserved communities and emerging markets.

A closer look: Burjeel will adopt Paige’s AI offerings, including Paige Prostate Detect — the first FDA-approved AI algorithm for prostate cancer detection — and OmniScreen, which screens more than 1.6k biomarkers at once to give a detailed cancer diagnosis and tailored treatment options.

DIAGNOSTICS-

Abu Dhabi will also see the region’s first Alzheimer’s early detection center, a collaboration between M42’s National Reference Laboratory (NRL) and US-based Neurocode International, according to a press release. The Center for Advanced Neuro Biochemical Diagnostics will offer tests to patients starting from the age of 40 to improve early detection of Alzheimer’s and improve prognoses.

Following in AD-Omics footsteps, the center will also use precision medicine technologies for early detection of neurological disorders, as traditional diagnostic methods are often invasive and have low early detection rates. The laboratory team will be led by a full-time neurology professor working with off-site experts, who will publish their research in journals.

PLUS- Burjeel Cancer Institute (BCI) partnered with several foreign medical institutions to enhance oncology care, Gulf News reports. The breakdown:

  • It teamed up with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to improve pediatric cancer care through advanced diagnostics and remote consultations;
  • BCI also collaborated with SJD Barcelona Children’s Hospital to strengthen childhood cancer care with continuous remote support;
  • BCI joined the European Institute of Oncology to advance clinical research, education, and training for healthcare professionals;
  • It also partnered with AbbVie Biopharmaceuticals to introduce a personalized medicine approach for cancers such as ovarian, lung, and colorectal, including introducing platinum-resistant ovarian cancer for the first time in the region.

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT-

#1- DoH, ADIO, and Masdar City join forces to create new research labs: Abu Dhabi’s Department of Health has teamed up with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) and Masdar City to set up advanced health and life sciences labs at Abu Dhabi’s new Health, Endurance, Longevity, and Medicine cluster, Wam reports. The labs will be located in Masdar City.

The breakdown: The partnership will focus on developing programs to attract researchers and startups to collaborate on research and knowledge exchange. It will also establish incubator and accelerator programs to support life science startups and form partnerships with pharma and biotech companies for industry-sponsored research and clinical trials.

The three entities will create a framework to assess the long-term economic and healthcare impact of these labs in the emirate. ADIO will help build global investment partnerships to support the research efforts.

REMEMBER- Abu Dhabi launched the new HELM cluster during ADGHW to attract more research and development, new drug manufacturing, and commercialization of biotechnology, as well as medtech and digital health solutions.

#2- The Department of Health also inked five MoUs with Russian institutions to boost medical research and innovation, Wam reports. The partnerships focus on gene therapy and prenatal testing with Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, technology transfer with BIOCAD Biotechnology Company, academic collaboration with I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Emirati-Russian research ties and joint research projects with Skolkovo Institute, and CAR-T cell therapy research with Dmitry Rogachev National Research Center.

#3- DoH, ADIO, and Unilabs to create a new analytical lab in HELM: The Department of Health partnered with ADIO and Unilabs Pharma Solutions to develop an analytical laboratory in Abu Dhabi’s new HELM cluster, Wam reports. The facility aims to drive advancements in drug development, clinical trials, and screening.

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