Abu Dhabi opens its health data to Isomorphic Labs, Whoop and AstraZeneca, and Lulu plans a INR 25 bn push into Delhi

Abu Dhabi puts its health data to work with Isomorphic Labs, Whoop, and AstraZeneca

Abu Dhabi’s Department of Health (DoH) signed three research agreements covering AI drug discovery, wearables, and clinical trials, according to an Abu Dhabi Media Office statement. The common thread? Putting the emirate’s clinical and genomic data to use in researching new medicines, identifying health risks earlier, and attracting more clinical studies.

• AI drug discovery: DoH and DeepMind spinout Isomorphic Labs will develop a 24-month roadmap for AI-enabled preclinical research, conducted inside Abu Dhabi’s Trusted Research Environment;
• Wearables: DoH and Whoop will run a 24-month research program on heart and metabolic health. The first study will track how WHOOP’s continuous data and coaching affect weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and sleep over six months in adults with obesity and high blood pressure;
• Clinical trials: DoH, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, and AstraZeneca will explore running up to 30 trials in the emirate by 2030, focused on cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic disease, which could bring an estimated AED 180 mn (USD 50 mn) of research investment. The first six are expected to start by the end of 2026. The trials also aim to address the underrepresentation of Middle Eastern populations in drug research.

REMEMBER- As we covered in yesterday’s issue, smart-ring maker Oura is also launching an Abu Dhabi pilot examining whether wearable data could help identify premature birth risks.

Abu Dhabi money is already behind two of these partners. MGX joined Isomorphic’s USD 2.1 bn funding round, and Mubadala and IHC backed Whoop earlier this year.

LuLu to invest INR 25 bn in Delhi’s NCR

LuLu Group plans to invest INR 25 bn (c. USD 264 mn) to open around 25 stores across Delhi’s National Capital Region (NCR) by 2030, Jayakumar Gangadharan, LuLu’s director for Uttar Pradesh, Delhi NCR, and Telangana, told Hindustan Times. He put the target at “at least 25 to 30 outlets” in comments to PTI. The plan mixes large hypermarkets with smaller LuLu Daily stores, typically 30k-70k sq ft, aimed at densely populated areas and new residential neighborhoods.

Why it matters: The NCR, which spans Delhi and parts of three neighboring states, is one of India’s largest consumer markets. The plan would take LuLu, which already runs malls in Kerala, Bengaluru, and Lucknow, into the capital region in force.