The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council hosted a reception on Thursday, May 30, 2024, at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Philadelphia in honor of a life sciences delegation from Abu Dhabi led by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. The delegation also included representatives from M42, Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), and various PureHealth subsidiaries, including Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), Ambulatory Health Services, PureLabs, and The Medical Office.
Dr. Asma Al Mannaei, Executive Director of the Research and Innovation Center at the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, spoke about Abu Dhabi’s vision to become a life science hub, and stressed the important role that U.S. partners play in making this vision a reality. She noted Abu Dhabi’s investments in infrastructure and mega projects, such as the Emirati Genome Project, that make Abu Dhabi an ideal site for innovation, implementation, and acceleration of clinical trials. Dr. Asma noted that the delegation is in Philadelphia in search of innovation and given the city’s prominence in cell and gene therapies. She highlighted three key areas in which Abu Dhabi is currently looking for partnerships: research and development; capacity building; and G2B commercial approaches. Dr. Asma pointed to Abu Dhabi Global Healthcare Week as an example of tangible efforts put forth by the Department of Health-Abu Dhabi to build a life sciences hub, noting that 11,000 people attended this inaugural event.
Dr. Fahed Al Marzooqi, Deputy Chief Operating Officer at M42, echoed Dr. Asma’s remarks on the importance of bilateral collaborations between the United States and Abu Dhabi in the healthcare sector. Dr. Fahed voiced his hopes that U.S. companies will build satellite offices in Abu Dhabi as an extension of their core operations and consider Abu Dhabi as a site for Phase 1 clinical trials. He elaborated on the Emirati Genome Project, which collected over 600,000 samples in just 18 months, and has accumulated 120 petabytes of data that is available for analysis. He concluded that M42 is a willing partner and Abu Dhabi’s regulator is “here to support the success of Abu Dhabi and humanity.”
The delegation will now head to San Diego to participate in BIO, where the delegation will showcase Abu Dhabi’s developing biotechnology industry and highlight domestic initiatives for healthcare research and innovation. There, the delegation will be led by H.E. Mansoor Al Mansoori, the Chairman of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, and joined by various other entities in the Emirate’s life science ecosystem, including Mubadala Investment Company.
Earlier this month, the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi hosted the inaugural edition of Abu Dhabi Global Healthcare Week. The Business Council supported this important new initiative by leading a U.S. Department of Commerce-certified trade mission to the U.A.E. comprising 25 innovative U.S. companies. More information about this mission can be found here and here.
To learn more about the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council’s programming in the healthcare and life sciences sector, please contact Adam Karadsheh at akaradsheh@usuaebusiness.org. Also, click here for an overview of the U.A.E. healthcare sector and here for an overview of U.A.E. involvement in the U.S. healthcare sector.
