The U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council hosted a reception on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Boston in honor of a senior life sciences delegation led by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi. The delegation consisted of over 50 senior government officials and business executives from Abu Dhabi which included representatives from Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), M42, Mubadala, Masdar City, NYUAD, and PureHealth including SEHA. The delegation visited Boston from June 16-19 to attend BIO 2025, the largest life sciences trade show and conference in the United States.
H.E. Dr. Noura Al Ghaithi, Undersecretary of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, emphasized the delegation’s mission to strengthen bilateral partnerships, foster knowledge exchange, and showcase Abu Dhabi as a research hub to develop, test, and scale transformative health solutions.
Promote new Health, Endurance, Longevity and Medicine (HELM) Cluster:
- H.E. Dr. Noura discussed the launch of the HELM cluster in Abu Dhabi, a government backed healthcare and life sceinces cluster serving as a platform to boost pharmaceutical manufacturing, build an AI-driven life sciences ecosystem, attract leading global healthcare companies.
- Her Excellency said the HELM cluster intends to build and scale innovative healthcare solutions and driving breakthroughs in preventive care, treatment effectiveness, and longevity across the U.A.E.
- The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH), Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED), the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) announced a $25.5 billion Health, Endurance, Longevity, and Medicine (HELM) Cluster in April 2025.
Abu Dhabi as a Trusted Research Environment:
- H.E. Dr. Noura explained Abu Dhabi’s invention to develop a trusted research environment to advance the secure management and analysis of health data, including gene therapy, and clinical trials.
- The DoH aims establish a secure platform to facilitate advances in precision medicine, disease prevention, and personalized healthcare solutions.
- H.E. Dr. Noura underscored the DoH’s commitement to empowering the life science research community in Abu Dhabi to accelerate scientific discoveries, and pioneer innovative healthcare solutions.
H.E. Dr. Noura also took time to answer questions from attendees of the reception to discuss Abu Dhabi’s priorities and explore new avenues of cooperation.
Abu Dhabi’s Priorities:
- Abu Dhabi continues to integrate AI and advanced technologies into its healthcare and life sciences ecosystem.
- H.E. Dr. Noura highlighted a strong focus on gene therapy research, supported by bilateral partnerships with U.S. institutions.
- Building on the success of the Emirati Genome Program, the DoH is driving the Genome Oasis strategic initiative to establish Abu Dhabi as a leader in genomics and personalized medicine.
Building Bilateral Partnerships
- H.E. Dr. Noura seeks to emulate key elements of Boston’s healthcare and life sciences ecosystem in Abu Dhabi through sustained collaboration with U.S. partners.
- Abu Dhabi is committed to deepening U.S.-U.A.E. knowledge exchange by sharing best practices across the sector.
- Expanding opportunities for Emirati students to study and train at top U.S. institutions remains a priority to strengthen the local talent pipeline in healthcare and life sciences.
To learn more about the U.A.E. healthcare and life sciences sector, please read the 2025 edition of the U.A.E. Healthcare and Life Sciences Sector Report on our website. To learn more about the U.S.-U.A.E. Business Council’s programming in the healthcare and life sciences sector, please contact Mr. Adam Karadsheh at akaradsheh@usuaebusiness.org.
