Abu Dhabi Showcases Its Living Lab for Intelligent Life Sciences During Strategic United States Visit

17 Jun, 2026:

The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH), the regulator of the healthcare sector in the emirate, is leading a high-level delegation to the United States from 18 to 25 June 2026 to advance strategic partnerships and showcase Abu Dhabi’s unique life science ecosystem, designed to accelerate the translation of scientific discovery into real-world impact at scale, which remains one of healthcare’s greatest challenges.

Abu Dhabi is emerging as one of the few places globally where research, validation and real-world implementation can happen within a single connected ecosystem. Bringing together population-scale genomics, advanced health data, research capabilities, healthcare delivery and robust, agile regulation, the emirate enables innovators to develop, validate and implement solutions in a real-world environment. This integrated approach is creating new opportunities to accelerate innovation across precision medicine, advanced therapies such as gene editing, healthy longevity and AI-enabled medtech and drug discovery.

H.E. Dr. Noura Khamis Al Ghaithi, Undersecretary of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, said: “The future of health innovation will belong to places that can move discoveries from the laboratory to patients faster. Abu Dhabi is enabling a new era for intelligent life sciences. We have built a Living Lab where real-world clinical, environmental, genomic, financial and lifestyle data are connected into one intelligent health system, accelerating the development, validation and adoption of next-generation health solutions at scale.”

The multi-city visit will span San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego, including a major presence at the BIO International Convention 2026. Throughout the mission, the delegation will engage with U.S. government entities, academic research institutions, biotechnology companies and industry leaders to explore collaboration opportunities across AI-enabled drug discovery, gene editing, gene therapies for rare and inherited diseases, regenerative medicine, healthy longevity and advanced therapeutics.

H.E. Dr. Noura added, “This visit is an opportunity to strengthen partnerships with some of the world’s leading organisations across biotechnology, artificial intelligence and advanced therapies. We look forward to exploring new areas of collaboration that can help accelerate the translation of scientific discovery into real-world impact and shape the future of healthcare for patients and communities in Abu Dhabi and around the world.”

Representing the breadth of Abu Dhabi’s health, investment and innovation ecosystem, the delegation includes stakeholders from Abu Dhabi Investment Office, M42, Masdar City, Khalifa University, KEZAD, Hub71, PureHealth, Mubadala Bio and Arcera.

A key enabler of this model is Abu Dhabi's Health, Endurance, Longevity and Medicine (HELM) Cluster, which connects research, investment, commercialisation and healthcare implementation within a single ecosystem. By bringing together innovators, investors, industry and healthcare stakeholders, HELM helps translate scientific discovery into real-world impact more efficiently and at greater scale.

As global demand grows for faster and more effective pathways to healthcare innovation, Abu Dhabi is positioning itself as a destination where scientific discovery can be translated into real-world impact. Through strategic partnerships and a connected ecosystem spanning research, validation and implementation, the Emirate is helping shape the future of intelligent life sciences while delivering better outcomes for patients and communities worldwide.