DoH and Sanford Burnham Prebys Forge Strategic Partnership to Accelerate Drug Discovery and Translational Research

7 Aug, 2026:

As healthcare systems worldwide seek faster and more effective ways to turn scientific breakthroughs into improved patient outcomes, the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH), the regulator of the healthcare sector in the Emirate, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, a globally renowned biomedical research institute based in San Diego, California, to establish a drug discovery and translational science collaboration that combines world-class scientific expertise with Abu Dhabi's living lab, accelerating the path from discovery to real-world impact.

Signed during the Abu Dhabi Healthcare and Life Sciences delegation’s strategic visit to the United States, by H.E. Dr. Noura Khamis Al Ghaithi, Undersecretary of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi and David A. Brenner, MD, president and CEO of Sanford Burnham Prebys, the collaboration aligns Sanford Burnham Prebys' therapeutics discovery capabilities with Abu Dhabi's clinical, genomic and biobanking assets, creating new opportunities to accelerate the development of first-in-class therapeutics from early target identification through translational validation and preclinical development.

H.E. Dr. Noura Khamis Al Ghaithi, Undersecretary of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, said: "The future of healthcare will be shaped by our ability to connect scientific discovery with real-world implementation, bringing life sciences assets and stakeholders together within one integrated environment. Our collaboration with Sanford Burnham Prebys strengthens this model by creating new pathways to accelerate drug discovery, advance translational research and bring innovative therapies closer to patients, transforming scientific potential into tangible health impact for communities worldwide."

The agreement will explore collaborative development pathways to accelerate the translation and commercialisation of promising therapies. Both parties will work to advance prioritised therapeutic candidates into clinical development, leveraging Abu Dhabi's population-scale genomics programmes, longitudinal health data, research infrastructure and diverse patient population to support first-in-human and early-phase clinical studies.

Beyond research and therapeutic development, the partnership will support talent and workforce capacity building through joint training initiatives, researcher exchange programmes and scientific collaboration opportunities with Sanford Burnham Prebys' Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. These efforts will contribute to strengthening Abu Dhabi's growing pipeline of health and life sciences talent while supporting the Emirate's long-term innovation agenda.

The partnership will also explore opportunities to establish a strategic Sanford Burnham Prebys presence within Abu Dhabi's innovation ecosystem, connecting its expertise with key assets including the Biosciences Park, the Genome Oasis, and the Health, Endurance, Longevity and Medicine (HELM) Cluster, further strengthening the Emirate's capabilities in translational research and therapeutic innovation.

David A. Brenner, President and CEO of Sanford Burnham Prebys said: “With our shared vision of improving health through research, we look forward to identifying areas of synergy that can evolve into long-term collaboration with the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, while exploring Sanford Burnham Prebys’ potential anchor presence within Abu Dhabi’s health and life sciences hub, combining our respective strengths to contribute to the future of health.”

The announcement forms part of Abu Dhabi's recent participation at BIO International Convention 2026, where the Emirate showcased its intelligent life sciences ecosystem and partnerships across genomics, gene editing, AI-enabled health innovation, advanced therapeutics and rare diseases.

Representing the breadth of Abu Dhabi's health, investment and innovation ecosystem, DoH's high-level delegation to the United States included stakeholders from Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), M42, Hub71, New York University Abu Dhabi, Masdar City, Khalifa University, KEZAD, Hub71, PureHealth, Mubadala Bio, Arcera and Institute for Healthier Living Abu Dhabi.

A key enabler of the Emirate’s intelligent life sciences ecosystem is ADIO’s 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.