M42, a global health leader powered by technology, artificial intelligence, and genomics, and Arcera Life Sciences (“Arcera”), a global life sciences company focused on advancing innovative and sustainable healthcare solutions, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalize a strategic, non-exclusive collaboration focused on advancing biopharma localization, clinical development and next-generation healthcare innovation in Abu Dhabi.
Aligned with the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi’s (DoH) efforts to reinforce the Emirate’s position as a global hub for life sciences innovation, the collaboration will contribute to the development of an integrated life sciences ecosystem spanning clinical development and innovative therapeutics, addressing genetic and rare diseases with scalable treatments.
Under the collaboration, Arcera will work with M42 to leverage genomics data and query the genomics database to assess disease prevalence across specific genetic and rare diseases. Combining genomics insights enabled by DoH, alongside M42’s advanced data platforms and healthcare delivery capabilities, with Arcera’s expertise in late-stage drug development, business development, and market access, the collaboration aims to accelerate the introduction of innovative therapies and improve patient access to advanced treatment solutions in the region.The collaboration will deliver on four strategic pillars:
- Genomics-informed therapeutic development: Leveraging genomic insights generated through DoH-supported national health and research programs, alongside M42’s data platforms and Arcera’s late-stage development expertise to advance precision medicine and next-generation therapies, including cell and gene therapies.
- Clinical development acceleration: Supporting late-phase clinical trials, strengthening evidence generation and expanding patient access to innovative treatments
- Advanced biobanking, development of stem cell therapies and regenerative medicine: Drawing on capabilities such as Abu Dhabi Biobank to enable breakthrough therapeutic innovation
- Digital and AI-enabled transformation: Embedding innovative technologies across the life sciences value chain to enhance development efficiency and reinforce Abu Dhabi’s leadership in AI-driven healthcare
Together, these pillars are intended to support both immediate collaboration opportunities and long-term capability building across Abu Dhabi’s health and life sciences ecosystem.
Dr. Asma Al Mannaei, Executive Director of the Health Life Sciences Sector at the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH): “We welcome this collaboration as a reflection of the Emirate’s growing life sciences capabilities and its ambition to become a global hub for health innovation. Through its work to advance regulation, health data infrastructure, genomics insights and clinical research, DoH is helping create the conditions for partners to accelerate biopharma development, strengthen evidence generation and support the future development of treatments for genetic and rare diseases.”
Dr Fahad Al Marzooqi, Chief Executive Officer, M42 Integrated Health Solutions, said:
“This partnership with Arcera reflects M42’s strategic role in strengthening Abu Dhabi’s life sciences ecosystem through targeted, high-impact partnerships. By combining our capabilities in AI and healthcare delivery with Arcera’s expertise, we are supporting the advancement of biopharma capabilities in the Emirate, expanding clinical development opportunities and enabling the effective translation of innovation into patient care.”
Through the collaboration, M42 and Arcera will establish a framework for evaluating joint opportunities, identifying priority use cases and enabling collaboration across development and commercialization. The partnership is designed to support practical pathways for implementation while building long-term capability within Abu Dhabi’s life sciences ecosystem.
Isabel Afonso, Chief Executive Officer, Arcera Life Sciences, said: “This collaboration between two Abu Dhabi–based life sciences companies reflects the strength of the national ecosystem, bringing together innovation, manufacturing, and patient access to deliver sustainable patient impact”
By advancing biopharma localization, strengthening clinical development capabilities and supporting AI- and genomics-informed innovation, the collaboration marks an important step in the UAE’s life sciences agenda. It further reinforces M42’s role as a research excellence engine and implementation partner at scale, Arcera’s position as a late-stage drug development, regulatory, manufacturing and commercialization partner, and Abu Dhabi’s standing as an integrated health innovation ecosystem for the future.