Abu Dhabi Health Authority Partners on Clinical Trial Pipeline; Targets Patient Care Deliv

On August 7, 2026, the Department of Health Abu Dhabi and Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute signed a Memorandum of Understanding designed to move drug candidates from laboratory discovery through clinical testing and into patient care. The agreement, executed during a strategic visit by Abu Dhabi’s healthcare and life sciences delegation to the United States, pairs the San Diego institute’s therapeutics discovery capabilities with Abu Dhabi’s clinical infrastructure, genomic databases and patient populations.

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, signed the accord. The collaboration targets the full development pipeline, from early target identification through translational validation and preclinical development, with both organizations committing to advance prioritized therapeutic candidates into clinical trials.

The operational backbone of the partnership rests on Abu Dhabi’s existing assets. The emirate maintains population-scale genomics programmes, longitudinal health data systems, research infrastructure and a diverse patient population available to support first-in-human and early-phase clinical studies. These elements address a fundamental bottleneck in drug development: the gap between laboratory success and real-world clinical application. Pairing Sanford Burnham Prebys’ discovery expertise with Abu Dhabi’s integrated clinical and genomic infrastructure, the partnership aims to compress timelines for therapeutic translation and commercialization.

Dr. Al Ghaithi framed the collaboration as an extension of Abu Dhabi’s broader strategy to connect scientific discovery with implementation. “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,” she said. “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.”

Beyond therapeutic development, the partnership includes workforce and talent infrastructure. Both organizations will operate joint training initiatives, researcher exchange programmes and scientific collaboration opportunities through Sanford Burnham Prebys’ Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. These mechanisms are designed to build Abu Dhabi’s pipeline of health and life sciences talent while supporting the emirate’s long-term innovation agenda.

The agreement also contemplates a physical presence for Sanford Burnham Prebys within Abu Dhabi’s innovation ecosystem. The institute will explore establishing a strategic anchor presence connecting its expertise with key infrastructure assets, including the Biosciences Park, the Genome Oasis and the Health, Endurance, Longevity and Medicine (HELM) Cluster. This co-location model aims to deepen translational research capabilities and therapeutic innovation capacity across the emirate’s institutions.

Brenner pointed to the operational complementarity between the two organizations. “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,” he said.

The announcement coincided with Abu Dhabi’s participation at BIO International Convention 2026, where the emirate presented its life sciences ecosystem and partnerships spanning genomics, gene editing, AI-enabled health innovation, advanced therapeutics and rare diseases. The DoH delegation to the United States included representatives from Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), M42, Hub71, New York University Abu Dhabi, Masdar City, Khalifa University, KEZAD, PureHealth, Mubadala Bio, Arcera and Institute for Healthier Living Abu Dhabi.

The HELM Cluster, operated by ADIO, functions as the operational integrator for Abu Dhabi’s life sciences ecosystem, connecting research, investment, commercialization and healthcare implementation within a single coordinated structure. By consolidating innovators, investors, industry participants and healthcare stakeholders, HELM aims to translate scientific discovery into real-world impact more efficiently and at greater scale.

Whether Sanford Burnham Prebys ultimately establishes a physical anchor presence in Abu Dhabi, and how quickly joint programmes move from signed agreement to active researcher exchange, will be the practical tests of how far this partnership travels beyond the signing table. Further details are available at https://www.doh.gov.ae/en/news/doh-and-sanford-burnham-prebys-forge-strategic-partnership-to-accelerate-drug-discovery-.