The Abu Dhabi Department of Health, in conjunction with M42, has revealed the formation of the Abu Dhabi Biobank.
This facility will begin operations with the launch of the region's biggest mixed-cord blood bank. The program seeks to promote Abu Dhabi as a premier life sciences destination by reducing treatment wait times, improving patient access to medical care, increasing healing rates, and reducing the cost burden on government agencies.
Announcement at International Healthcare Week 2024
The Biobank's inauguration was declared at the Abu Dhabi International Healthcare Week in 2024. It is anticipated that this momentous advancement will serve as a pillar in the healthcare industry, propelling a qualitative revolution and cultivating excellence. In order to promote therapeutic solutions and life sciences research, the Biobank will generate vital and varied biological assets. Its goals include new drug discoveries, improved disease prevention techniques, and medical advancements. This will help ensure that everyone receives the best possible preventive, accurate, and tailored healthcare.
Four of the top maternity and child care facilities in Abu Dhabi will be the distribution points for the Biobank's services: Kind Hospital, Corniche Hospital, Danat Al Emarat Hospital for Women and Children (a member of the M42 Group), and NMC Healthcare Group hospitals. The goal of this partnership is to take advantage of these institutions' strengths in order to guarantee sophisticated medical services and comprehensive care.
Her Excellence The undersecretary of the Department of Health in Abu Dhabi, Dr. Noura Khamis Al Ghaithi, emphasized the Biobank's objective of attaining regional leadership in biobanking. The Biobank will gather vast amounts of biological and medical data, promoting scientific advancements and quickening the development of new drugs. This project will greatly improve therapeutic results and clinical care, especially when it comes to treatments that make use of stem cells that are isolated from umbilical cord blood.
The ability to link umbilical cord blood, tissues, stem cells, and a wide range of normal and pathological human samples with extensive genomic, proteomic, and clinical records will enable advanced initiatives. These initiatives will drive the health sector towards broader horizons, attracting major international medical technology companies, researchers, and investors to the region.
With the potential to satisfy the critical need for umbilical cord blood stem cells and to revolutionize the nation's healthcare system, the Abu Dhabi Biobank is well-positioned to do just that. As the world's largest repository for compatible hematopoietic stem cells, the Biobank can hold 5 million human and 100,000 cord blood samples. With the use of improved preventative measures and increased access to cutting-edge, top-notch healthcare services, this project seeks to improve health and wellbeing.
The Biobank, which has its headquarters in the Omex Center of Excellence at M42, is outfitted with state-of-the-art automated technology and first-rate infrastructure to preserve biological samples for a full thirty years in a secure manner. Long-term medical improvements are supported by this infrastructure, which guarantees the availability of samples for research and therapy purposes.
Group Chief Operating Officer at M42, Ashish Koshy, stressed that the opening of the Biobank in Abu Dhabi will spur worldwide creativity in the creation of potent treatments. He emphasized the tremendous potential of the Biobank for regenerative medicine advancement, uncommon illness treatment, genetic testing, early disease diagnosis, and scientific research.
Benefits for Donors and Public Health
The Biobank will collect and preserve umbilical cord cells locally, offering donors the option to save their newborns' stem cells from birth for future use in treating life-threatening diseases. The procedures are painless, safe, and secure, with no surgical intervention, thereby enhancing public health and well-being. Pregnant women can store stem cells in public or private banks, contributing to life-saving treatments and overall health improvement in the country.
The Abu Dhabi Biobank represents a significant leap forward in medical research, innovation, and healthcare excellence, promising to bring transformative benefits to patients and the healthcare sector as a whole.
