Abu Dhabi Biobank and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi Launch Pioneering Oncology Collaboration
A groundbreaking partnership between Abu Dhabi Biobank and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi establishes an unprecedented resource for cancer research in the region, enabling patients to contribute biological samples that will advance personalised medicine and improve treatment outcomes across the UAE and beyond.
Abu Dhabi Biobank, a strategic initiative established through collaboration between the Department of Health Abu Dhabi and M42, has inaugurated a transformative oncology partnership with Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi that represents a significant milestone in elevating cancer research and clinical care throughout the United Arab Emirates and the wider region.
At the foundation of this pioneering initiative lies a commitment to scientific rigour and patient partnership. Cancer patients attending Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s Fatima bint Mubarak Center are invited to contribute, on a voluntary basis, blood and tumour tissue samples collected during their routine medical appointments. Following informed consent, these invaluable biological materials are securely transferred to Abu Dhabi Biobank, where they undergo meticulous processing and preservation within frameworks of uncompromising ethical governance and protection.
Advancing Personalised Cancer Treatment
This collaboration represents the first initiative of its kind in the UAE, seamlessly connecting the everyday practice of clinical oncology with the sophisticated capabilities of a national biobank. The collected samples become instrumental resources supporting the development of patient-derived organoids, laboratory models created from tumour tissue that enable researchers to study how individual treatments will respond before clinical application. This capacity to anticipate therapeutic responses at the laboratory stage represents a quantum leap in personalised medicine.
The partnership encompasses all cancer types, from frequently occurring malignancies such as breast cancer to more complex presentations including pancreatic and other challenging cancers. The initiative includes somatic sequencing of tumour tissue for all participating volunteers throughout the pilot phase, establishing an unprecedented centralised resource where germline, somatic and discovery models coexist, fundamentally transforming how cancer research is conducted and deepening understanding of tumour evolution, treatment resistance and responses to personalised therapies.
Infrastructure and Expertise
Abu Dhabi Biobank operates from state-of-the-art facilities in Masdar City, providing the national infrastructure required to securely manage biological samples and health data across decades. The facility possesses the capacity to store five million pan-human samples linked to comprehensive health data, creating diverse foundational bio-assets that advance healthcare outcomes and medical research at scale.
The Fatima bint Mubarak Center contributes exceptional clinical expertise, established patient relationships built on trust, and internationally recognised standards of care. Recently designated as an Oncology Centre of Excellence for Breast Cancer by the Department of Health Abu Dhabi, the centre has established itself as a beacon of innovation, becoming the first in the Gulf Cooperation Council to participate in a groundbreaking therapeutic breast cancer clinical trial with AstraZeneca. The hospital is furthermore establishing the Middle East’s first heavy ion therapy facility, expanding access to one of the world’s most advanced radiation therapy modalities and becoming the only centre of its kind within a five-hour flight radius of the UAE.
Advancing Regional Leadership
Paul Downey, General Manager of Abu Dhabi Biobank, observed: “This collaboration demonstrates how a national biobank and a world-class hospital can work together to create lasting public value. By responsibly safeguarding patient samples and associated health data over time, we are building a resource that enables researchers to better understand cancer as it affects so many people across the world, while ensuring trust, transparency and long-term societal benefit remain at the core of everything we do. Oncology innovation is the engine behind predictive and personalised medicine and is vital to enabling sustainable, high-impact therapeutic interventions.”
Dr Stephen R. Grobmyer, Surgical Oncologist and Institute Chief of the Cancer Institute at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, noted: “This partnership enables us to make use of samples collected throughout the cancer care journey to support research that better reflects the needs of patients in the region. By connecting clinical care with scientific research, we aim to deepen our understanding of how cancer develops, progresses and responds to treatment, supporting more personalised care and improved treatment outcomes for patients.”
By advancing research in these domains, the initiative aspires to support earlier detection, more effective interventions, and ultimately, to improve patient outcomes and save lives. The collaboration reinforces Abu Dhabi’s ambition to assume a position of regional leadership in advanced healthcare and biomedical research, whilst ensuring that patients’ voluntary contributions translate into enduring knowledge, innovation and public benefit.
Source: Abu Dhabi Media Office
