Abu Dhabi has signed an agreement with Isomorphic Labs to advance AI-enabled drug discovery research and explore new frameworks for pre-clinical research. The collaboration aims to accelerate new medicine development through the responsible use of AI and Abu Dhabi's health and genomic research infrastructure.
Dr Noura Khamis Al Ghaithi, Undersecretary of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH), and Max Jaderberg, President of Isomorphic Labs, signed the agreement at the Abu Dhabi Future Health Summit.
Under the agreement, the two parties will develop a preclinical research roadmap for selected AI-enabled drug discovery projects over 24 months. The research will be conducted within Abu Dhabi's Trusted Research Environment.
The collaboration will explore innovation frameworks for preclinical research, an early stage of drug development that occurs before potential treatments progress to human clinical trials.
The partnership also reflects DoH's efforts to enable the responsible use of predictive and generative AI in health research, aiming to accelerate the development of new medicines in the emirate.
Mansoor Ibrahim Al Mansoori, Chairman of DoH, said artificial intelligence is changing both how quickly new medicines can be discovered and how precisely diseases can be targeted.
“Realizing that potential requires more than technology. It requires rich clinical and genomic data, a research environment that can translate insight into discovery, and regulation that advances at the pace of science,” Al Mansoori said.
His remarks highlighted the importance of combining AI capabilities with clinical and genomic data, research infrastructure, and regulatory frameworks to advance drug discovery.
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The agreement brings together Abu Dhabi's healthcare research capabilities and Isomorphic Labs' expertise in AI-enabled drug discovery. The initiative aims to support research that could contribute to developing new treatments.
By establishing a structured research roadmap, the collaboration seeks to explore how predictive and generative AI can be applied responsibly in health research.
The agreement marks a step in Abu Dhabi's efforts to strengthen its research ecosystem and support innovation in medicine development. However, the announcement focuses on research plans and frameworks, rather than the launch of a specific drug or an approved treatment.