M42 and Arcera Life Sciences (Arcera), a global life sciences company focused on innovative and sustainable healthcare solutions, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a strategic, non-exclusive collaboration aimed at advancing biopharma localization, clinical development and next-generation healthcare innovation in Abu Dhabi.
The partnership supports the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi’s (DoH) efforts to strengthen the Emirate’s position as a global life sciences hub and contribute to the development of an integrated ecosystem spanning clinical development, innovative therapeutics, and treatments for genetic and rare diseases.
Under the agreement, Arcera will collaborate with M42 to leverage genomics data and query genomic databases to assess disease prevalence across selected genetic and rare diseases.
The collaboration will combine genomics insights enabled by DoH, M42’s advanced data platforms and healthcare delivery capabilities, and Arcera’s expertise in late-stage drug development, business development and market access to accelerate the introduction of innovative therapies and expand patient access to advanced treatments across the region.
As part of the collaboration, M42 and Arcera will establish a framework to evaluate joint opportunities, identify priority use cases and support collaboration across development and commercialization.
M42-Arcera Partnership
The partnership is built on four strategic pillars.
The first focuses on genomics-informed therapeutic development, leveraging genomic insights generated through DoH-supported national health and research programmes, 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.
The second pillar aims to accelerate clinical development by supporting late-phase clinical trials, strengthening evidence generation and expanding patient access to innovative treatments.
The third centers on advanced biobanking, stem cell therapies and regenerative medicine, drawing on capabilities such as Abu Dhabi Biobank to support breakthrough therapeutic innovation.
The fourth pillar focuses on digital and AI-enabled transformation by integrating advanced technologies across the life sciences value chain to improve development efficiency and reinforce Abu Dhabi’s position as a leader in AI-driven healthcare.
Together, the four pillars are designed to support immediate collaboration opportunities while strengthening long-term capabilities across Abu Dhabi’s health and life sciences ecosystem.
Dr Asma AlMannaei Executive Director of Health Life Sciences Sector – Abu Dhabi DoH
“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 of M42 Integrated Health Solutions, stated, “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.”
Isabel Afonso, Chief Executive Officer of Arcera Life Sciences, said that, “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.”
