Abu Dhabi is building a rare disease center with AstraZeneca and PureHealth

Abu Dhabi is taking a serious step toward improving care for patients with rare diseases. The Department of Health Abu Dhabi (DoH), pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca, and UAE-based healthcare group PureHealth signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the BIO International Convention in San Diego last week to establish a Rare Diseases Centre of Excellence in the emirate.

The center will focus on rare metabolic, nephrological, and hematologic disorders, bringing together clinicians, researchers, and industry partners under one roof. The goal is to build a full care pathway: from early diagnosis to treatment, long-term follow-up, and research.

This is not a new idea from scratch. DoH and AstraZeneca had already signed a partnership agreement at BIO 2024 to explore this type of center. The new agreement brings PureHealth into the mix to actually run it, turning a plan into an operational commitment.

How will it work?

The three organizations will split responsibilities based on what each does best. AstraZeneca brings scientific expertise and global experience in rare disease management. PureHealth, which operates a wide network of hospitals and clinics across the UAE, will handle the operational side. DoH will provide regulatory oversight and strategic direction.

Under the MoU, the partners have agreed to work together across six main areas:

• Running the center as a dedicated hub for rare disease care
• Building an integrated model that covers diagnosis, treatment, and lifelong patient management
• Making sure patients have consistent access to specialized services
• Advancing research, clinical trials, and real-world evidence collection
• Training local clinicians and building specialized expertise in the UAE
• Setting up a shared governance framework to track progress and maintain accountability

The center will also connect to the Emirati Genome Program, Abu Dhabi's national genomics initiative, which could play an important role in faster and more accurate diagnosis of rare genetic conditions.

Why does it matter?

Rare diseases are often called "orphan" conditions because they affect small numbers of people and tend to receive less research funding and clinical attention than more common illnesses. But the term "rare" is misleading at scale. There are thousands of rare diseases, and collectively they affect hundreds of millions of people worldwide. For each patient and their family, the impact can be severe and the path to diagnosis long and frustrating.

Sameh El Fangary, Gulf Country President at AstraZeneca, put it plainly: "Rare diseases may be overlooked as it affects a relatively small number of people, but for each of those patients and their families, the impact is devastating, and collectively the impact on the society is profound."

For the UAE specifically, having a dedicated center matters for several reasons:

• Patients currently may need to travel abroad for specialized diagnosis or treatment
• A local center means faster access to care and better continuity for long-term conditions
• It builds clinical expertise inside the country rather than relying on imported knowledge
• Research conducted locally can generate data more relevant to the region's patient population

The context

Abu Dhabi has been building its life sciences sector steadily over the past several years. The emirate has invested in genomics, attracted global pharmaceutical partnerships, and positioned itself as a regional hub for medical research and innovation. This rare disease center fits that broader strategy.

The BIO International Convention, where this MoU was signed, is one of the biggest gatherings in the global biotech and life sciences industry. Abu Dhabi announcing this deal there is a deliberate signal to the international research and pharma community that the emirate is open and ready for serious scientific collaboration.

PureHealth's involvement is also worth noting. As one of the largest healthcare operators in the UAE, its participation means the center has a realistic path to actually reaching patients at scale, not just functioning as a research facility or showpiece partnership. Whether the center delivers on its ambitions will depend on how quickly the operational model takes shape and how well the three very different organizations work together day to day.