M42’s national lab partners with Abbott to bring early cancer detection to the UAE

M42's National Reference Laboratory (NRL) has signed a partnership with Abbott to introduce early cancer detection technology in the UAE. The collaboration centers on advanced diagnostic tools that use biomarker testing and multi-marker algorithm-driven analysis to identify cancer at its earliest stages, when treatment is most likely to succeed.

Early cancer detection is one of the biggest challenges in modern healthcare. Most cancers are far easier to treat when caught early, yet many cases are still diagnosed late because current screening methods are either too invasive, too expensive, or simply not widely available. This partnership is a direct attempt to change that in the UAE.

M42 is an Abu Dhabi-based health technology company, and its National Reference Laboratory is one of the most advanced diagnostic labs in the region. Abbott is a global medical device and diagnostics company with a long track record in laboratory testing. Together, they are positioning the UAE as a testing ground for next-generation cancer screening tools.

How will it work?

The partnership will use Abbott's diagnostic technology inside NRL's laboratory infrastructure. The approach relies on two core methods:

• Biomarker testing: Analyzing blood or tissue samples for specific biological signals that may indicate the presence of cancer cells.
• Multi-marker algorithm analysis: Combining several biomarker results through a computational model to improve accuracy and reduce false positives.

Rather than relying on a single test result, this approach looks at multiple data points together. That combination is what makes it more reliable than older, single-marker screening methods. Patients can expect a more complete picture from a single sample, which also means fewer follow-up tests.

Why does it matter?

Cancer is a leading cause of death globally, and late diagnosis is a major reason survival rates remain low for several cancer types. Getting testing right, and getting it to more people, is a public health priority in most countries, including the UAE.

For the UAE specifically, this partnership matters for a few reasons:

• It brings globally recognized diagnostic technology into the local healthcare system.
• It positions local labs to offer testing that would otherwise require patients to travel abroad.
• It supports the UAE's broader push to become a regional hub for medical innovation.

Abbott's multi-marker platforms have been used in clinical settings in other markets, so this is not an untested approach. Bringing it to the NRL means UAE patients and clinicians get access to tools that have already shown results elsewhere.

The context

The UAE has been investing heavily in healthcare infrastructure over the past decade, and early diagnostics is a key part of that strategy. M42, backed by Abu Dhabi's sovereign wealth ecosystem, has made a series of moves to position itself at the center of that investment.

Abbott, for its part, has been expanding its diagnostics business across the Middle East and Africa. Partnering with a well-funded, government-adjacent lab like NRL gives the company a strong foothold in a market that is growing fast.

Globally, the race to develop reliable early cancer detection tools is intensifying. Companies like Grail, with its Galleri multi-cancer blood test, have drawn significant attention and investment. M42 and Abbott's partnership puts the UAE in the same conversation, even if the specific technologies and targets differ. The direction of travel is the same: catch cancer earlier, with less invasive methods, at scale.