Abu Dhabi, UAE: In a move designed to empower families with personalized medical solutions and strengthen Abu Dhabi’s position as a leading destination for life sciences, The Abu Dhabi Biobank has launched private cord blood banking services, offering expectant families with an affordable, accessible and local way to preserve their newborns’ stem cells.

With over 60,000 transplants performed globally using stem cells from umbilical cord blood, the demand for life-saving treatment using cord blood banking is growing. However, many families are having to go without the benefits of private cord blood banking due to high cost and limited local storage options.

Abu Dhabi Biobank is changing this, offering families cord blood banking at half the cost than current market rates and teaming up with leading and fully licenced healthcare facilities in Abu Dhabi, including M42’s Danat Al Emarat Women’s and Children Hospital, and other facilities like Corniche Hospital and Kanad Hospital. In addition, rather than cord blood samples being shipped and kept abroad, Abu Dhabi Biobank will be preserving samples locally, safely and securely for up to 30 years at its cord blood banking facility in Masdar City, equipped with state-of-the-art automated technology and large capacity biobanking infrastructure. This long-term storage capability guarantees that stem cells remain viable for therapeutic applications and can be accessed from anywhere in the world.

Cord blood, collected from a newborn's umbilical cord immediately after birth, is a rich source of hematopoietic stem cells, which can develop into various blood and immune system cells. These stem cells are instrumental in treating over 80 life-threatening diseases that have high prevalence rates in the UAE, including thalassemia (16.5% prevalence in the UAE), sickle cell anemia (5.8%), leukemia, lymphoma, bone marrow disorders, immune deficiencies, and genetic conditions.

By making private cord blood banking more affordable and accessible, Abu Dhabi Biobank is eliminating financial and logistical barriers, ensuring that families have a secure, personalized medical resource for their children and potentially other family members,it increases the chances of finding a suitable stem cell match within families—siblings have a 25% probability of being a perfect match and a 50% chance of being a partial match for transplants, significantly improving treatment outcomes for genetic and blood disorders.

Commenting on the launch, Paul Downey, General Manager of Abu Dhabi Biobank, said: "This launch is a strong statement by M42 and Abu Dhabi Biobank to make personalized care affordable, accessible and local. Cord blood stem cells are a powerful defense against disease but are often discarded as medical waste due to barriers. With Abu Dhabi Biobank’s private cord blood banking service, we are breaking those barriers down by offering a timely and accessible solution for those battling a disease that can be treated with stem cells; or, those with a family history of medical disorders; or, those facing limited donor availability. With flexible payment plans, advanced biobanking technology, and additional benefits like newborn screening and genetic counseling, we are proud to be making a significant leap toward personalized and preventive healthcare and look forward to working with our partners on raising awareness levels about the power of the umbilical cord to fight disease."

Families interested in private cord blood banking can register their interest by visiting the official website at https://abudhabibiobank.ae/ or call 800 213 to talk to an advisor to understand the best banking options.

About Abu Dhabi Biobank:

The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH) and M42 have collaborated to launch the Abu Dhabi Biobank, featuring the multimodal cord blood bank and state of the art pan human bank. At the heart of our mission is a profound commitment to public health, guided by our ethos of fostering community well-being and expanding people’s healthcare options and opportunities.  We recognize that preserving vital human samples is crucial for advancing medical science and improving people’s health outcomes. Through our dedicated biobanking services, we ensure these invaluable resources are stored with the highest levels of integrity and care, making them accessible for future use, treatment, and research. The Abu Dhabi Biobank is a cornerstone of the Emirate's life sciences strategy.

About M42

M42 is a global health champion powered by artificial intelligence (AI), technology and genomics to advance innovation in health for people and the planet. Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, M42 combines its specialized, state-of-the-art facilities with integrated health solutions like genomics and biobanks, and harnesses advanced technologies to deliver precise, preventive and predictive care, to impactfully disrupt traditional healthcare models and positively impact lives globally.

Established in 2022, following the coming together of G42 Healthcare and Mubadala Health, M42 has more than 480 facilities in 26 countries and over 20,000 employees. M42 includes renowned healthcare providers, including Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Danat Al Emarat, Diaverum, Imperial College London Diabetes Centre, Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Hospital, and Moorfields Eye Hospital Abu Dhabi. As well as operating the Emirati Genome Programme, M42 runs Abu Dhabi Biobank and Abu Dhabi Health Data Services (ADHDS), a global tech-enabled healthcare company operating Malaffi.