Abu Dhabi Biobank and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi have launched a collaboration to collect and preserve cancer-related samples for research, according to an Abu Dhabi Media Office announcement on 13 October.
Patients at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s Fatima bint Mubarak Center may voluntarily contribute blood and tumour tissue collected during routine medical visits. Participation requires informed consent, and samples will be processed and stored under ethical and governance safeguards.
The research will cover different cancer types and includes sequencing tumour tissue from volunteers during the pilot. Scientists also plan to develop organoids: laboratory models derived from tumour tissue that can help investigate responses to treatments.
The partners aim to improve understanding of cancer and strengthen the representation of people in the region in research. These are research objectives, not a claim that the collaboration has already delivered improved treatment outcomes.
Abu Dhabi Biobank is an initiative of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi and M42. The announcement sets out the collaboration’s research approach without providing a public enrolment link.
Source: Abu Dhabi Media Office.