Abu Dhabi’s newborn genomic screening programme has changed the lives of more than 100 babies in the past year, the chairman of the Department of Health revealed at the opening of the Abu Dhabi Future Health Summit on Tuesday.
Mansoor Ibrahim Al Mansoori told delegates at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi that one of those babies, a newborn named Sarah, had a gene mutation flagged at birth that placed her at risk of eye cancer.
Because the signal was caught through genomic screening before any symptom appeared, her doctor was able to act in time to protect her sight and her future.
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The programme, significantly expanded by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi in June 2026, is one of the world’s most comprehensive newborn genomic screening initiatives, testing for more than 800 childhood conditions, with more than 100 cases already identified since its expansion. It forms part of Abu Dhabi’s broader genomics strategy, which also includes mandatory premarital genetic screening covering more than 570 genes.
“In Abu Dhabi, we are building a system that cares before it cures, a system that can act before symptoms appear, because every symptom was once a signal,” Al Mansoori said. “Today with AI, we are integrating signals into our system that were previously invisible. Prediction gives us the gift of time: time to act earlier, time for more personalised care, and more time to live in good health.”
He acknowledged that scientific discovery is currently advancing faster than health systems can keep up, and called on the policymakers, clinicians and industry leaders gathered in Abu Dhabi to close that gap.
“Around the world, discovery is moving faster than delivery. Policy, regulation, and trust must keep pace,” he said.
Al Mansoori extended an open invitation for global partners to bring capital, talent and ideas to the emirate. “What protects a child here in Abu Dhabi can protect a child anywhere. That is the future of health.”
Three days of global dialogue
The Abu Dhabi Future Health Summit, held under the theme ‘To Sense is to Predict’, runs until October 22 at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi.
The three-day event brings together more than 130 forum speakers and an expected 16,000 attendees from 100 countries to examine how advances in AI, genomics and continuous health data can shift care from reactive treatment towards earlier detection, prevention and personalised intervention.
The summit is convened by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi and its founding partners PureHealth, M42, the Institute for Healthier Living Abu Dhabi and Mubadala Bio.
Source: Khaleej Times
