ABU DHABI, 21st October, 2026 (WAM) -- The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH), the regulator of the health sector in Abu Dhabi, and Isomorphic Labs, the leading AI-first drug design and development company, today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate on AI-enabled drug discovery research and explore innovation frameworks for pre-clinical research.
In the presence of H.H. Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Development and Fallen Heroes’ Affairs, and Mansoor Ibrahim Al Mansoori, Chairman of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, the MoU was signed at the Abu Dhabi Future Health Summit by Dr. Noura Khamis Al Ghaithi, Undersecretary of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, and Max Jaderberg, President of Isomorphic Labs.
Under the MoU, the collaborators aim to develop a pre-clinical research roadmap for selected AI-enabled discovery projects over a 24-month period, with research conducted within Abu Dhabi's Trusted Research Environment. Isomorphic Labs has built a world-leading drug design engine (IsoDDE) comprised of foundational AI models to provide the predictive fidelity required to navigate novel biological systems with unprecedented accuracy.
Mansoor Ibrahim Al Mansoori, Chairman of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, said: “Artificial intelligence is changing not only how quickly we discover new medicines, but how precisely we can target disease. Realising that potential requires more than technology. It requires rich clinical and genomic data, a research environment that can translate insight into discovery, and regulation that advances at the pace of science.
Abu Dhabi has built that foundation. Through the Emirati Genome Programme and our connected health system, we are opening new possibilities for more precise, personalised treatments. Our collaboration with Isomorphic Labs brings together expertise in AI drug discovery and Abu Dhabi’s unique strengths to accelerate the development of treatments that can benefit patients here and globally.”
“At Isomorphic Labs, we are reimagining the entire drug discovery process from first principles, with AI,” said Max Jaderberg, President of Isomorphic Labs. “The collaboration marks an important step forward in advancing AI-driven drug discovery. We have a shared commitment to scientific innovation, with the ultimate aim of accelerating delivery of medicines to patients globally.”
The collaboration reflects DoH's role in enabling the responsible use of predictive and generative AI in health research. It forms part of Abu Dhabi's intelligent life sciences strategy which connects population-scale genomic and health data, research infrastructure and regulatory pathways to accelerate the development of new medicines in the emirate.
Together, the parties aim to help accelerate AI-driven discovery research, as well as broaden the evidence base for future medicines, as Middle Eastern populations have been historically underrepresented in the genomic data behind drug discovery.