Abu Dhabi DoH Launches TRE With Lifebit, M42 and Microsoft
The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH) has launched its Trusted Research Environment (TRE): a sovereign platform where approved researchers analyze genomic and health data inside a protected environment.
Announced at the Abu Dhabi Future Health Summit 2026, the DoH TRE brings together nearly 950,000 whole genomes from the Emirati Genome Programme with more than 2 billion clinical and claims records.
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates — October 21, 2026 — The platform gives approved researchers from academia, healthcare providers, and pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies governed access to genomic and health data, to study how genetic and clinical factors relate to disease and to inform more personalized approaches to prevention and care.
How the TRE works
Approved researchers work inside isolated, secure workspaces with cloud-scale computing and standard research tools. The data does not leave the protected environment. Every study is governed by the Department’s framework, and only reviewed and approved results are released.
What DoH leaders said
“The next breakthroughs in medicine will depend on research that reflects the diversity of the people it serves. With the launch of the TRE, Abu Dhabi is putting its established genomic and healthcare capabilities to work, opening new opportunities to deepen our understanding of disease, advance drug discovery and inform more personalised treatments.”
H.E. Mansoor Ibrahim Al Mansoori, Chairman, Department of Health – Abu Dhabi
“More than 14.5 million harmonised clinical records and over 900,000 genomes, linked to longitudinal health data.”
H.E. Dr. Noura Khamis Al Ghaithi, Undersecretary, Department of Health – Abu Dhabi
Delivery and research partners
The TRE was developed with delivery partners M42, Lifebit and Microsoft. Research partners are Khalifa University, the Institute for Healthier Living Abu Dhabi (IHLAD), Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) and the Genomics Innovation Consortium (GIC).
What comes next
DoH plans to add data from the Abu Dhabi Biobank, medical imaging and wearables, subject to its data governance and approval requirements. Researchers can explore collaboration at tre.doh.gov.ae.
About Lifebit
Lifebit is the Federated Trusted Research Environment for Sovereign AI. Governments, pharma, health systems, biobanks, and research consortia use Lifebit to analyze sensitive health data where it lives: data never leaves the source.
Source: Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, “DoH launches Trusted Research Environment to support genomic and health research”, October 21, 2026. Read the original release.