Abu Dhabi Biobank Now Closer To Matching Patients To Cell Donors In Country With 'HLA Typing'

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

The Abu Dhabi Biobank has just completed a crucial process that brings the UAE one step closer to providing stem cell transplants using samples stored right here in the country.

While it may sound technical, the goal is clear - to help people in the UAE get lifesaving treatments faster, without relying on overseas donors.

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Stem cell transplants are one of the most advanced treatments available for conditions like leukemia, lymphoma, and some rare immune disorders. But in order for a transplant to work, doctors need to find a close genetic match between the patient and a donor - something that's especially challenging in countries with limited donor registries.

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“The most recent major milestone is the HLA typing of all the stem cell samples that we've banked,” said Paul Downey, General Manager of the Abu Dhabi Biobank, in an interview with Khaleej Times.“That means that we can now match them between the donor and patients in need of stem cell therapy,” he explained.“We've literally just finished the HLA typing; we hope in 2025 we will see a local transplantation.”

HLA typing, short for human leukocyte antigen typing, is a process used to identify specific genetic markers on white blood cells that help the immune system distinguish between the body's own cells and foreign ones. This is especially important for stem cell and organ transplants, because a close HLA match between donor and patient greatly reduces the risk of the body rejecting the transplanted cells.

Without proper matching, even a potentially life-saving transplant can fail. By completing HLA typing of its stored stem cell samples, the Abu Dhabi Biobank has made it possible to begin searching for suitable matches for patients within the country for the first time.

New approach to UAE health

“One of the key things that we want to do is to address the health issues that affect the UAE and Abu Dhabi,” Downey noted.“So, we're targeting the chronic conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular [disease], as well as looking at healthy cohorts - understanding how people are living their lives in Abu Dhabi and what that does to their health.”

What people eat, and the exercise they do, along with factors they don't choose like the air they breathe, the water they drink, and to some extent the jobs they do, all play a part, and early detection is vital.

“Biobanks are powered by numbers,” he explained.“So, the more participants that you can combine in your dataset, the greater the power of the research resource. So, we'd look to network with other local biobanks and international biobanks.”

Similar efforts are already underway in countries like the UK and Qatar, where national biobanks have helped identify new disease risk factors, develop targeted treatments, and refine health policy based on genetic and environmental data. This comes at a time when chronic illnesses like heart disease, diabetes and cancer continue to affect many across the country.

Non-communicable diseases - many of them potentially treatable or manageable with early interventions, account for nearly 77 per cent of deaths in the UAE in 2018, according to the World Health Organisation.

New state-of-the-art facility in Masdar

“This year has really been focused on establishing the Biobank; so, we've developed the scientific protocol, which is really the blueprint of what we're going to do and why, and what the likely outcomes will be in terms of research findings,” Downey said.

“We've been developing a state-of-the-art new Biobanking facility at Masdar City, which will open towards the end of the year, allow us to really spread our wings and press on with the research.”

Once the centre opens,“the team plans to really start to sprint,” he added. The Abu Dhabi Biobank is part of a broader push by the emirate to become a regional leader in medical research, genomics, and personalised healthcare, alongside efforts like the Emirati Genome Programme and the Abu Dhabi Life Sciences Hub.

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