Biosphere Labs strengthens Abu Dhabi biotech hub

Masdar City has opened Biosphere Labs in Abu Dhabi, establishing what is being positioned as the GCC’s first commercially scaled shared laboratory for researchers, start-ups and biotechnology companies seeking faster access to life-sciences infrastructure.

The facility has been developed with M42 and Attentive Science and was announced on the sidelines of the BIO International Convention 2026 in San Diego. It is designed to address a persistent bottleneck in the life-sciences sector: the high cost and long lead time involved in building, licensing and operating specialist laboratory space.

Biosphere Labs will offer bench space, advanced equipment, operational support and links to Abu Dhabi’s wider health and biotechnology network. The model is aimed at companies that need to test, validate and scale technologies without immediately committing capital to their own full laboratory operations. For smaller firms, university spin-outs and international companies entering the region, the shared-lab approach can reduce early-stage risk and shorten the path from concept to development.

The launch adds to a broader policy drive to make Abu Dhabi a regional centre for precision medicine, biotechnology, clinical research and pharmaceutical innovation. The emirate has been expanding research infrastructure through a mix of public-sector support, private capital, specialist free-zone facilities and partnerships with global health-technology companies.

The new laboratory sits within Masdar City’s life-sciences cluster, which already includes M42, Attentive Science, Abu Dhabi Biobank, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Oxford Nanopore Technologies and Insilico Medicine. The cluster has been promoted as a platform where genomics, artificial intelligence, drug discovery, diagnostics and clinical research can be developed within one connected ecosystem.

Biosphere Labs also builds on HELM, the Health, Endurance, Longevity and Medicine cluster launched in 2025. HELM is intended to bring together medical innovation, pharmaceutical manufacturing, advanced biotechnology, MedTech and digital-health companies, with Masdar City serving as one of its core locations. The cluster is part of Abu Dhabi’s wider economic diversification agenda and seeks to attract global healthcare companies while supporting local intellectual property creation.

Dr Noura Khamis Al Ghaithi, Undersecretary of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, said the emirate had built an ecosystem where research, healthcare, investment and innovation were being aligned to accelerate impact. She said Biosphere Labs would give researchers, start-ups and biotechnology companies the infrastructure required to build, test and scale technologies within Abu Dhabi’s “living lab” for life sciences.

Ahmed Baghoum, chief executive of Masdar City, described the facility as a milestone in the city’s life-sciences strategy, saying it reflected the role of purpose-built infrastructure and policy support in removing barriers for scientific ventures. He said the partnership with M42 and Attentive Science would help attract global talent, accelerate local discoveries and support the translation of scientific breakthroughs into practical healthcare solutions.

M42’s role links the project to one of the region’s most prominent health-technology platforms. The Abu Dhabi-based company operates across clinical care, genomics, diagnostics, population health and digital-health services. Its work includes national programmes and precision-medicine capabilities, making it a key participant in the emirate’s push to connect healthcare delivery with data-driven research.

Dr Fahed Al Marzooqi, chief executive of M42 Integrated Health Solutions, said Biosphere Labs would strengthen the life-sciences ecosystem by giving researchers and companies immediate access to laboratory infrastructure and scientific capabilities. He said the platform would support the journey from discovery to real-world impact.

Attentive Science, which provides nonclinical research services to biotechnology, pharmaceutical and animal-health companies, is the initiator and operator of Biosphere Labs. The company chose Masdar City for its Middle East hub in 2024, citing the growth of Abu Dhabi’s life-sciences ecosystem and support from the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi.

Tareq Abu-Nadi, chief executive and co-founder of Attentive Science Limited, said the launch followed more than two years of collaboration to establish Abu Dhabi as a recognised biotechnology and life-sciences hub. He said the platform would allow researchers and companies to focus on innovation from day one while supporting the creation of intellectual property with global relevance.

Shared laboratory infrastructure has become increasingly important in global biotechnology markets, particularly as venture-backed start-ups and translational research teams face higher funding discipline and longer development cycles. Access to compliant lab space, specialist instruments and operational support can determine whether early-stage companies remain in a market or move to established life-sciences centres elsewhere.

For Abu Dhabi, the commercial logic is tied to both healthcare and industrial policy. The emirate is seeking to build higher-value sectors around artificial intelligence, genomics, advanced manufacturing and life sciences, while using its healthcare network and regulatory capacity to support research activity. The availability of shared laboratories can help fill a gap between academic research, hospital-based innovation and full-scale commercial production.