PureHealth has launched the Abu Dhabi Health Research Centre (ADHRC), an integrated clinical research division unifying research activities across its network of hospitals, primary care clinics and advanced laboratories in Abu Dhabi. The centre was formally announced at the inaugural ADHRC Research Conference 2025, held in Abu Dhabi with the support of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH).
Scale and infrastructure
ADHRC consolidates clinical research operations spanning 16 hospitals and a broad network of primary health clinics and laboratories. The centre covers the full research lifecycle – from protocol design and patient recruitment through to regulatory coordination, data analytics and scientific publication. Its infrastructure includes inpatient Clinical Trial Units (CTUs) and the largest outpatient CTU in the Middle East, with capacity to manage more than 800 clinical trial participant visits daily.
The centre currently supports more than 100 active clinical research studies, with a scientific workforce exceeding 700 researchers and more than 300 principal investigators. It is further supported by over 2,500 specialists and consultants working across disciplines including oncology, neurology, precision medicine and artificial intelligence.
Research priorities and therapeutic focus
ADHRC is conducting clinical research across 22 therapeutic areas, contributing to over 400 publications annually. Key focus areas include personalised medicine, rare diseases, cell and gene therapy, and neuroscience. The centre employs artificial intelligence and machine learning to process large datasets, identify new therapeutic targets and accelerate the translation of scientific findings into clinical practice.
Among its notable projects is the Longevity trial – the largest of its kind in the Middle East. Longevity 2.0, now in its second phase, enrols over 3,000 participants and builds on Longevity 1.0, which demonstrated a 2.2-year increase in healthspan through structured interventions in exercise, nutrition and lifestyle modification.
Institutional backing and strategic positioning
The DoH has provided several grants in support of PureHealth’s research activities, with the organisation also receiving awards from the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP). ADHRC partners with government bodies, global biopharma companies and academic institutions to deliver research aligned with Abu Dhabi’s public health priorities.
Her Excellency Dr Noura Khamis Al Ghaithi, Undersecretary of the DoH, said: “The establishment of the Abu Dhabi Research Centre marks an important milestone in consolidating our research capabilities and driving high-impact clinical studies that improve lives locally and globally. By empowering partners such as PureHealth to lead high-quality, ethically governed and impactful research, we are accelerating discovery and enhancing patient outcomes.”
Shaista Asif, Group Chief Executive Officer at PureHealth, said: “By consolidating our research capabilities under one unified centre, we are building on PureHealth’s longstanding legacy in medical research to accelerate the development of breakthrough therapies, improve patient outcomes, and reinforce Abu Dhabi’s position as a global hub for healthcare innovation.”
The ADHRC Research Conference 2025, which served as the centre’s first major public initiative, convened more than 350 delegates from government, academia, healthcare and the life sciences sector.
PureHealth’s network comprises:
- SEHA – One of the largest healthcare networks of hospitals and clinics in the UAE
- SEHA CLINICS – Delivering comprehensive community-based healthcare services
- Daman (The National Insurance Company) – The UAE’s leading health insurer
- The Medical Office – Overseeing Sheikh Khalifa Hospitals and healthcare facilities established under the initiatives of H.H. The President of the UAE
- Rafed – The UAE’s largest healthcare Group Purchasing Organisation
- PureLab – Managing and operating the largest network of laboratories in the region
- One Health – A network that provides end-to-end medical solutions to a base of over 300 healthcare service providers
- The Life Corner – Abu Dhabi’s first holistic pharmacy, serving the health and wellness establishment
- Ardent Health Services – The fourth largest privately held acute care hospital operator in the US
- Circle Health Group – The largest independent operators of hospitals in the UK
- Hellenic Healthcare Group (HHG) – The largest private healthcare provider in Greece and Cyprus
- PureCS – A leading cloud and technology services provider, specialising in IT management and consulting solutions, cybersecurity, cloud services and AI information systems
- Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC) – The UAE’s largest healthcare complex, delivering integrated complex care.
For more information, visit: www.purehealth.ae
