The Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DoH) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and US Children’s National Hospital (known as the Children's National) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to advance paediatric cell and gene therapy.
Together, they will establish the Abu Dhabi – Children’s National Hospital Cell and Gene Therapy Clinical Excellence Programme.
The partnership will facilitate specialised fellowships, joint workshops and training programmes aimed at developing local talent.
The initiative will focus on expediting the development as well as delivery of advanced cell and gene treatments such as virus-specific T-cell therapies (VST) for paediatrics.
The two organisations are working together to create manufacturing facilities that are good manufacturing practices-compliant. They aim to develop patient-specific treatment protocols while ensuring adherence to rigorous international standards.
This alliance seeks to bolster clinical trial capabilities through improved regulatory processes and data governance.
The programme also fosters research initiatives that support next-generation therapeutic developments.
By integrating comprehensive care pathways, DoH and the Children's National provide sustainable access to transformative treatments for children in need within the region.
Children’s National president and CEO Michelle Riley-Brown stated: “Our decades-long partnership with the UAE has already transformed paediatric healthcare, leading to groundbreaking innovations and life-saving treatments for children worldwide.
“This new collaboration with the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi builds on that foundation, allowing us to expedite the delivery of cutting-edge cell and gene therapies and extend the promise of hope and healing to even more children and families.”
In line with supporting healthcare sustainability in Abu Dhabi, the DoH and the Children's National will launch initiatives including fellowship programmes for clinician-scientists within cellular therapy teams.
They will co-develop training curricula tailored towards paediatric cellular immunotherapy and management of clinical trials.
