Abu Dhabi’s M42 uses AI and genetic data to predict disease in 800K citizens

Abu Dhabi’s M42 healthcare company has created what may be the world’s most comprehensive AI-driven healthcare system, with genetic data from over 800,000 of the UAE’s 1.3 million citizens already sequenced to predict and prevent diseases before symptoms appear. This ambitious model demonstrates how artificial intelligence and genomic data can transform healthcare from reactive treatment to predictive prevention, offering a blueprint that M42 is now expanding across 26 countries worldwide.

What you should know: M42 has digitized Abu Dhabi’s entire healthcare system and uses AI to analyze genetic data for early disease detection and personalized treatments.
• The company identified a 40-year-old Emirati woman with a 100% chance of developing thyroid cancer due to a gene mutation and provided immediate treatment.
• An eight-year-old’s vision loss was traced to a genetic mutation, enabling targeted intervention.
• M42 serves 15 million patients globally and has grown its revenues five times over the past seven years.

The big picture: Healthcare costs are rising faster than economic growth worldwide, ranging from 7-8% of GDP in Eastern Europe to 17% in the United States, creating urgent demand for more efficient systems.
• M42’s approach focuses on moving from “reactive, episodic sick care” to predictive, preventive healthcare.
• The model particularly benefits developing nations in the Global South, which can build more effective health systems from the ground up.

How the technology works: The system integrates genomic sequencing, AI prediction models, and digital health platforms to create comprehensive patient profiles.
• Apps help patients navigate their care and will eventually connect to wearable device data, medical records, and direct doctor communication.
• AI analyzes genetic data to create population-wide health programs that predict conditions and keep people healthy.
• The platform enables personalized treatments based on individual genetic profiles.

Global expansion strategy: M42 operates more than 480 facilities across 26 countries with over 20,000 employees, targeting 8-10% annual growth.
• The company has significant presence in Europe, Latin America (including Brazil and Chile), Saudi Arabia, and other Gulf countries.
• M42 is exploring opportunities in the United States and collaborating on Uzbekistan’s national genome program.
• Recent acquisition of kidney-care provider Diaverum strengthened its Global South expansion plans.

What they’re saying: CEO Dimitris Moulavasilis emphasizes the system’s cost-reduction potential and global applicability.
• “We use AI to predict conditions and improve medical outcomes and by improving outcomes, we’re reducing hospitalization costs, reducing costs for the system,” Moulavasilis said.
• “People want to have a longer health span, not necessarily 200 years, but to live healthily until the end of their biological lives.”
• “The Global South really is an important space for expansion,” particularly given opportunities to build efficient systems from scratch.

Key challenges: The biggest obstacle isn’t technology but human resources, specifically shortages of nurses and physicians globally.
• “As the population grows and ages, there’s a big amount of nurses who the global national health systems lack today,” Moulavasilis noted.
• AI helps existing staff work more efficiently by handling routine tasks, allowing healthcare workers to focus on patient care.
• M42 positions itself as an “employer of choice” by using digital tools to make nursing roles more productive and fulfilling.

Research and development: The comprehensive dataset enables collaborative pharmaceutical research while maintaining data privacy and sovereignty.
• “We have developed a trusted research environment that with the right privacy for the patient and keeping the data in a sovereign environment, we can extract insights,” Moulavasilis explained.
• The company works with pharmaceutical companies to develop new targeted drugs using genomic insights.
• Genome database recruitment spans different sectors and genders to ensure representative data across nationalities.