Masdar City Launches GCC’s First Commercial Shared Life Sciences Lab at BIO 2026

Masdar City, Abu Dhabi’s sustainable urban community and business and technology hub, has announced the launch of Biosphere Labs, a new shared laboratory facility developed in partnership with M42, the Abu Dhabi-based global health technology company, and Attentive Science, a life sciences infrastructure developer and contract research organization. The announcement was made during the BIO International Convention 2026 in San Diego, California.

Described as the GCC’s first commercially scaled shared laboratory, Biosphere Labs is designed to address one of the key challenges facing life sciences researchers and companies by providing access to specialized laboratory infrastructure without the need to establish independent facilities.

The new facility will offer researchers, startups, and biotechnology companies access to laboratory bench space, scientific equipment, operational support, and connections to Abu Dhabi’s broader life sciences ecosystem. The aim is to reduce the cost, complexity, and time required to establish research operations while supporting organizations looking to expand into the region.

Biosphere Labs builds on Abu Dhabi’s HELM (Health, Endurance, Longevity, and Medicine) cluster, launched in 2025 and based in Masdar City. The cluster supports medical research, pharmaceutical manufacturing, biotechnology, clinical development, and commercialization activities.

“Abu Dhabi has established an ecosystem where research, healthcare, investment and innovation come together to accelerate impact,” H.E. Dr. Noura Khamis Al Ghaithi, Undersecretary of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, said. “Biosphere Labs strengthens that ecosystem by providing researchers, startups and biotechnology companies with the infrastructure needed to build, test and scale new technologies within Abu Dhabi’s living lab for intelligent life sciences. By reducing barriers to scientific research and innovation, facilities such as Biosphere Labs help translate promising discoveries into practical solutions that can improve health outcomes for communities in Abu Dhabi and around the world.”

On his part, Ahmed Baghoum, Chief Executive Officer of Masdar City, added: “Biosphere Labs is a defining milestone in Masdar City’s life sciences journey and proof of what becomes possible when the foundations, partnerships, infrastructure and policy are built with intention. Masdar City was designed to be a test bed, a place where new models are not just imagined but demonstrated, and Biosphere Labs is precisely that. We are proud to help create the conditions for scientific innovation by removing barriers, attracting global expertise, and giving researchers, startups and biotechnology companies the platform they need to develop, test and scale new innovations.”

“Biosphere Labs represents an important step in strengthening the life sciences ecosystem in Abu Dhabi and the wider region,” Dr. Fahed Al Marzooqi, Chief Executive Officer of M42 Integrated Health Solutions, said. “By providing researchers, startups and biotechnology companies with immediate access to world-class laboratory infrastructure and scientific capabilities, we are helping accelerate the journey from discovery to real-world impact. At M42, we believe innovation thrives when expertise, technology and infrastructure come together, and Biosphere Labs creates exactly that environment. Through our partnership with Masdar City and Attentive Science, we are supporting the development of a collaborative ecosystem that advances research, enables scientific breakthroughs, and contributes to Abu Dhabi’s vision of becoming a global destination for healthcare innovation, precision medicine and biotechnology.”

“Biosphere Labs is the culmination of more than two years of collaboration and a shared vision to establish Abu Dhabi as a globally recognized hub for biotechnology and life sciences innovation,” Tareq Abu-Nadi, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Attentive Science Limited, said. “This achievement demonstrates what is possible when government, industry and academia work together toward a common goal: creating an ecosystem that enables scientific discovery, accelerates the development of new technologies and therapies, and supports the creation of intellectual property with global impact. As the initiator and operator of Biosphere Labs, Attentive Science is proud to have partnered with Masdar City and M42 to bring this vision to life, creating a platform where researchers, startups and biotechnology companies can focus on innovation from day one and help advance healthcare from Abu Dhabi to the world.”

Biosphere Labs joins a growing network of life sciences organizations based in Masdar City, including M42, Attentive Science, the Abu Dhabi Biobank, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Oxford Nanopore Technologies, and Insilico Medicine. The launch forms part of Abu Dhabi’s broader efforts to expand its life sciences, precision medicine, and biotechnology capabilities while supporting research and innovation in the sector.