For a family welcoming a newborn, prevention can begin before there is any outward sign of illness. For an adult attending a routine check-up, it could mean understanding a developing health risk early enough to change its course.
These are the possibilities behind Abu Dhabi’s move towards predictive health care. Advice on exercise, nutrition and regular screening remains essential. The next step is to make prevention more personal, drawing on an individual’s genetic profile, medical history and measurable changes in their health to determine where earlier action could make a difference.
That ambition is reflected in To Sense is to Predict, the theme of the Abu Dhabi Future Health Summit, taking place from October 20 to 22. For patients and families, its meaning is practical: recognising the signals of disease sooner and turning that information into care.
More years in good health
Future Health - A Global Initiative by Abu Dhabi’s longevity whitepaper places healthspan, the years a person lives in good health, at the centre of this shift. Its focus is on helping people remain well and independent for longer by connecting scientific advances with prevention and everyday care.
For UAE families, that means thinking about health across generations. Earlier recognition of risk could help a parent manage a developing chronic condition, support an older relative’s independence or give a child access to specialist care sooner.
Genomics can reveal inherited susceptibility. Biomarkers, measurable indicators such as blood glucose or cholesterol, can help clinicians assess what is happening in the body. Medical records add the history of previous tests, diagnoses and treatment. AI can help analyse these sources of information and identify patterns that warrant clinical attention.
The value comes from interpreting those signals together. A genetic finding is one part of a person’s health picture; its significance depends on clinical evidence, family history and other risk factors. Predictive care aims to give clinicians a stronger basis for deciding who needs closer monitoring, which screening is appropriate and when to intervene.
Earlier insight must lead to better care. Abu Dhabi’s priority is to translate advances in genomics, data and AI into evidence-based decisions that help people stay well. For patients and families, this means understanding their risks, receiving appropriate screening and having a clear pathway to support or treatment.
Connecting information to care
Abu Dhabi has established infrastructure that supports this approach. Malaffi, the emirate’s health information exchange, connects records across public and private healthcare providers, giving authorised clinicians access to a patient’s medical history. This helps them assess new findings alongside previous results and coordinate care across different settings.
At the population level, the Department of Health’s Population Health Intelligence platform, unveiled with Microsoft in 2025, brings together clinical, lifestyle and environmental data. It is designed to help identify emerging risks and inform targeted prevention, with obesity and cancer among its initial focus areas.
The longevity white paper also stresses the importance of helping people act on health information. Understanding a risk is useful when it leads to appropriate follow-up, support with healthier habits or a treatment decision. That requires prevention to become part of routine care, with progress assessed over time.
An earlier start for newborns
Abu Dhabi’s Newborn Genetic Screening Programme offers a concrete example. Launched by the Department of Health in August 2025, its first phase was implemented at Kanad Hospital in Al Ain and Danat Al Emarat Hospital, in partnership with M42.
Using cord blood collected at birth with parental consent, the programme applies whole genome sequencing to screen for more than 815 treatable childhood genetic conditions. These include disorders that may not be apparent at birth but could affect a child’s health if treatment is delayed. The announced expansion aims to reach all maternity hospitals in Abu Dhabi, covering UAE nationals and children of Emirati mothers born in the emirate.
For families, the opportunity is earlier knowledge and a clearer route to care. Where screening identifies a concern, clinical assessment and genetic counselling help explain what the finding means and whether treatment or monitoring is needed.
From genetic findings to better outcomes
Future Health’s genomics and rare diseases whitepaper examines the next scientific challenge: understanding how genetic variants disrupt biology and using that knowledge to develop targeted interventions. It also explores how rare diseases can reveal biological mechanisms relevant to more common conditions.
For patients, this reinforces the importance of connecting discovery with clinical care. Identifying a variant is a starting point. Its value depends on accurate interpretation, specialist expertise and access to an appropriate intervention.
As the summit brings together healthcare leaders, researchers, policymakers and innovators, the test of predictive prevention will be what changes for families: a condition recognised sooner, a better-informed care plan or more years lived in good health.