Hub71 partners with Unilabs to accelerate health tech adoption in Abu Dhabi
Through the partnership, startups will gain opportunities to work with Unilabs on technology integration, proof-of-concept projects, and commercial partnerships.
UAE—Hub71 and Unilabs have partnered in Abu Dhabi to accelerate the development and commercial adoption of health technologies by connecting startups with clinical expertise, diagnostic capabilities, and healthcare networks.
The partnership makes Unilabs an anchor market partner in Hub71+ Life Sciences.
The specialist ecosystem supports HealthTech and life sciences startups working in areas including diagnostics, biotechnology, medical technology, and digital health.
Through the partnership, startups will gain opportunities to work with Unilabs on technology integration, proof-of-concept projects, and commercial partnerships.
The companies will also receive market insights and mentorship, while Unilabs Academy will support scientific development and engagement with the wider life sciences community.
Focus on mental health and preventive care
The partnership has already led to collaborations with Hub71 startups Takalam, a digital mental health platform, and GlycanAge, a biotechnology company focused on biological age diagnostics.
Unilabs is working with Takalam to develop a mental health and wellbeing offering that combines Takalam’s digital platform with Unilabs’ diagnostic capabilities.
The collaboration will use selected health assessments and testing to generate additional information that can support personalized well-being plans and targeted interventions.
The initiative also marks Unilabs’ entry into the mental health sector.
It reflects growing interest in combining digital health services with diagnostic information to support more individualised approaches to care.
Unilabs has also partnered with GlycanAge after completing a clinical evaluation and approving its technology.
The agreement will introduce GlycanAge’s biological age testing across Unilabs’ healthcare network, alongside training and clinical education for healthcare professionals.
The collaboration will also support engagement with healthcare providers and the use of glycan testing in preventive and functional medicine.
Creating routes to market
Basma Ahmed AlBadi AlDhaheri, Head of Growth and Value Creation at Hub71, said connecting Unilabs with startups such as Takalam and GlycanAge can help translate emerging technologies into commercial opportunities in Abu Dhabi.
Salah Bahri, Chief Strategy Officer of Unilabs Middle East, said the partnership gives Unilabs access to startups in diagnostics, digital health and life sciences and creates opportunities to assess their technologies for use across its laboratories, healthcare network and services.
Hub71+ Life Sciences was launched in 2025 with the Department of Health Abu Dhabi, Emirates Drug Establishment and the Health, Endurance, Longevity and Medicine cluster as founding partners.
The ecosystem connects startups with regulators, healthcare providers, investors, and industry partners to support the development, testing, and commercialization of new technologies.
Unilabs’ role adds an established diagnostics provider to that network, giving startups another route to clinical evaluation, industry expertise and potential market adoption in Abu Dhabi and other markets.
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