https://www.gosh.nhs.uk/news/gosh-contributes-to-landmark-uae-uk-paper-on-ai-in-healthcare/
GOSH contributes to landmark UAE-UK paper on AI in healthcare
17 Oct 2025, 9:27 a.m.
We're proud to have contributed to a new paper published by the UAE-UK Business Council, exploring future opportunities for collaboration in artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare between the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates, which further demonstrates our commitment to the region and advancing paediatric healthcare.
The paper, Opportunities for UK-UAE Collaboration in AI in Healthcare, brings together insights from leading organisations across both countries and outlines a shared ambition to accelerate innovation in AI, genomics, and data-driven healthcare. The paper also reflects contributors shared commitment to international collaboration and shaping the future of ethical and responsible AI in health.
A shared vision for innovation
The UK and UAE share a bold vision for transforming healthcare through AI and data. With the UK’s expertise in regulation and genomics, and the UAE’s investment in innovation and population-specific data, the partnership offers a powerful platform for change. GOSH is well placed to contribute to this journey, recognised globally for our leadership in digital innovation, genomics, and international partnerships.
Sophia Varadkar, Chief Medical Officer at GOSH said: “We have seen first-hand how AI-driven genomics can transform complex data into life-changing insights, detecting disease and helping clinicians make more confident, informed decisions about treatment options. This work, built on the world-leading NHS Genomic Medicine Service in partnership with research organisations, demonstrates the power of innovation when science and collaboration come together.”
Ethical and responsible AI
AI must be developed and deployed responsibly. Our work in genomics and AI is guided by ethical principles, transparency, and a commitment to improving outcomes for the children and young people we care for. The paper’s emphasis on responsible AI governance aligns closely with our values and ongoing work in this space, particularly through our DRIVE Unit and our recently published AI Strategy for 2025-2028.
Collaboration at the heart of progress
International collaboration is core to our mission. We know that we cannot do this alone, the more organisations working together to advance AI in healthcare, the better the outcomes for patients everywhere. This paper is a strong signal of the growing momentum behind global partnerships in health innovation.
This publication also reinforces our long-standing relationship with the UAE, which was strengthened by the generous gift from Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak in 2014, which enabled the creation of the Zayed Centre for Research into Rare Disease in Children.
Our Director of Innovation, Professor Andrew Taylor, who contributed to the paper said: “We have identified significant opportunity to share expertise, accelerate discovery, and ensure that children everywhere can benefit from the very best in diagnostics and treatment.
“We look forward to continuing our work with partners in the UK, UAE, and beyond to ensure AI delivers meaningful, equitable, and safe improvements in healthcare for children and families worldwide.”
GOSH case-studies
In collaboration with Genomics England, GOSH has developed a novel AI pipeline to support personalised treatment for children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). This innovation uses whole genome sequencing data to design patient-specific tests that detect minimal residual disease (MRD) - cancer cells that remain after treatment and are often undetectable by standard diagnostics.
The AI model not only matches the performance of current state-of-the-art MRD tests but also identifies new, clinically relevant targets. It significantly improves efficiency by automating annotation and test design, reducing labour time and costs, and making advanced genomic testing more scalable.
This work demonstrates how AI can enhance precision medicine, improve outcomes, and lay the foundation for future clinical trials and discoveries.
Jack Bartram, Consultant Paediatric Haematologist and contributor to the paper said: “At Great Ormond Street Hospital, our goal is to give every child with cancer the best possible chance of cure while minimising the toxic side effects of treatment. Precision medicine is key to achieving this, and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) with advanced genomics represents a powerful step toward realising that vision.
"By harnessing these technologies, we can now understand each child’s cancer in unprecedented detail and design truly personalised treatments that improve outcomes and reduce the burden of therapy.”
The paper highlights our DRIVE (Data Research, Innovation and Virtual Environments) unit as a model for how hospitals can create dedicated spaces for digital innovation. DRIVE enables us to advance research in rare diseases and develop scalable AI solutions, while ensuring clinical teams remain focused on patient care. This approach is helping to bridge the gap between research and real-world application, a challenge many healthcare systems face globally.
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