In 2013, the ICLDC Repository, a research tissue bank for the storage and management of biological samples linked to clinical data, was established. The Repository is led by Imperial College London Diabetes Centre, Abu Dhabi and is the first research tissue bank in the emirate of Abu Dhabi approved by the Department of Health.

Patients who come to the Centre for their medical care may consent to have additional samples collected from them to add to the Repository. Since the Repository recruited its first participant in 2013, it has had over 6,000 participants consent to their samples being used.

This national resource supports a diverse range of research and is key in the development of personalized medicine and the transformation of the healthcare structure in the UAE. The establishment of a high-quality representative collection of DNA and related biological samples, together with datasets that can be utilized for furthering basic, clinical and applied research, is a long-term initiative that is crucial in the region’s fight against diabetes and other diseases.