M42 and Inocras Announce Strategic Collaboration to Advance Earlier Detection of Cancer Recurrence in the UAE Using Whole Genome Powered MRD Technology

Collaboration will bring tumor-informed MRD monitoring to Abu Dhabi, starting with a breast cancer pilot at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, October 23, 2026--M42, a global health leader powered by artificial intelligence (AI), technology and genomics, and San Diego-based bioinformatics-led company Inocras, have announced a strategic collaboration to advance blood-based monitoring for cancer recurrence in the UAE. Through this partnership, the organizations will deploy Inocras' MRDVision™ platform—a whole-genome technology suite combining comprehensive genomic profiling with personalized blood assays to detect molecular residual disease (MRD) via circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), identifying traces of cancer that may remain after treatment and can lead to recurrence.

For many patients, completing cancer treatment is not the end of the journey. Some cancers return months or years later, often after spreading to other organs, where they are much harder to treat. Timing is critical. In breast cancer, U.S. data show that five-year survival is close to 100% when the disease is found while still localized, but falls to around one in three once it has spread to distant organs.

Today, recurrence is usually identified only when it becomes visible on scans or causes symptoms. However, cancer can return at a molecular level well before this. Tumor-informed MRD testing analyzes a patient's own tumor to identify its unique genetic profile, then tracks that profile in routine blood samples. Published studies in early breast cancer have shown that this approach can detect signs of recurrence several months before it appears on imaging. This creates a potential window for closer monitoring and earlier clinical action.

Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer among women in the UAE, with more than 1,400 new cases recorded in 2023. This initiative aims to generate local evidence on the performance and health-economic value of MRD testing, helping inform its integration into breast cancer care within the UAE health system.

The collaboration will begin with a pilot at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, part of M42, in patients with higher-risk breast cancers, including triple-negative and HER2-positive disease. These aggressive subtypes carry a higher risk of early recurrence. The pilot will generate evidence on how MRDVision™ performs in the UAE's clinical setting. Building on its outcomes, M42 and Inocras will explore establishing MRD testing capability within M42's laboratories in the UAE.