ABU DHABI, 31st October, 2026 (WAM) — The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre highlighted its medical collaboration with the UAE in advancing blood cancer treatments, expanding specialised training opportunities and facilitating knowledge transfer during its participation in the First Emirates Hematology Forum, which opened today in Abu Dhabi.
These efforts support the development of national medical talent and help healthcare professionals keep pace with the latest global advances in treatment.
In statements to the Emirates News Agency (WAM), Dr. Swaminathan Iyer, Professor of Medicine in the Department of Lymphoma and Myeloma at MD Anderson Cancer Centre, said that the UAE has made several advanced immunotherapies available to patients with blood cancers, including chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapies, which represent one of the most significant recent developments in this field.
These treatments, he said, are used to address several types of cancer, including lymphoma, leukaemia and multiple myeloma.
He explained that these therapies target several molecular markers, including CD19, CD20, CD79, BCMA and GPRC5D. He noted that seven CAR-T therapy products have been approved, alongside other treatments targeting specific markers, with new therapies emerging approximately every six months to a year.
Dr Iyer highlighted the growing use of immunotherapies as alternatives to conventional chemotherapy, noting that response rates for certain advanced treatments had risen from around 60–70 percent to nearly 95–100 percent in some studies.
Research is also advancing on bispecific and trispecific antibody therapies, which offer additional approaches to treating blood cancers, he added.
On developing medical talent, he noted that several UAE physicians have received training at MD Anderson Cancer Centre, while other doctors have completed specialised training at leading institutions in the United States and the United Kingdom before returning to the UAE to contribute to patient care.
He said the collaboration also enabled UAE-based medical teams and fellows to receive further training in the United States, strengthening clinical expertise and knowledge exchange in haematology.
Dr. Iyer stressed the importance of making advanced treatments accessible to patients in the UAE and adapting international medical advances to local healthcare needs.
He added that the scientific and professional relationship between MD Anderson’s Department of Leukemia and Lymphoma and medical professionals across the region has developed over several years. The centre has hosted UAE physicians through its training programmes, helping strengthen professional relationships and sustain knowledge exchange among specialists.
He noted that Abu Dhabi’s growing presence in hematology offers further opportunities to expand this collaboration and increase the number of physicians and trainees benefiting from specialised training programmes and scientific exchanges.
Source: Emirates News Agency