Mubadala Healthcare and LabCorp to establish National Reference Laboratory in Abu Dhabi

Scheduled for completion by the end of 2009, the NRL will be the first of its kind in the region to provide a centralized solution for laboratory testing. A complete range of services will be offered including routine and esoteric laboratory tests that are currently being sent to Europe and elsewhere.

The laboratory will be fully automated and include a robust IT backbone. In addition, the NRL will be designed and operated to ensure record turn-around time on critical tests, which in many cases in less than two hours, as well as achieve international accreditation from the College of American Pathologists.

With the creation of the NRL, Mubadala Healthcare aims to implement international best practices in laboratory testing processes, set a new benchmark in terms of superior quality standards, and increase the spectrum, coverage and overall efficiency of clinical testing in the region. LabCorp, with one of the largest clinical laboratory networks in the world, is the ideal partner to develop and operate the NRL.

"I am delighted to announce our partnership with LabCorp to create the region's first dedicated reference laboratory. Providing international quality laboratory testing services in the region will reduce the delay of diagnosis and treatment and better support the UAE's rapidly growing healthcare services market and increasing population,"

said Mark Erhart, Executive Director of Mubadala Healthcare.

"Today's agreement marks another significant step forward in Mubadala's commitment to creating a robust integrated healthcare network that is developed around the needs of patients," added Erhart.

"We are pleased to be part of this historic partnership with Mubadala to help significantly advance healthcare throughout the UAE and the region", said David P. King, Chief Executive Officer of LabCorp. "This new state-of-the art clinical laboratory will deliver a comprehensive portfolio of routine and esoteric testing, drawing on our advanced technology, dedicated personnel and world class scientific leadership."

"Partnering with Mubadala in the development of the healthcare services market in the region is an opportunity to help design a system in which the importance of personalized medicine and the role of the clinical laboratory in delivering quality healthcare are fully realized," King added.

Helping to enhance the private healthcare infrastructure of Abu Dhabi and the UAE, Mubadala Healthcare is mandated to deploy the capital investment needed to build facilities and services that will help create an integrated healthcare delivery network. This will include providing patient care and ancillary services, biotechnology, medical equipment, device manufacturing and pharmaceuticals.