Bahrain partners with SandboxAQ to drive AI-powered drug discovery
Collaboration aims to build a $1 billion biotech portfolio and position Bahrain as a regional hub for health innovation
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (MNTV) — Bahrain’s sovereign wealth fund, Mumtalakat, has signed an agreement with U.S.-based artificial intelligence and quantum technology firm SandboxAQ to accelerate drug development and strengthen the kingdom’s biotechnology sector, the companies announced on Monday.
The deal, unveiled on the sidelines of the Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference in Riyadh, seeks to create biotech assets worth $1 billion by leveraging SandboxAQ’s advanced quantitative models based on physics, chemistry, and biology to speed up scientific research and drug discovery.
According to a joint statement, the partnership will include a three-year research program guided by a joint committee and will aim to establish Bahrain as a regional hub for biotechnology and innovation in healthcare.
Jack Hidary, CEO of SandboxAQ, said the collaboration will empower Bahrain to develop and own intellectual property (IP) in biotechnology, particularly in treatments for diseases prevalent in the region such as diabetes and genetic disorders.
“Traditionally, the majority of biotech IP is concentrated in a few countries. This initiative enables Bahrain to build its own assets tailored to both regional and global health priorities,” he told a foreign news agency.
The agreement will utilize Bahrain’s digital health datasets and hospital infrastructure to design and test new therapies, with clinical trials expected to begin in Bahrain and expand to multiple sites in the future.
Hidary also noted growing interest from other Gulf countries in similar partnerships with SandboxAQ, reflecting a regional push toward AI-driven innovation in healthcare and life sciences.
Earlier this year, Saudi Aramco signed an agreement with SandboxAQ to deploy its advanced models for enhancing the value of downstream operations, signaling expanding cooperation between the U.S. tech firm and Gulf economies.
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