From fetal diagnostics to home-based treatment, MBZUAI is using artificial intelligence to build a smarter, healthier world for all.
As artificial intelligence (AI) continues to reshape the global healthcare landscape, the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) is emerging as a key force in driving innovation — particularly in maternal and newborn health. This aligns with World Health Day 2025, celebrated under the theme “Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures.”
From groundbreaking prenatal imaging technologies to AI-powered home physiotherapy apps, MBZUAI’s researchers, faculty, and students are transforming how healthcare is delivered, accessed, and understood — especially in underserved and remote communities.
Here are five powerful ways MBZUAI is shaping a healthier future through AI:
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Revolutionizing Fetal Health with AI-Powered Ultrasound
At the heart of MBZUAI’s BioMedIA Lab, researchers have developed FetalCLIP, an advanced AI model designed to analyze and interpret fetal ultrasound images with remarkable precision. Trained on more than 210,000 ultrasound scans, this is the largest dataset of its kind, enabling the system to spot subtle anatomical markers and detect potential issues like congenital heart defects faster and more reliably than traditional methods.
FetalCLIP can also deliver highly accurate measurements of fetal anatomy, crucial for monitoring growth and development. Combined with other innovations from the BioMedIA team, this model empowers clinicians and contributes to healthier pregnancies and safer deliveries around the world.
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Simulating Human Biology with Digital Organisms
MBZUAI scientists are also behind GET (General Expression Transformer), a next-generation foundation model that simulates gene expression and biological behavior. Acting as a digital twin of the human organism, GET can predict how genes react in various conditions, simulating complex biological processes before any lab work begins.
This advancement is part of the AI-Driven Digital Organism framework, a comprehensive approach to programming and predicting biology across different levels — from molecular interactions to patient networks. It has the potential to revolutionize fields like drug discovery, genetic research, personalized therapies, and the fight against genetic diseases.
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Smarter, Faster, More Accurate Diagnoses
MBZUAI is leveraging multimodal AI to advance diagnostics. One example is MedPromptX, developed in collaboration with Carleton University in Canada. This tool analyzes chest X-rays and patient data to support physicians in identifying lung conditions and injuries.
Another breakthrough is SurvRNC, an AI-based predictive model for assessing survival rates among head and neck cancer patients, based on historical health records. Both solutions build on deep learning research to improve diagnostic accuracy and enable early intervention, with the potential to reduce the global cancer death toll projected by the WHO to reach 15.3 million by 2040.
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Bringing Healthcare to Remote and Underserved Communities
For many parts of the Middle East and Africa, quality healthcare remains out of reach — especially in Arabic-speaking and illiterate populations. MBZUAI’s AI Arabic Doctor, powered by its BiMediX2 model, is tackling this issue head-on. The virtual assistant, which understands and responds to medical queries in both Arabic and English, was awarded by Meta through its Llama Impact Innovation Awards.
The AI Arabic Doctor can interpret X-rays, MRIs, CT scans, and summarize complex medical data through natural voice and text interactions. Deployed as a chatbot on Telegram, it provides vital support to remote, rural, or illiterate users — bringing critical medical guidance to those who need it most.
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Empowering Home-Based Health and Wellness
Through its Incubation and Entrepreneurship Center (IEC), MBZUAI is also supporting AI-powered startups that deliver personalized healthcare at home.
- Nutrigenics merges AI with nutritional science, offering real-time meal tracking, AI-driven dietary plans, and seamless collaboration with dietitians — all designed to support smarter eating habits and chronic disease prevention.
- Limb uses 3D modeling and computer vision to bring physiotherapy into the home. The app helps users follow their rehabilitation exercises correctly and allows therapists to track adherence remotely.
These solutions highlight how AI is becoming a trusted health companion, reducing the burden on clinics and giving users access to custom treatment plans anytime, anywhere.
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