Abu Dhabi Gene Therapy frees father from decades of Thalassaemia struggles

Abu Dhabi: For most of his adult life, Fahad, a 43-year-old, could count the weeks to his next blood transfusion. Now, after gene therapy in Abu Dhabi, he has stopped counting.

Living with Thalassaemia, an inherited blood disorder, was never easy for him, but that was the only life he ever knew. “Since childhood, my life revolved around blood transfusions, medications, and hospital visits,” he said, speaking to Gulf News at the Abu Dhabi Future Health Summit 2026.

He saw it as a condition that demanded both his physical and mental well-being. The only way to fight and overcome it was with a positive mindset and proper care.

While normality is often discussed in routine lifestyles, for Fahad, that looked very different. Blood transfusions were a part of his life for as long as he could remember.

“Every three weeks, I had to visit the hospital, and my energy levels would gradually decline as the next transfusion approached,” he said, followed by medications, checkups and the unintended time toxicity.

The daily responsibility of managing his health was inconvenient at first, but he soon learned to overcome. His family learnt to adapt alongside him, around the routines and moulding his new ‘normal’ even though it was never easy.

Personalised treatment

Following comprehensive medical evaluations, extensive testing, and detailed multidisciplinary assessments, Fahad was identified as a suitable candidate for gene therapy.

The treatment process involved collecting Fahad's own stem cells, which were subsequently genetically modified before being reinfused following preparatory therapy. 

Dr Loubna Abdel Hadi, Senior Research Scientist, Yas Clinic & ADSCC explained what patients undergoing Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR-T) cell therapy at the Centre can expect.

“Before infusion, we perform quality tests to confirm the modification has worked,” Dr Abdel Hadi said, “Using the patient's own T cells allows us to create a personalized treatment.”

She didn't say that Fahad's team did the same treatment for him but about implied the depth of the process involved.

The condition taught him to plan his life around his health. Despite the challenges, he continued his education, built his career and even raised a family, he said with confidence.

Even when illness forced him to set plans aside, Fahad refused to let it narrow his outlook.

Still, there were moments when frustration and exhaustion settled heavily both physically and emotionally, especially when he encountered misunderstandings or unfair judgements from those who could not see the reality of the life he was living.

“I learned that life may come with limitations, but those limitations don't have to define my ambitions,” he added.

He was aware of the lack of awareness that contributed unintentional remarks from relatives, friends or even colleagues, so he brushed it off as an unintentional rather than ill-intentioned.

He also emphasised the need for awareness to actually change the perception of people towards Thalassaemia. But amid it all, what pushed him to continue, was his family, ambitions and determination.

“My determination not to let the illness define who I am or what I could achieve,” he added.

He credits the Emirates Thalassaemia Society with helping patients learn about new treatments and connecting them with medical specialists.

A new path of hope

At one of the society’s conferences, he met the Yas Clinic medical team, an encounter that transformed gene therapy from an idea into a possible treatment path. He also acknowledged the Dubai Thalassaemia Centre for keeping patients informed about improvements in care and emerging options.

Being referred to Yas Clinic and ADSCC brought both hope and fear. His greatest wish was to be free from transfusions and the constant burden of managing Thalassaemia. But he was also conscious of the risks, particularly those associated with chemotherapy.

“After more than four decades of living with the condition, the possibility of a new beginning meant everything to me,” he said.

From possibility to treatment

The process was not as simple as it sounds. Dr Abdel Hadi explained that the timeline for different treatments mostly depends on the treatment protocol and manufacturing process.

“For many CAR-T therapies, the process takes 12 days from collection to infusion in our case as we are doing local manufacturing,” she added. During this period, the cells are modified, expanded, tested, and prepared for administration.

Fahad said the medical teams approached the process with professionalism and openness. They assessed his condition carefully, explained the treatment with transparency and made no false promises.

In his real words, “Their honest and straightforward approach, without giving false promises, helped me make an informed decision with confidence and realistic expectations.”

Therapy milestones in Abu Dhabi

Then came the result he had spent years hoping for. After decades of dependence on blood transfusions, the news brought overwhelming relief and gratitude. Now, after gene therapy in Abu Dhabi, he has stopped counting.

“Knowing that my body could finally produce healthy levels of haemoglobin on its own was an extraordinary feeling,” he said.

He no longer had to organise his days around transfusion dates or live with the same constant demands of managing Thalassaemia.

Improved energy has allowed him to devote more attention to his health, family and personal interests. Now, he says, he can live with less of the sympathy, misunderstanding and labelling that can accompany a chronic condition.

Dr Abdel Hadi said 30 patients have been treated at the centre.”. But for her, achievement but for her, the achievement goes beyond the numbers.

“Our achievement is not only about the number of patients treated, but also about building local expertise, strengthening healthcare infrastructure, and making innovative treatments more accessible to patients across the region,” she added.

Medical follow-ups remain part of his journey, but the future feels different, hopeful, with less of the sympathy or the misunderstanding that accompanied it. Plans that once had to be weighed against fatigue and treatment can now be considered with greater freedom.

The pillars behind his recovery

With all that said, he didn’t forget to add the pillars of support that stood by him through all the ups and downs. His wife stood beside him, walking every alley of challenge that came with treatment. His children gave him a vision of a healthier future.

“My mother, who has stood by me since the very beginning of my journey with Thalassaemia, holds a special place in my heart, while my father's presence and support meant a great deal to me,” he said.

Dr. Maysoon Al Karam, Chief Medical Officer at Yas Clinic said that the success of this case marks an important milestone in expanding access to innovative treatment options and reinforces Abu Dhabi's position as a regional centre for advanced healthcare and medical innovation.

His children once watched their father build his life around an illness. Now, they can watch him build a life beyond it.