Abu Dhabi-based Hub71 startup BioSapien has opened the first clinical site for its MediChip™ platform at Burjeel Cancer Institute in Burjeel Medical City. Patient screening for the Phase I study is scheduled to begin on 23 October 2026.
Announced during the Abu Dhabi Future Health Summit, the site opening moves BioSapien’s investigational localised chemotherapy platform toward first-in-human evaluation in the UAE.
MediChip™ is a 3D-printed biodegradable implant designed to release chemotherapy directly at the tumour site over 28 days, according to the company. The OPTIMISE-REFORM trial will assess MediChip™-5-FU, which delivers 5-fluorouracil, in people with localised rectal cancer, with safety as the initial focus. It is described as the first trial of its kind in the Middle East.
The opening follows regulatory and ethics approvals announced by BioSapien in June 2026. M42’s IROS, an Abu Dhabi-based contract research organisation, is supporting the planned oncology study in the UAE, while an independent committee of US oncology experts is overseeing the trial.
BioSapien also completed its first clinical batch of GMP-grade MediChips in the United States, with Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center supporting manufacturing and BA Sciences handling analytical validation, release testing and stability work.
The company joined Hub71 through its Access Programme and operates in Abu Dhabi and San Diego. The Phase I study will generate early human data on MediChip’s safety, but its clinical benefit has not yet been established.
Source: Hub71
