KAUST Smart-Health Initiative (KSHI) intends to work with potential local and international partners to establish a Biobank facility in KAUST as part of the BioPark. The Biobank facility will apply international standards for biospecimen collection, storage and handling. This facility will be an integral component of the Bio Innovation ecosystem in the Kingdom.

In doing so, KAUST is already in discussion with King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center (KFSHRC) and other potential partners locally and globally. 

In accordance with our strategy to use the infectious disease research programs to lead the effort in the development and implementation of smart health and precision medicine tools and methods, the KSHI Biobank will initially focus on collecting samples from infectious disease patients, specifically those affected by COVID-19 and other prevalent pathogens within the Kingdom.

At later stages, the sample collection of the Biobank will be expanded to other diseases such as metabolic and genetic disorders.