In a historic move to make space exploration more inclusive, a UAE-based healthcare provider has launched a pioneering diabetes research project aboard the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), which lifted off today from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
At the centre of the mission is Suite Ride, a groundbreaking collaboration between Abu Dhabi-headquartered Burjeel Holdings and Axiom Space.
The initiative aims to explore how diabetes can be better managed in space, with the ultimate goal of enabling individuals with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) to qualify for future astronaut missions — a feat traditionally considered impossible due to the complex risks of insulin regulation in microgravity.
Now en route to the International Space Station (ISS), the Ax-4 crew of four will spend 14 days in orbit conducting microgravity research and technology demonstrations.
Among the most notable is Suite Ride, which will examine how diabetes care tools such as Continuous Glucose Monitors (CGMs) and insulin itself function in space conditions.
Dr Shamsheer Vayalil, Founder and Chairman of Burjeel Holdings, said the mission aims to break long-held limitations placed on people living with diabetes.’
“Too often, a diagnosis like diabetes quietly tells people that there are limits now and that certain paths may no longer be open. Over time, this changes how people see themselves and how others see them,” he said.
“Through this collaboration, we want to challenge that thinking — and there is no better place to do it than space, the highest frontier we can reach.”
CGMs, widely used on Earth for real-time blood glucose monitoring, will be tested to determine how effectively they function in a microgravity environment.
Simultaneously, the project will analyse how insulin behaves during spaceflight, including its potency and stability, to assess whether astronauts can safely manage diabetes over long-duration missions.
Leading the research efforts is Dr Mohammad Fityan, Chief Medical Officer at Burjeel Medical City and Clinical Lead for the Burjeel–Ax-4 Space Health Research programme. His team will work closely with Axiom Space to evaluate the mission’s biomedical data.
“We’re confident that the valuable insights gained will help improve healthcare access in underserved and hard-to-reach communities around the world, including in the MENA region,” said Dr Fityan.
To mark the mission, Burjeel Medical City in Abu Dhabi has launched a public exhibition dedicated to Suite Ride, showcasing the confluence of healthcare innovation and space science.
The exhibition aims to inspire both the UAE public and the wider scientific community to engage with this first-of-its-kind project.
The initiative has also received recognition from the UAE Embassy in Washington, D.C., which praised it as a “milestone” in the country’s expanding role in human spaceflight.
The Ax-4 mission is commanded by veteran NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson and includes international crew members: Mission Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla from India, and Mission Specialists Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.
Over the course of two weeks, they will conduct more than 60 experiments spanning 31 countries. According to the International Diabetes Federation, the number of people living with diabetes is expected to rise to 783 million by 2045 — with an 87% increase projected in the MENA region alone.
In this context, Suite Ride represents a bold leap toward more inclusive and forward-looking healthcare, on Earth and beyond.