Sidra Medicine and BenevolentAI Collaborate to Advance Diabetes Research Through AI

The AI-driven collaboration investigates the gene ZFP57 to unlock new insights into diabetes mechanisms

21 October 2025—Doha, Qatar: Sidra Medicine, a member of Qatar Foundation, has announced a research collaboration with BenevolentAI to investigate the potential role of the gene ZFP57 in diabetes and metabolic regulation. The project represents a proof-of-concept that applies AI to accelerate biomedical discovery.

The study aims to determine whether ZFP57 could serve as a biomarker or therapeutic target for various forms of diabetes that are prevalent in Qatar, including Type 1 Diabetes (T1D), Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM), and obesity-related diabetes.

Harnessing BenevolentAI’s Retrieve to Explain (R2E) model, an AI-powered system for efficient evidence retrieval and synthesis, the study analyzed published literature on ZFP57 to determine whether it can serve as a biomarker or therapeutic target for different forms of diabetes and how its expression and function are affected by diet.

Dr. Annalisa Terranegra, Principal Investigator of Precision Nutrition at Sidra Medicine, who led the study said: “Through this collaboration, we have been able to harness the power of AI to validate and expand our understanding of ZFP57’s role in glucose metabolism. BenevolentAI’s R2E platform confirmed known associations and identified several new targets linked to ZFP57, allowing us to deepen our understanding of the molecular mechanisms driving diabetes and its relationship with nutrition.”

The use of R2E resulted in significant efficiency gains, reducing manual literature review time by up to two weeks, while enhancing evidence quality and consistency through an AI-driven ranking system. The model also identified additional genetic targets and dietary factors that may influence diabetes risk and progression, paving the way for more personalized approaches to diabetes prevention and treatment.

Davy Suvee, Head of Technology at BenevolentAI added: “This strategic collaboration with Sidra Medicine demonstrates the value of applying AI to accelerate scientific discovery. By combining Sidra Medicine’s clinical and research expertise with our advanced data-driven platform, we were collectively able to discover new connections and hypotheses that would have taken longer to identify through traditional methods, empowering researchers to translate complex data into meaningful biomedical insights.”

Dr. Khalid Fakhro, Chief Research Officer at Sidra Medicine. “This successful collaboration with BenevolentAI exemplifies the role cross-sector partnerships in accelerating discoveries that directly impact patient outcomes. By combining Sidra Medicine’s research expertise in translational medicine and precision nutrition with BenevolentAI’s computational capabilities, the partnership demonstrates how technology can drive transformative impact in clinical research and patient care, underscoring Sidra Medicine’s commitment to advancing precision medicine and data-driven healthcare.”

The collaboration was initiated and facilitated through Sidra Medicine’s Innovation Lab, part of the Research Department’s ongoing efforts to bridge research and industry. The Innovation Lab serves as a platform that enables researchers and industry partners to co-create, test, and validate novel technologies, providing a sandbox environment for strategic collaborations that advance scientific discovery and clinical application.

Through the Innovation Lab, Sidra Medicine and BenevolentAI established a shared methodology for applying AI in healthcare research, strengthening Sidra Medicine’s innovation ecosystem and positioning it as a leading partner in leveraging AI for transformative medical research and clinical impact.

The project is expected to culminate in a scientific publication in early 2026, highlighting both the scientific outcomes and methodological framework developed through this collaboration.