Rokit Healthcare opens UAE joint venture to tap $17.9B regenerative medicine market

Rokit Healthcare, the South Korean biotech company behind the Invivo 3D bioprinter, has established a joint venture in the UAE to sell AI-powered regenerative medicine products across the Gulf region.

The JV arrives as the federal government recruits specialized medtech firms through its National Strategy for Advanced Sciences and as MOHAP expands device-review staffing to process a rising volume of AI-enabled applications.

What Rokit sells

Rokit's Invivo bioprinter platform produces living tissue constructs for wound care, bone regeneration, and organ repair. AI algorithms optimize cell placement and tissue architecture so that lab-fabricated grafts behave more like native human tissue.

The UAE joint venture will adapt these products for clinical use in Gulf hospitals. The global regenerative medicine market reached $17.9 billion in 2025, according to Grand View Research, with the Middle East and Africa segment growing at roughly 12% per year.

For hospital procurement teams, bioprinted wound care products and bone grafts could displace imported biological materials that carry cold-chain shipping costs and cross-border regulatory friction.

Regulatory path in the UAE

Any regenerative medicine product entering the UAE must clear MOHAP's medical device registration process. Bioprinted tissue products fall under Class III (highest risk). DHA in Dubai and Abu Dhabi's Department of Health (DOH) each impose separate facility licensing requirements for centers that perform regenerative procedures.

The regulatory environment has become more defined over the past year:

• DOH published updated cell and gene therapy guidelines in 2024, giving companies like Rokit a clearer registration route for novel biologics.
• MOHAP's Medical Devices Directorate expanded its technical review team to handle AI-enabled device submissions.
• Class III device registration with MOHAP typically takes 12 to 18 months, and AI-driven biological products may face longer clinical validation requirements.

South Korean medtech companies have increased their Gulf presence over the past three years. Samsung Medison expanded its Dubai operations in 2025, and several Korean digital health startups have set up offices in Dubai Healthcare City and Abu Dhabi Global Market's health tech cluster.

What operators should watch

The commercial timeline for bioprinted products in UAE clinics is still uncertain. Hospital procurement teams and medical directors at facilities with orthopedic, dermatology, and wound care programs should monitor MOHAP's device registration database for Rokit's filings.

The JV structure suggests local manufacturing or assembly is part of the plan. That would speed regulatory review under MOHAP's in-country value preferences, which give priority to locally produced devices.

For health tech founders weighing where to base a Gulf operation, the deal is one more data point: the six GCC states spent an estimated $76.1 billion on healthcare in 2025, with the UAE and Saudi Arabia accounting for over 70% of that total. The UAE continues to attract advanced therapy companies that want access to those buyers.