39 In addition, Barbash explains, while other databases usually depend on health questionnaires, Israel’s centralized, highly compact healthcare system links patients’ records across hospitals and health-management organizations. This means that each patient’s data has the potential to be much richer— and in most cases, Barbash adds, the information spans more than 20 years. Finally, that integration of patient information across all providers of healthcare means that Psifas can easily follow and find participants, “no matter where they are in life,” he says. “In the U.S., changing jobs may mean changing your healthcare provider, and for clinical follow-up, that’s a loss. Here in Israel, we’ll be able to reach out to all patients suffering from a specific condition, say, and offer them the opportunity to participate in prospective clinical trials. And we’ll be able to follow their progress and refine our therapies. That continuity,” he concludes, “is gold.” Today, Barbash and his team are building the computational infrastructure for the database; they have also begun collecting samples fromhundreds of volunteers. Barbash is quick to note that the support of Bar-Ilan President Prof. Arie Zaban and CEO and Senior Vice President Zohar Yinon has been the key to getting the project set up so quickly. “Bar-Ilan fought hard to house this project, since it recognizes its vast potential to advance Israel, and the vast contribution its researchers can make,” Barbash concludes. “One year in, having seen howmuch energy and excitement there is for this project among the university’s leadership, I think it’s only fair to say: I’m delighted that Bar-Ilan won. I could not wish for better partners in this challenging yet critical voyage.” Prof. Gabi Barbash
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