The Rabin Medical Center’s Beilinson Hospital, one of Israel’s leading medical centers, has received a $34 million donation, the largest one of its kind in the country’s history, to fund cancer research, the hospital announced on Wednesday.
Philanthropists Dr. Susan and Dr. Henry Samueli, the California-based cofounder and chairman of the Board of Broadcom Inc., made a $25 million donation to establish an integrative cancer pioneering institute at the hospital in their name, while Clalit Health Services, Israel’s largest health-care provider caring for 5 million patients, has donated an additional $9 million for the institute.
The Samueli Integrative Cancer Pioneering Institute will be composed of experts in behavioral sciences, cancer scientists, data scientists, artificial intelligence experts and the clinical team of the Davidoff Center, the first cancer hospital in the country, which treats one in seven Israeli patients with the disease, the hospital said.
As part of Clalit Health Services, the institute will have access to the country’s largest database of cancer patients, enabling researchers to create the world’s first cancer-related, comprehensive “data lake” to propel fast-track innovations, the hospital said.
A data lake is a system or repository of data stored in its natural/raw format.
Infrastructure development for the institute has begun, including state-of-the-art GMP (good manufacturing practice) laboratories and specialized staff recruitment.
“We thank the Samuelis for this generous donation which will enable us to find a cure for cancer that impacts millions of people around the world,” said Rabin Medical Center CEO Dr. Eytan Wirtheim. “The institute is keen to form partnerships and collaborations with the global cancer community, including academia, health organizations, industry and foundations—to transform cancer care and create a new future for cancer patients.”
Samueli Integrative Cancer Pioneering Institute CEO Avner Paz Tsuk said that “the institute will challenge the way we currently study cancer, and create innovative ideas and unconventional courses of action to improve the overall treatment of cancer patients.”
Founded in 1936 in Petach Tikvah as Beilinson Hospital, the Rabin Medical Center, which also includes Hasharon Hospital, has grown to serve more than 500,000 patients each year.
