Israel is not the global leader in biotechnology, but it is a major player in the field. According to two biotech entrepreneurs and experts, there are compelling reasons why people turn to the Jewish state for innovation.
LH PANEL 6
(ILTV)
What sets Israel apart was a key theme of the "Light of Innovation" panel at the Lights of Hope virtual event, presented this week by ILTV and Ynet News.
One factor is Israel’s exceptional engineering talent, according to Noam Solomon, Co-founder and CEO of Immunai. “We have technological units such as 8200 that create an amazing ecosystem. We have so many startups and IT companies succeeding, and we can tap into this, source amazing talent,” Solomon said.
Another advantage, he explained, is Israel’s culture. Israelis have a strong mentality of “getting things done.”
The panel also featured Karin Noy, who leads the Emerging Science & Innovation in Israel portfolio for Pfizer. She highlighted Israel’s robust academic research and a well-integrated healthcare system. This system links medical providers and health insurance companies, creating a comprehensive and valuable patient data set.
“If you think about the drug development process, it's so complicated,” said Noy. “We are starting from the discovery of new targets and then for those targets we need to validate them, we need to identify molecules and design them. And then on the translational side, to find how to match them to the right patients and then to take them to advanced clinical trials” until they are eventually commercialized.
It’s a complex process, she emphasized, which is why Pfizer collaborates with small, innovative companies in Israel to address these challenges.
Developing a drug today can take more than a decade and cost over $2 billion. Furthermore, 95% of investments fail. According to Solomon, the primary reason is that human immune systems respond differently to therapeutics than mice.
Immunai addressed this issue by mapping and building an AI model of the immune system, allowing it to predict immune responses to therapeutics.
AI, Solomon said, is unlocking insights that were previously unattainable in drug development and patient care. Using its model, Immunai has been able to determine the optimal dosage for drugs.
“Just knowing that a molecule could work is not enough; it's not a therapy. You need to decide what is the dose, what is the schedule [for taking it],” Solomon explained. “With AI and our predictive modeling, we're able to optimize those.”
For example, Immunai has used its model to find the best combination agent for oncology drugs. This includes determining which chemotherapy or anti-drug conjugate to pair with an immune agent.
Pfizer is also involved in another groundbreaking AI initiative: AION Labs.
AION Labs is an Israeli venture studio formed in partnership with AstraZeneca, Merck, Pfizer, Teva, the Israel Biotech Fund, Amiti Ventures, and Amazon Web Services (AWS). Supported by BioMed X and the Israel Innovation Authority, its mission is to develop AI technologies that revolutionize drug discovery and improve global health.
Since October 7 and the start of the regional war, eight companies have been launched through AION Labs.
“The majority are already in partnership with Pfizer, and we’re working on validating the technology,” Noy said. “It's very impressive, especially in a small country like Israel… It's the only place where competitive companies like this could get together.”