Kahn Sagol Maccabi

The Kahn-Sagol-Maccabi (KSM) for Research and Innovation (in Hebrew: מכון קאהן-סגול-מכבי למחקר ולחדשנות) is the Research and Innovation Center of Maccabi Healthcare Services.

History
Founded in 2016 by Maccabi Health Services with the key support of Morris Kahn and Sami Sagaol, KSM promotes excellence in medical research.

Formerly headed by Prof. Varda Shalev and currently headed by Dr. Tal Patalon, an active clinician specializing in family and emergency medicine and a dedicated researcher, KSM comprises four specialized research departments: Big Data, Biobank (housing Israel's largest biological sample database for research), Clinical Studies, and Epidemiological Studies.

In its global outreach, KSM collaborates with leading technology firms, start-up companies, academic institutions and scientists worldwide, and has forged research agreements with numerous health ministries, including those of United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

Medical studies
KSM Center strives to enhance healthcare systems through independent research and partnerships with international researchers, academic institutions, pharmaceutical companies, start-ups and technology firms.

Since its inception, the center has conducted hundreds of studies, resulting in the development of tools for both patients and healthcare providers. These studies have influenced medical policies in several countries, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Notable studies conducted under KSM's auspices include:


 * Studies on the coronavirus epidemic - During the COVID-19 pandemic, several international scientific studies based on the Maccabi databases were conducted by the center, Including studies on repeated infection in children, repeated infection in adults, natural vaccination, reduction of transmission the decline in the effect of the third vaccine the effect of the vaccine on intra-domestic infection and on patients with Coeliac disease.
 * Research on monkeypox - In 2023, a study on monkeypox based on KSM's analysis and database was published.
 * Research on Parvovirus B19 - In 2023, a study on a local outbreak of parvovirus was published.
 * Research on autism - In 2023, a study on late diagnosis of autism was published.
 * Research on cancer – In 2023, a study of the effects of palbociclib treatment on the lifespan of patients with breast cancer was published.

Medical database
KSM's research activities are based on independent efforts, as well as the extensive medical knowledge and database of Maccabi Health Services. This database, compiled over three decades and anonymized, encompasses digital records of 2.7 million insured individuals.

In addition to its in-house research, the Center offers global researchers access to conduct studies, analyses [30] and medical prediction, based on this comprehensive database.

KSM's innovation and big data department leverages databases and artificial intelligence technologies, facilitating a wide range of research opportunities, analysis and medical prediction.

Biobank
The KSM Center has established the Tipa BioBank, Israel's largest biobank housing over a million genetic samples for research purposes.

The purpose of this initiative is to develop tools for early disease detection through genetic and biological studies. A central feature of this effort is the creation of a repository of biological samples (e.g., blood, urine, etc.), enabling researchers to investigate how genetic profiles influence disease risk and treatment.