Israel and France Forge Alliance to Advance Precision Psychiatry
Researchers and medical experts from Israel and France gathered in Tel Aviv for a joint conference on precision psychiatry, exploring how artificial intelligence, big data, and biomarkers can revolutionize mental healthcare and trauma treatment.
Finding the right psychiatric treatment is often a long and exhausting process of trial and error. A medication that helps one patient may have no effect on another, leading to months of prolonged suffering, worsening symptoms, and fading hope. However, researchers from Israel and France believe that recent advances in artificial intelligence, biological markers, and extensive medical databases could soon transform mental healthcare.
This visionary goal took center stage at the France-Israel Mental Health Future Conference held last week in Tel Aviv, which brought together psychiatrists, researchers, and leading medical experts from both nations. Clalit Health Services played a pivotal role as a key partner in the event, focusing on precision psychiatry—an emerging field dedicated to improving the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders by identifying measurable biological and clinical differences among patients.
"We are on the verge of a true revolution," said Prof. Marion Leboyer, professor of psychiatry at Université Paris-Est Créteil and CEO of the FondaMental Foundation in France. Instead of applying a one-size-fits-all approach, researchers aim to identify unique biological mechanisms and biomarkers to help physicians tailor the most effective treatment for each individual. "Our hope today is to identify precise clinical and biological targets," Leboyer explained, pointing to blood tests and brain imaging as essential tools for developing targeted therapies.
Leveraging Big Data and Artificial Intelligence
A central theme at the conference was the immense potential of utilizing large medical databases for research and pattern recognition. Prof. Amir Krivoy, director of the Geha Mental Health Center under Clalit, noted that Israel holds a distinct advantage due to the vast repository of medical data accumulated by Clalit. This integrated data spans diagnoses, medications, laboratory results, and mental health treatments across both community care and hospital settings.
By applying machine learning algorithms to this data, researchers hope to predict disease outbreaks, treatment responses, and potential side effects. Dr. Yarden Levinsky, head of Clalit's mental health division, emphasized the urgent need for such innovations against the backdrop of soaring demand. Since the outbreak of the war, mental health clinics have witnessed a 50% surge in visits. In response, Clalit has opened 50 new mental health clinics and expanded its professional workforce by 42% over the past three years.
Expanding International Collaboration on Trauma
Beyond technological innovation, the conference underscored the vital importance of cross-border cooperation, particularly in trauma care. Dr. Amoury Mension, a psychiatrist from the Grand Est regional trauma center in France, highlighted the shared expertise gained from handling major national tragedies, such as the 2015 Paris and Saint-Denis attacks and Israel's wartime experiences. Experts believe that combining patient cohorts and sharing data can significantly improve collective trauma treatment and accelerate advancements in managing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Prof. Leboyer emphasized that the partnership extends beyond academia to include tech companies and startups specializing in biomarkers, digital health solutions, and AI. Ultimately, the true measure of success will lie in translating scientific discoveries into tangible improvements in patients' lives, ensuring the right treatment reaches the right patient at the right time.
