Amid many objections, Israel is moving ahead towards launching its DNA bank in the coming months. As a result, in the coming years, a cancer patient undergoing a surgical procedure or biopsy will be ask to consent to having a portion of the biopsy or tissue sample filed in the national DNA bank.

The DNA bank will involve inter-ministerial cooperation, including the Ministries of Health, Science and Industry & Trade, as well as the Council for Higher Education. The bank will be utilized for medical research and to advance research and manufacture of pharmaceuticals. A number of hospitals are competing to host the new project, which has a national government budget of 35.6 million NIS over the next five years.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)