Israeli health-tech startup uses AI to unlock medical data, identify patients at risk of disease

Israeli health-tech startup Briya is using artificial intelligence to unlock the potential of medical data, helping researchers identify patients at risk of disease and supporting more informed medical decisions.

Briya’s AI platform is designed to help hospitals, universities and medical researchers analyze complex healthcare data that might otherwise go unused. CEO and co-founder David Lazerson believes that making existing medical information more accessible could accelerate research and improve patient care.

Lazerson, who has no medical background, became interested in computers at age 10 and later served in the Israeli military’s elite intelligence Unit 8200. In 2021, he set out to establish a cybersecurity company with software architect Guy Tish before turning his attention to healthcare.

"I wanted to do something more positive, something that would have a real benefit," he told the Israeli news outlet Ynet News. Lazerson said the importance of medical data became particularly apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The data already exists," Lazerson noted. "Patients have received treatments, undergone tests and generated enormous amounts of medical information. But most of it is never actually used."

Briya’s technology aims to make that information more useful for medical research while allowing researchers to direct their own work.

"The researcher manages the research, not the other way around," Lazerson emphasized.

He said the company aims to provide medical researchers with fast, reliable data to support complex decisions.

The platform has already been used in research led by Dr. Gadi Lalazar, head of the Liver Unit at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem. According to the company, its AI system helped Lalazar identify 360% more patients at risk of developing fatty liver disease.

Despite such results, Lazerson acknowledged that gaining a foothold in the healthcare industry can be difficult.

"Healthcare is historically one of the hardest markets to enter," Lazerson assessed. He explained that medical institutions are often reluctant to adopt new technologies without broad agreement among medical professionals, given the potential consequences for patients.

Nevertheless, Lazerson estimates that Briya has built an AI-based network covering approximately 120 million patients. The company has also secured investments from prominent funds and investors, including Insight Partners, Amiti Ventures and Team8.

Lazerson expects the healthcare industry to adopt new technologies more rapidly as medical professionals recognize the benefits of faster access to reliable data. While digitizing healthcare has taken decades, he believes AI is spreading much faster.

Like many Israeli startups, Briya is targeting international markets because of Israel’s relatively small domestic market. Europe is a key focus, although the company faces competition from local technology providers, and some European medical institutions prefer to work with domestic companies.

Lazerson nevertheless remains optimistic that more international institutions and medical centers will adopt Briya’s platform as AI becomes increasingly important to medical research.

"Doctors won't be able to remain relevant without it," he predicted.