Israel Active

According to new data from Israel’s Health Ministry, the number of serious coronavirus cases in Israel has dipped below 100 for the first time since end Dec 2021. On 15th May there were only some 15,500 active Covid-19 infections in Israel.

A team of international scientists, led by Dr. Gad Vatine of Ben Gurion University, discovered a thyroid hormone MCT8 mutation causes Allan-Herndon-Dudley syndrome (AHDS). Sufferers cannot walk or talk. They developed a gene therapy AAV9-MCT8 to restore the hormone’s function.

Researchers at Tel Aviv University found that a mutation in genes ADNP and SHANK3 causes conditions such as autism, schizophrenia, and neuro-degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. They also found that an experimental therapy Davunetide can counter the effects of the mutation.

MesenCure – the life-saving Covid-19 treatment from Israel’s Bonus BioGroup (see ) also prevents a lethal inflammatory response that affects cancer patients receiving immunotherapy. In California trials MesenCure significantly reduced an overreaction of the immune system.

Israel’s Sequentify, a spinoff of Israel’s Weizmann Institute, enables fast and focused DNA sequencing, by combining tools from synthetic biology and artificial intelligence. Its Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) products include Covid-19 surveillance, cancer diagnostics, carrier screening and more.

Ofer Levy, CEO at Israel’s ZygoFix (see previously) explains how his company’s implant can relieve lower back and leg pain caused by pressure on the spine. The ZygoFix solution is far less invasive than current screws and bridge fusion surgery and is performed in the outpatient department.

Professor Nahum Sonenberg has been awarded an honorary doctorate at Israel’s Ben Gurion University. Born in a DP camp, his came to Israel in 1949, eventually studying biochemistry at Tel Aviv University. His groundbreaking work on proteins has advanced research into memory, cancer, autism and more.

Israel’s Solveat has manufactured health bars that are adapted to take herbal medicine extracts to treat specific medical conditions. The medicine can be eaten with a meal like ordinary food in the form of chocolate, crackers, or health bars.

Israel’s Code Ocean has developed a consistent, secure, digital lab that integrates research in the cloud and helps speed medical and scientific discoveries to market. It enhances computational science and aims to boost the rapid development of treatments including personalized medicine.

Israel’s PixCell Medical (see previously) has donated a HemoScreen 5-minute blood test device, along with hundreds of cartridges, to Ukraine, as it is ideal for “extreme point of care” use. It is also essential for emergencies and for patients undergoing chemotherapy.