Israel Active

The Marcus Foundation is donating $10 million to ensure completion of Israel’s new MDA shielded national blood services center at Ramla (reported previously), that will protect Israel’s strategic blood reserves against missile, chemical, and biological attack.

The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ) recently donated 160 emergency medical kits for the volunteer medics of Israeli NGO United Hatzalah. The IFCJ also donated personal protection equipment and communication devices, for use by first responders.

Israel’s Nutek has won the Merage 45+ Entrepreneurs’ Competition. Founder and Exec Chairman, Dov Cohen received the $100,000 prize, which rewards Israeli entrepreneurs aged 45 and over. Cohen’s Nutek has developed probes that locate cancer cells remaining in a patient during tumor removal.

Israel’s Scopio Labs (reported previously) has added software to its next generation of high-powered microscopes. It uses AI to scan, digitize and analyze blood for hematological diagnosis. Scopio has just received FDA clearance for its Full Field Peripheral Blood Smear Application.

In tests, the Lung EpiCheck blood test developed by Israel’s Nucleix (reported previously) detected 85% of early stage lung cancers among smokers and ex-smokers with a high risk for developing the disease. On low-risk individuals, the accuracy increased to 91%.

A small Phase 1 trial of 10 terminally ill melanoma patients at Israel’s Sheba Medical Center resulted in the lives of two patients being extended and one cured completely. Doctors transplanted fecal material from the gut microbiome of previously cured melanoma patients.

Hebrew University scientists have completed a study of 1500 Covid-19 patients receiving anti-cholesterol treatments. The study showed fast recovery and no deaths. Now a full clinical trial is to commence on the fat-busting treatment Fenofibrate (Tricor) (reported previously).

The Israeli-developed BriLife Covid-19 vaccine is moving into Phase 2 trials. Hospitals including Sheba and Hadassah will test the vaccine on 1,000 volunteers including seniors and those with previous conditions. Meanwhile rollout of the Pfizer vaccine began - the Israeli PM first to be vaccinated.

Scientists at Israel’s Weizmann Institute, working with others in the Netherlands and Norway, have discovered that melanoma cells can “frameshift” to grow whilst avoiding the immune system.  The process, however, generates new peptides (short proteins) that scientists can now target with new therapies.

Philanthropist Sylvan Adams has donated $30 million to fund a new Emergency Medicine department at Tel Aviv’s Sourasky (Ichilov) Medical Center. A similar amount was allocated by the Israeli government. It will take two years to construct and will be the largest ER in Israel.