Israel Active

Researchers at Israel’s Technion Institute have developed an AI tool to predict the benefit of chemotherapy on breast cancer patients. It examines high-resolution digital images of tumor tissue and uses deep learning to identify patterns in both the cancer cells and their surrounding environment.

The US FDA has approved Optune Pax, by Israel’s Novocure for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer. The portable, non-invasive device delivers electrical tumor treating fields (TTFields), to the abdomen to disrupt rapid cancer cell division.

Researchers at the Rambam Health Care Campus have used DBS (deep-brain stimulation) in the laboratory to counter schizophrenia symptoms. DBS acts on the brain’s decision-making process, to cure cognitive inflexibility – the source of schizophrenia’s hallucinations and chaotic behavior.

Medical startup Kailo is developing the first-ever medication designed to directly treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It follows research at the University of Haifa in which scientists are developing a peptide to neutralize the pathological “amplification” of fear memories..

Researchers at Israel’s Ben-Gurion University have discovered that the gene ZNF750, essential for forming healthy skin, also supports Langerhans immune skin cells that are the frontline defense against infection. The discovery aids research into skin diseases such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis.

Research by Weizmann Institute scientists finds genetics may explain 50% of the human lifespan, over twice previous estimates which should have ignored accidents, infections and other external reasons for death. The study opens doors to therapies targeting aging itself.

On a Lufthansa flight to Israel a 64-year-old passenger suffered a cardiac event. She was saved by two Israeli doctors, Dr. Mohammad Badarna, a senior endocrinologist at the Galilee Medical Center in Poriya, and his wife, family physician Dr. Miriam Mafra Badarna.

King Solomon wrote “there is nothing new under the Sun”. In the 12th century, Rambam (Moses ben Maimon – a.k.a. Maimonides) wrote about a healthy diet. Follow his 10 rules and while you might not live to 120 (Rambam was only 69 when he died) but you will never put on weight.

2,000 kidney donors gathered at a Matnat Chaim (Gift of Life) event in Jerusalem, joined by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, to celebrate life, selflessness, and a world-record-setting achievement. And the Guinness Book of World Records reversed its previous decision of refusing to include it.

A two-year Israeli clinical study at Assuta Medical Centers and Sheba Medical Center proved that specialized lenses significantly slowed worsening nearsightedness in children. The lenses used a peripheral defocus technology known as Myoslow. Young children benefited most.