Israel Active

I reported previously on Israeli work to eradicate the deadly Zika virus. Now Tel Aviv University scientists have identified the gene IFI6, which combats the Zika virus by protecting cells from infection and preventing cell death. It can lead to a new anti-viral therapy.

More than 50 million people worldwide suffer traumatic brain injuries (TBI) ever year. CT and MRI scans often fail to detect mild concussions. Israeli neurobiologist Dr. Adrian Harel has founded Medicortex Finland which detects TBI cell damage in a biomarker in saliva and urine.

Israeli-founded Hello Heart is a Smartphone app that helps users lower their blood pressure and reduce the risk of cardiovascular death, strokes and coronary heart disease. It provides tools to self-manage hypertension by encouraging behavior change in companies’ employees. FDA approved and HIPAA compliant.

Israeli and Canadian researchers have developed a diet that in a 12-week put 75% of children with Crohn’s disease into remission.  The diet comprised eggs, chicken, potatoes, apples, and mashed bananas and initially excluded wheat, dairy, fish, rice, and other fruits and vegetables. ?

Israel’s National Plan on Aging includes increased budgets for R&D for healthy longevity; health education and increased awareness about aging-related diseases; better public systems for early detection and prevention of aging-related diseases. See also report “Longevity in Israel”.

Many Mexicans lose their lives each year because emergency calls from mobile phones do not accurately pinpoint the caller’s location. Israel’s Carbyne, is to provide Google’s ELS (Emergency Location Service) in real time. For previous newsletter articles on Carbyne,..

Tel Aviv University researchers have discovered that fat cells close to melanoma cells cause them to become aggressive and form secondary cancers. Removing the fat cells, calms down the melanoma cells and they stop migrating to the organs. The study also suggests new cancer treatments.

Some 2 million people die of Tuberculosis (TB) every year. Scientists at Israel’s Weizmann Institute have developed an algorithm that can predict those whose immune system response to TB infection would put them at risk. These people can then be treated while the level of TB bacteria is low.

Israeli emergency organization Magen David Adom has used its “First 7 Minutes” program to train over 3,000 people in 15 countries to respond to mass casualty events. These include Canada, Australia, South America, Italy, Switzerland, Holland, Belgium, Greece and now in the United States.

The Nachliel farm in Samaria has rehabilitated hundreds of at-risk boys for over 20 years. They cultivate the land, ride horses, swim and catch fish. They learn to navigate, take care of themselves in difficult conditions and most importantly how to look after one another.