Israel Active

Asthma and COPD sufferers will pleased to hear that Israel’s NE Field diagnostics has a simple pulmonary (lung function) test for use at home. Breathe normally into the A-Spire device and a smartphone app checks the results, saving vast numbers of unnecessary hospital visits.

When Ayelet Avraham saw a deaf person having problems buying a cell phone, she and another student at the Holon Institute of Technology developed DAS (Deaf Access Solution). DAS uses Google’s Speech Recognizer to translate speech into text and send it to the phone of the relevant nearby person.

A gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy are two radical procedures to reduce stomach volume and curb obesity. But now Israel’s Nitinotes is developing Endozip - a 30-minute gastrointestinal automated suturing system, inserted through the mouth with minimal anesthesia.  

Parallel international research involving Haifa and Bar-Ilan University scientists have discovered the key role of enzyme ADAR1 in the immune system and how it can become a new pathway for eradicating viruses and cancers.

I reported previously on Israel’s Aidoc and its AI tool for analyzing brain scans to detect a hemorrhage or risk of a bleed. Now in use at 50 medical institutions, Aidoc has analyzed 300,000 scans and detected 140,000 anomalies.

Researchers at Israel’s Weizmann Institute have identified that the problem with LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol is when excess LDL is deposited on blood vessel walls. It oxidizes into a toxic substance that triggers immune cells to form crystals, leading to inflammation and arterial disease.  

I reported previously on BiomX. The Israeli biotech has now partnered with Janssen - the therapy R&D arm of Johnson & Johnson. BiomX's XMarker microbiome-based platform will be used to classify responders to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) therapies.

I reported previously on Israel’s (Arab-owned) Alpha Omega and its Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) device for treating disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. Alpha Omega has 100% market share in Israel and is active in the US, Europe and now (thanks to a $7 million investment) China.

Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Center and IBM Israel have established a special accelerator for startups to develop advanced technological solutions and services in digital medicine. They will have access to IBM and hospital resources and staff.

I reported previously on Israel’s Clew Medical and its AI system to warn of deteriorating ICU patients. Clew is now partnered with UMass Memorial Medical Center in Massachusetts, using its advanced analytics engine to enhance UMass’ patient care.