Israel Active

Israel’s E-Motion Medical has just received the CE Mark (i.e. European approval) for its E-Motion System, providing stimulation therapy that restores the natural motor function of the digestive system for patients with acute gastrointestinal dysmotility (GID).

Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center has set up a new daily program to treat young people up to age 30 in Northern Israel with eating disorders. Each patient receives an intensive, personized plan plus access to doctors, nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, dieticians and social workers.

Dr. Noam Kaplan of Israel’s Technion Institute is a member of an International team of scientists that has decoded the genome of the fatal parasite Trypanosoma brucei – the cause of human “sleeping sickness”. It should help in the development of techniques to block the fatal disease.

I wrote previously that Israeli startup DayTwo will provide members of health care provider Clalit with personalized nutrition plans based on DNA analysis of gut microbiome. DayTwo is now setting up a $5 million lab in Rehovot, working with the Weizmann Institute.

Israeli-founded Irish-Israeli startup Whiteswell has developed a minimally invasive solution for acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). It involves a catheter to drain excess fluid. Whiteswell has just raised $30 million of funds to support development and trials.

I reported previously that the universities of Haifa and Ben Gurion were building MobiGuide to monitor patients outside clinically controlled environments. MobiGuide is now the first AI system for the automated management of atrial fibrillation and gestational diabetes patients.

I reported previously that Israel’s Neurolief was developing a non-invasive brain neuro-modulation interface system that could relieve migraine headaches. This Israel21c article shows the device, describes the technology and plans. The device is also in trials to treat depression.

Israeli biotech KidneyCure is developing personalized cell-therapy technology for treating advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD). An estimated 30 million adults in the US have CKD (most are undiagnosed) with 600,000 on dialysis.

Israeli charity Ezer Mizion is celebrating the 3,000-milestone for the number of life-saving stem-cell transplants performed as a direct result of its bone-marrow registry. Prior to Ezer Mizion, chances of a Jewish patient finding a genetic match was 8%. Now, 76% of requests receive a positive response.

Israel is number one in the world for medical patents per capita. These patents have led to numerous revolutionary cardiovascular procedures and devices. E.g. aortic valve replacement, mitral valve repair, tiny pacemakers, heart monitoring chips and especially stents.