Israel Active

This Israel21c article features three Israeli startups that are working on instant diagnosis of viruses and bacteria. I already featured Sight Diagnostics and Efa Technologies . Sonorapy has developed a sensor to identify each pathogen from the unique acoustics it emits in response to soundwaves.

I’ve reported previously on Israel’s IceCure Medical and its technology for freezing and destroying tumors. Now Haifa’s Elisha Medical Center is the first Israeli hospital to offer IceCure’s treatment for malignant kidney tumors and benign breast tumors.

If sick while on vacation in Europe and the Americas, Israeli startup Air Doctor Ltd will locate pre-vetted doctors that provide services to tourists. Air Doctor’s web interface and app will find and book appointments with relevant local general physicians, pediatricians, gynecologists etc.

In the latest Nefesh b’Nefesh flight there were 27 US and Canadian medical professionals (doctors, nurses, paramedics etc.) who want to get to work as soon as possible. Meanwhile, top liver transplant surgeon Daniel Azoulay has left Paris to join the staff of Sheba Medical Center.

Israeli gut microbiome analysis startup DayTwo Ltd. has partnered with Clalit, one of Israel’s four health care providers. Clalit will offer its members DNA analysis of their gut microbiome and provide personalized nutritional insights based on DayTwo’s technology.

Israeli startup Metaflow’s Lumen is a respiratory metabolism tracking device that determines whether you are burning fat or carbohydrates. An AI-based app then provides nutrition and fitness advice based on the test's results and personal goals. Lumen has raised $1.4 million on Indiegogo.

Doctors at Baruch Padeh Medical Center near Tiberias removed a 2-inch long (5cm) nail from the small intestine of an 8-year-old Arab girl. She had been using her teeth to pull the nail out of a plastic bottle and when it emerged, she accidentally swallowed it.

Tel Aviv University scientists have discovered an enzyme that controls blood glutamate levels and could help patients recover from spinal injuries if administered soon after an accident. Reducing the release of glutamate after a trauma enabled lesions at the injury site to regenerate.

Israeli startup Amai Proteins has synthesized the protein thaumatin, found naturally in the Nigerian katemfe plant, which acts as a sweetener but does not raise blood sugar or insulin levels. Amai have conducted initial test tastings and have raised NIS 3 million of funding.

I reported previously ) on Israel’s work to combat Leishmaniasis - a deadly parasitic disease common in the Middle East. Now Professor Shulamit Michaeli, at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University, is working to commercialize a compound that in 20 minutes kills two types of Leishmania parasites.