Israel Active

I reported previously that Hebrew University of Jerusalem scientists made progress countering the way the malaria virus hides its genes from the immune system. Now Weizmann Institute scientists have disabled the gene that fools the immune system into attacking decoy cells.

British Jewish philanthropist David Dangoor is launching the UK Israel Dangoor Health Initiative. This new accelerator/hub will match a pipeline of Israeli digital-health startups with Britain’s NHS.

10-month-old Ram Jannam from the Druze/Arab town of Maghar, broke his toy telephone and swallowed the battery. Doctors at Israel’s Padeh-Poriya Medical Center in Tiberias, extracted the battery endoscopically under anesthesia.  Ram is now back home and doing well.

Nice short video featuring some of the many Israeli life-saving and life-enhancing medical innovations.

The fifth IPRED international conference led by Israel’s Ministry of Health and the Home Front Command attracted 1000 emergency responders from 35 countries. It ended with a simulated mass-casualty exercise in Petah Tikva that received media attention from as far away as China.

I reported previously on the promising trials for the Fabry disease treatment PRX-102 from Israel’s Protalix. PRX-102 is currently in Phase III trials and has just been granted fast-track status by the US FDA. Fabry disease damages the kidneys and heart and has no cure.

Researchers at Israel’s Technion have uncovered the mechanism by which the body transports the essential protein ferritin around the body.  Ferritin maintains iron levels in the red blood cells that bring oxygen to the brain. Iron deficiency is a major cause of many brain diseases.

I reported previously on Israel’s MedyMatch, whose software gives more accurate assessments about strokes and intracranial bleeds. MedyMatch has now been granted Expedited Access Pathway and Breakthrough Device designation by the FDA for intracranial hemorrhage detection.

I reported previously about the new 20-story medical research tower being built at Rambam Medical Center in Haifa. Now the Helmsley Trust is donating $18 million to the project and the building is to be named the “Helmsley Medical Discovery Tower”.

Israeli startup Bobo has developed a smart board that records, analyses and gives feedback to physiotherapists on a patient’s ability to maintain balance during rehabilitation following surgery or treatment. Trials in Hadassah Medical Center have proved Bobo’s usefulness and it is now heading to the USA.