Israel Active

Surgeons at Jerusalem’s Hadassah hospital can detect and correct abnormalities in the fetus from eight weeks after conception.  Irregular heartbeats, anemia, twins sharing placentas, congenital hernias, repairing spinal cord. Israeli doctors are saving life before it has even begun.

I reported previously that Dr. Sarit Larisch of Haifa University discovered ARTS - a protein missing in tumors that regulates apoptosis (cell death). Israeli biotech ARTSaVIT is developing a treatment based on this research and has just received $6.3 million of funds.

Former British police officer Nicki Donnelly, who was paralyzed in 2009, can now walk again. She received a ReWalk exoskeleton from the Gerald Ronson Family Foundation and the UK Jewish Community Security Trust (CST).  Nicki now wants to visit ReWalk’s Israeli inventor Amit Goffer.

I reported last week about Israel’s Guide In Medical (GIM) and its innovative tube for inflating collapsed lungs.  GIM’s CEO Ariel Shrem has just spoken about the device on ILTV daily.

Dov Maisel had six emergency calls during the 24 hours from Friday afternoon right through Shabbat.  Five people were saved.

A record 504 Israelis were saved thanks to organ transplants in 2016, up from 433 in 2015. The number of live kidney transplants (222) was also a record and included 129 donations from friends or strangers.  887,317 Israelis have now signed organ donor cards.

Scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have discovered some surprising characteristics of bacteria.  When phage-resistant bacteria are in close contact with phage-sensitive bacteria, the resistant bacteria lose their resistance. The discovery could help research into antibiotic resistance.

In latest trials, the NeuroAD cranial device from Israel’s Neuronix slowed the progression of the disease in 85% of patients suffering mild Alzheimer’s.  The treatment is now being used commercially in the UK (London, Berkshire, Chester and Manchester).

I reported on Israel’s Medial EarlySign previously when it was MedialCS and trialing its colon cancer early-warning algorithm (now called Colon Flag) with Israel’s Maccabi Health company. EarlySign is now designing and validating models for upper GI cancer, lung cancer, and epilepsy.

Israeli biotech Nurami Medical is developing the ArtiFascia, a biodegradable nanofiber patch that protects brain tissue and spinal cord damaged during neurosurgery. Nurami, founded by Jewish and Arab graduates, has just secured NIS 2.5 million ($650,000) of funds.