Israel Active

Israel’s Gamida Cell reported good results from Duke University trials of its NiCord blood cancer treatment.  Compared with 101 patients receiving ordinary umbilical cord blood, the 18 patients using NiCord had a lower mortality rate, less infections and less time in hospital post-transplantation.

Two Israeli companies have partnered to cut the risk of patient infections dramatically in 10 hospitals in the US, Switzerland and Israel.  Hyginex wristbands, sensors and beacons use Atomation's IoT platform to capture data on staff hand washing and vibrate to remind them before and after patient contact.

Israeli patients will be the first in the world to enjoy a first-of-its-kind hybrid nuclear imaging scanner, at Haifa’s Rambam Hospital.  Doctors can map tissues and bones and identify diseases including cancer, heart and kidney diseases, broken bones, and infections. =

Scientists at Israel’s Technion Institute have trained cardiac cells to beat using mechanical stimuli that do not come into contact with the cells.  The cardiac cells continued to beat over an hour after the mechanical stimulus ceased.  It could lead to development of more effective pacemakers.

Doctors at the Poriya hospital near Tiberias treated a patient suffering from a large tumor in the back of his jaw by replacing the damaged part with a titanium copy that they made using a 3-D printer.  The patient started to eat normally only a few hours after his surgery.  

Israel’s Eximo has successfully completed a multicenter clinical trial of its laser system and unique catheters for treating peripheral artery disease (PAD).  Doctors cured 20 patients, some of whom otherwise required bypass surgery or leg amputation.

Doctors at Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center healed a 5-year-old Syrian girl from her civil war wounds but then discovered she had cancer.  Israeli security services mounted a secret operation to smuggle a relative with matching bone marrow from “an enemy state” into Israel.

I reported on Weizmann Institute’s groundbreaking prostate cancer treatment previously . After 100% successful Mexican and European trials it has now been approved by Israel’s Ministry of Health and administered to a patient at Beilinson Hospital.

Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Israel’s Technion have activated the body’s natural defense against free radical damage.  Enhanced micro-emulsion liquids produce a powerful antioxidant protein called Nrf2 and nanotechnology delivers it to the skin and organs.

Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have developed a disease diagnostic method called methylation which identifies the source of fragmented DNA caused by cell death. In tests on 320 patients it has identified pancreatic cancer, pancreatitis, diabetes, traumatic brain injury and MS.