Israel Active

A four-year study at Jerusalem’s Hadassah hospital of the stem cell treatment from Israel’s Brainstorm has been shown to inhibit the progression of the fatal neurological disease ALS (Lou Gehrig’s) in 87 percent of 26 patients.

Following successful trials, Israeli biotech Kamada has launched its KamRAB anti-Rabies vaccine in 10 countries, including Israel. Kamada will now apply for a Biologics License Application (BLA) from the US FDA - the last step before offering a remedy for sale in the United States.

Israeli biotech NeuroQuest is to begin clinical trials of its blood test for early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Human trials in Israel have already proved 87% accurate – with blood tests, anything over 70% is considered medically significant.

Israel’s Pi-Cardia has developed the Leaflex Catheter System - a novel non-implant based technology for treating patients with aortic valve stenosis, rather than replacing the heart valve. Pi-Cardia has just raised $10 million to help complete development of a second-generation device.

Dr Amos Danielli, now of Israel’s Bar-Ilan University, developed technology at Tel Aviv University to identify minute quantities of chemicals using magnetic particles attached to fluorescent molecules. One use is to detect the protein Troponin, an indicator of an imminent heart attack. Dr Danielli has founded the company MagBiosense which has won a NIS 900,000 grant from the BIRD foundation.

Israel hosted hundreds of delegates from 30 countries, plus the World Health Organization, at the Fourth Israeli International Conference on Healthcare System, Preparedness and Response to Emergencies and Disasters in Tel Aviv and Beersheva.

Israeli-born Technion graduate Dr Nir Barzilai is now director of the Institute for Aging Research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. As he approaches his 60th birthday himself, he is working with the US FDA on treatments that could make everyone live a lot longer.  

Prostate cancer therapy (laser plus TOOKAD Soluble) invented at Israel’s Weizmann Institute completed Phase 3 trials on 480 patients in Latin America and Europe and was approved by Mexico’s health authority. Minimal side-effects were associated with the high cure rates.

Israeli and US trials of Israeli-developed Hyperbaric (high-pressure) Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) reported relief for all 48 sufferers of the chronic pain condition fibromyalgia. Dr. Shai Efrati, lead author of the study at the Assaf Harofeh Medical Center noted his own mother suffers from the syndrome.

Israeli biotech Silenseed has completed a Phase 1/2a clinical study of its siG12D LODER treatment in 15 patients with Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer (LAPC). The treatment combined with chemotherapy was well tolerated and demonstrated promising efficacy with durable responses.