Israel Active

Research by Hebrew University of Jerusalem psychologist Prof. Ariel Knafo shows that children who mimic each other’s body language for mere minutes are more likely to share feelings of similarity and closeness, and to potentially engage in more pro-social, positive behaviors.

Researchers at Israel’s Weizmann Institute have discovered how bacteria protect themselves from invasive viruses called phages. Their immune system adds part of the phage DNA into the bacteria’s genome. The research may lead to new treatments for autoimmune diseases.

Joint research between Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem and Columbia University has discovered that the rheumatoid arthritis medication Baricitinib is effective in the treatment of Alopecia Areata – an autoimmune disease that causes sudden or gradual hair loss.

Israel’s Teva has launched, in the USA, a generic alternative to Exforge (amlodopine and valsartan) tablets used to treat hypertension (high blood pressure). }

Professor Marta Weinstock-Rosin – inventor of Exelon for treating Alzheimer’s – says that the end is in sight for the debilitating disease and others like it. Dr Weinstock-Rosin lit one of the ceremonial torches at this year’s Israeli Independence Day ceremony.

Israel’s Rosetta Genomics has received a US patent for its microRNA-based test for the primary tumor type in primary and metastatic (secondary) cancer. By identifying the origin of the tumor, physicians can select the best treatment options for the patient.

In a study of 484 people (99 with stomach cancer), Israel’s NaNose breath detector gave an 80% accurate diagnosis - matching far more expensive, slower and invasive alternatives. NaNose (developed by Technion’s Dr Hossam Haick) also detected pre-cancerous growths that needed attention.

Israel Technion’s Nobel laureate Aaron Ciechanover is in the news for the second week in a row. His recent findings form the basis of a joint project to develop cancer treatments with India’s Sun Pharma.

I featured the amazing work of Tel Aviv University’s Professor Dan Peer in my newsletter. But I thought that you’d like to hear the story from the Professor direct.

Israel’s Kamada has been allowed a patent in Canada for the large-scale production of Alpha-1 Proteinase Inhibitor. The process is key to Kamada’s treatments for alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficient patients suffering from type-1 diabetes and pulmonary diseases, amongst others.