Israel Active

Israel’s LifeGraph has developed a smartphone-based platform for monitoring mental illness. LifeGraph detects changes in a patient’s sleep, social communication, mobility and speech. It provides psychiatrists with innovative insight into the behavioral patterns of the patient.

A major problem in treating mental illness is in overcoming the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB) with effective medication. Israel’s SipNose has developed an innovative nasal delivery device platform that can penetrate the BBB and provide fast, non-invasive treatment to patients.

As Tel Aviv prepares to host the 2015 BrainTech conference, Professor Henry Markram (formerly of Israel’s Weizmann Institute) outlined the goals and activities of the Human Brain Project, of which he is co-director.

Back in Dec 2012 I reported how Dr Ron Dzikowski at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem had discovered the genetic reason why malaria was so difficult to treat. Now Professor Dzikowski and other HUJ scientists have used the discovery to disrupt the parasite’s defense mechanism.

Philanthropists Laura and Isaac Perlmutter have pledged $3 million to finance six joint cancer research projects between NY University and Israel’s Technion, plus a further $6 million to establish a state-of-the-art research facility focusing on cancer metabolomics at the Technion.

(Israel21c) Ben-Gurion University is hosting “Light and Blindness” - a full-day exhibition of research-and-development activities in Israel designed to improve the quality of life for people with visual impairment.  It includes a startup contest and the opening of a trail for the blind.

Israeli biotech IceCure Medical has received $21 million of funds from Epoch Partner Investments to speed up the sales and distribution of its IceSense3 cryoablation system to treat breast cancer. IceSense3 uses extreme cold to destroy targeted tumors in less than 15 mins, with no pain.

(M) Here’s a rare positive Israel article from CNN.  It describes the exoskeleton from Israel’s ReWalk that is changing the lives of paraplegics.  People previously confined to wheelchairs can now walk upright once again.  (Stop video after 2 minutes.)

(Israel21c)  Israeli startup Medivizor uses patent-pending technology to find the most essential information applicable for each individual’s medical situation.  Medivizor won 4 prestigious competitions in 2014, was highlighted by Forbes and is recommended by doctors to their patients.

(M) A joint Israeli-UK project is testing whether a pacemaker emitting pulsating blue and yellow light can be used to regulate the beating of newly implanted heart tissue generated by stem cells.  Also interesting because the UK’s Independent newspaper rarely includes any positive Israeli news.