Israel Active

Israel’s Advanced Inhalation Therapies (Beyond Air) has been granted Orphan status by the US FDA to complete the development of its nitric oxide (NO) treatment for cystic fibrosis. The NO gas boosts the body’s immune system, improves blood flow and circulation and kills bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi.

Stem cells from Israel’s Pluristem have been used in clinical tests to successfully treat bone marrow failure following total body exposure to high doses of radiation.

Scientists at Israel’s Technion together with MIT and Harvard have discovered that chemotherapeutics, delivered in tiny silicon containers with nano-sized holes are able to destroy malignant tumors, whilst avoiding adverse effects on healthy tissue.

Tel Aviv University researchers discovered that neural networks in the brain preserve memories better than individual neurons. This new understanding may lead to a breakthrough in treating debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

Israel biomed company Tulip Medical has successfully completed its first clinical trial of its pill that expands in the stomach, inflates like a balloon, and creates a sense of fullness. The pill was safe with no side effects. The next trial will test the pill in an inclusive weight-loss program.

I reported in Mar 2014 that Professor Dan Peer of Tel Aviv University had developed chemotherapy using nano-particles to target ovarian tumors. It has now been engineered to target Glioblastoma multiforme - the most aggressive of brain cancer.

Long ago, UK Professor Gideon Lack discovered that hardly any Israeli infants developed peanut allergy. Now his new study has proved that the reason is the common practice of feeding Israeli children the peanut snack Bamba. It reverses conventional “wisdom” of avoiding peanuts.

A new study in February’s The Lancet Global Health Journal places the diet of the average Israeli the 9th healthiest out of 187 countries surveyed. The study, led by Dr Fumiaki Imamura of the University of Cambridge, covered 4.5 billion people.

Researchers at Israel’s Weizmann Institute have revealed the detailed mechanisms that control the beating of the heart. Heart disease can cause individual heart filaments to lose synchronization. Replacing diseased cells in a structured manner can re-establish a regular rhythm.

Israeli innovations in space include SpacePharma’s laboratory that fits in the palm of your hand and will orbit in a nano-satellite, allowing scientists to conduct experiments and watch them happen on their smart phones.