Israel Active

(Thanks to NoCamels.com) Julian Levy, CFO of Israel’s Vaxil Biotherapeutics speaks to NoCamels about Vaxil’s cancer vaccine, ImMucin, that boosts the immune system and prevents cancer returning.  ImMucin triggers a response in about 90 percent of all types of cancer.

(Thanks to Michelle) New York City’s NYU Langone Medical Center has praised MarginProbe from Israel’s Dune Medical, used by surgeons to identify and help them remove cancer cells on the margins of removed tumors.  MarginProbe avoids the need for follow-up surgery.

Israeli biotech Compugen has enlisted John Hopkins University to help assess Compugen’s cancer immunotherapy candidates.  These new treatments aim to counter the ability of tumors to highjack “immune checkpoints”, thereby blocking the immune system’s ability to destroy the tumor.

Israel’s cCAM has received US FDA approval to commence trials of its CM-24 monoclonal antibody (mAb) for the treatment of various types of cancers.  CM-24 targets CEACAM1, a novel immune checkpoint protein expressed on a variety of cancer cells.

The US FDA and the European Medicines Agency have awarded Israel’s stem cell therapy developer Gamida Cell orphan status for its NiCord leukemia treatment. NiCord treats acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, Hodgkin lymphoma and myelodysplastic syndrome.

A breakthrough by researchers at the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem will allow early detection and possible prevention of colon and uterine cancers.  They have discovered a genetic mutation that can identify at-risk patients.

(Thanks to Israel21c) Israel’s Quiet Therapeutics has developed “GAGomers,” a new class of nano-particles (coated with glycosaminoglycan, or GAGs, a polysugar) that specifically target tumors and blood cancers based on a biomarker expressed on malignant tissue.

Israel’s Teva continues to help keep down US health costs by launching generic versions of two leading antibiotics - Zyvox (linezolid), and Nafcillin - injectable antibiotics for the treatment of severe infections.  Teva also has launched a generic blood-pressure treatment.

(Thanks to Israel21c) Intel Israel has developed an advanced analytics platform for researching the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.  The system can work with smart watches linked to a smartphone and can handle 300 observations per second from each participant.

Ben Gurion University researchers have discovered accidentally that alpha1-antitrypsin (AAT) could prevent deadly infections in immune system-compromised patients.  Lethal bacteria in mice were practically eradicated by AAT therapy within 24 hours.