Tiny propellers can steer to the cells
Nano-sized propellers have been developed by researchers at Haifa’s Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and at the Max Planck Institute in Germany. They have the potential to deliver cancer-killing chemicals directly to tumors without harming healthy cells.
Kidney cells can regenerate
Until recently, scientists believed that the liver was the only internal organ that could regenerate. Now researchers at Sheba Medical Center, Tel Aviv University and Stanford University have traced cell growth in the kidney. By speeding up growth they may in the future cure Chronic Kidney Disease.
Molecules responsible for depression
Weizmann scientists have identified a microRNA molecule miR135 that controls the levels of serotonin in the brain. Patients suffering from depression have unusually low miR135 levels in their blood. A treatment and diagnostic test are to be developed by miCure Therapeutics.
Positive results in Type 1 diabetes treatment study
Israel’s Redhill Biopharma announced preliminary positive data from a pre-clinical study with RHB-104 for the treatment of Type 1 diabetes. Trials of RHB-104 for treating Crohn’s disease and Multiple Sclerosis are on going and are planned for Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Researchers find major clue toward Alzheimer’s cure
Researchers at Tel Aviv University have discovered one of the reasons for the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. A molecular mechanism involving amyloid precursor protein (APP) elevates brain neuron function and “short-circuits” brain communications.
ReWalk gets US FDA approval
US health regulators have approved the ReWalk exoskeleton system developed by Israel’s Argo Medical. ReWalk’s leg braces, motion sensors and motorized joints respond to subtle changes in upper-body movement and shifts in balance, allowing paraplegics to stand and walk.
Doctors remove 8 objects swallowed by infant
Specialists at Schneider Children’s Medical Center in Petah Tikvah extracted 8 various foreign bodies from the esophagus of a 14-month-old infant. Gastroenterologists, nutritionists and otolaryngologists extracted pumpkin seeds, orange pits, humous balls and various pebbles.
A clinic to help diabetics age better
The Center for Successful Aging with Diabetes at the Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer is a model for how diabetes can be managed. Patients get a five-hour physical and cognitive checkup plus a plan of how to manage diabetes and avoid complications such as dementia.
Non-invasive test for bladder cancer
Israeli biotech Nucleix has raised more than $5 million to finance its test for early detection of bladder cancer. Nucleix uses epigenetics (tiny changes in a cell’s DNA) to identify cancer cells. In the future, the product could also be used to test for colon, lung and prostate cancers.
NaNose cancer detector is ready to market
In international trials, the lung cancer detector developed by Technion’s Dr. Hossam Haick correctly diagnosed early-stage malignant tumors 90% of the time - far better than previous methods. The device has been licensed to Boston’s Alpha Szenszor, for development to market.