Israel Active

Two Israeli physicians from Haifa’s Rambam Medical center, Dr. Omri Emodi and Dr. Zach Sharony, were part of a 40-person Operation Smile delegation to Ethiopia. From dawn to dusk they performed 91 operations in 5 days to repair cleft lips and pallets and also trained local staff.

Israel’s BrainStorm reported positive interim results of Phase IIa ALS trials of its “NurOwn” stem cell therapy. 71% of patients were in decline before treatment but after treatment 63% were either stabilized or had improved neurological function.

Israeli start-up MobileOCT has won the 2014 Vodafone Americas Foundation Wireless Innovation Project for its program to help residents of the US-Mexican border area detect cervical cancer. MobileOCT’s technology uses mobile phones with added lenses.

US giant Merck is to collaborate with Israeli companies on technological projects. Israel’s Chief Scientist’s Office will grant financial support for joint projects researching into life-saving medicines, which Merck will match.

Tel Aviv University researchers have found that protein clusters are not the long-believed cause of Huntington’s disease. Instead, their formation protects cells damaged by the brain’s stress response. Tackling the stress response itself may cure Huntington’s.

Israel’s Chief Scientist’s Office has awarded NIS 100,000 to Dr. Assaf Shachmon and Hagai Ligomsky of Tel Aviv University. Their optical scanner identifies diabetics at risk of developing foot ulcers that precede 84% of all diabetes-related lower-leg amputations.

(Thanks to Israel21c) The clinics of Israel’s Jacob and Tal Sagie have cured 27,000 children who suffered from enuresis (bedwetting). Tal Sagie has now launched Therapee - the world’s first online interactive program for treating enuresis - for kids aged four and over.

And it mentions it is based in Tel Aviv! In the video clip, CEO Ariel Beery says that the hardware can be 3D-printed anywhere, in order to save life.

Jerusalem-based biotech Tiltan has raised $1.5 million for the completion of its on-going Phase II clinical study of TL-118, an anti-angiogenic therapy for treating metastatic pancreatic cancer. 80 patients are being tested in seven major Israeli oncology centers and also two in the US.

(Thanks to Israel21c) Israeli biotech Cellect has developed a stem cell collection kit that could revolutionize the treatment of leukemia and other immune-related diseases. Cellect’s kit takes only 10 hours to generate sufficient stem cells for bone marrow transplants.