Israel Active

Scientists at Israel’s Technion Institute have used ultrasound to generate electric charges in the cell membranes of the brain and stimulate nerve activity. It has tremendous potential, from treatments for epilepsy, to giving sight to the blind.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is the 13th biggest killer in the West, with over 200,000 new cases diagnosed in the US each year. Drs. Gertz and Gavish of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have discovered that low-level laser (LLL) reduces AAA inflammation and promotes wound healing.

Scientists at Israel’s Weizmann Institute have found a pathway to a possible cure for the two currently untreatable forms of Gaucher’s disease. The removal of protein RIP3 can extend the life of sufferers.

High blood sugar levels in diabetics produce more enzymes called MAPK kinases, leading to early brain cell death. Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers have developed a peptide TXM-CB3 that in laboratory tests prevents the MAPK kinases from activating.

Weizmann scientist Dr Ofer Yizhar explains optogenetics – a neuroscience that examines light-specific activation or suppression of neurons in the brain. It could help us understand memory problems, schizophrenia and autism.

Israeli bio-tech Oramed has announced that its Phase 2a clinical trial for its ORMD-0801 oral insulin capsule for the treatment of type 2 diabetes met all primary and secondary endpoints. The Phase 2b study will be carried out later this year, and Oramed plans a Phase 2a study for Type 1 diabetes.

The US FDA has approved the 40-ml dose of Multiple Sclerosis medication Copaxone from Israel’s Teva. The new higher dosage allows MS patients to reduce the number of injections from a daily frequency to just three times a week.

Scientists at Tel Aviv and Ben Gurion Universities have found that an important cell-maintenance process called “autophagy” is reduced in the brains of schizophrenic patients due to low levels of the protein beclin 1. Medication to boost beclin 1 levels could offer a new way to treat schizophrenia.

Israel’s Pluristem announced that patients treated with PLX-PAD stem cells had a greater improved change of maximal voluntary muscle contraction force than the placebo group. The Phase I/II clinical trial shows that PLX cells can help repair orthopedic injuries including muscles and tendons.

Israeli biotech BiondVax announced that tests prove its universal flu vaccine matches all six pandemic strains in the world today. They include bird flu strains H5N1 and H7N9, which have spread to humans and killed hundreds of people.