Israel Active

(Thanks to Israel21c) Israel’s EyeYon Medical has two solutions for corneal edema, which affects an additional two million patients every year. First, Hyper CL is a patented contact lens that uses osmosis to release fluid build-up. Then a DSPEK polymer film implant prevents the formation of fluid.

Until now, infants’ inhalation masks have been miniature versions of adult ones – ill-fitting and unable to deliver medicine effectively. Now Israel’s Technion has made an infant-specific inhalation mask that even allows a pacifier to be stuck in the child’s mouth while he/she is wearing the mask.

(Thanks to Israel21c) Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have discovered that flu viruses (including deadly strains) use the protein neuraminidase to disable the body’s natural killer (NK) cells. They managed to inhibit the protein and thus bolster the NK cells ability to fight the viruses.

An international team led by Weizmann Institute researchers has “turned off” the immune system’s automatic rejection of foreign transplants. They introduced the less toxic CD8+ veto immune cells into the body with the biochemical interleukin-15 to guide them to the lymph nodes.

(Thanks to Israel21c) In the last 12 years, the number of Israelis suffering from preventable blindness has been reduced by 56% - a rate unprecedented in any other country.

Britain's National Health Service (NHS) has invited Israeli life sciences companies to conduct clinical trials in the UK. This is a major achievement as the NHS is the largest single healthcare provider in the world.

Israel’s Technion signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the UK’s Manchester University that will promote joint research into cures to cancer and genetic illnesses. It will also see combined studies into heart disease, stem cell and genetic research.

Israel & Belgium based Nyxoah’s new device prevents sleep apnea by transmitting a focused electric field. It is inserted inside the chin in a simple procedure and gets its energy from an external patch that is stuck to the chin only at night. It is far more comfortable than existing alternatives.

The method of applying epidural injections hasn’t changed for 100 years. The skill of the doctor is vital with high failure rates (30%) and frequent complications. But Israel’s Omeq Medical’s sensor-based system guides the doctor to the exact spot. Over 20 million epidurals are given each year in the US alone.

(Thanks to Atid-EDI) Scientists at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem have developed a method for detecting the cause of diabetic retinopathy - a leading cause of blindness worldwide. The method will enable early diagnosis and treatment of the condition, minimizing damage and saving vision.