Israel Active

(Thanks to Israel21c) A unique-to-Israel use of virtual reality (VR) has been pioneered at ALEH, Israel’s largest network of facilities for children with severe cognitive and physical disabilities. Residents at ALEH’s Moriah facility in Gedera go on field trips in simulated environments.

(Thanks to Israel21c) Israel’s Premia Spine offers a unique treatment to those suffering from spinal degeneration. Its artificial titanium joint replaces the posterior spinal column totally. No more pain, full mobility and none of the problems that alternative spinal fusion treatments cause.

Current medication for breast cancer targets receptors in the tumors. But one in six tumors have no receptors and are difficult to treat. Now, a team of 11 Weizmann scientists has found a combination of two antibodies that mount a pincer attack on these tumors, causing them to collapse and die.

Imagine a microscopic device injected into your body that searches for genetic malfunctions in your cells. If it finds any, it emits a green light to highlight the diagnosis. Weizmann Institute scientists have developed such a device – and are now working on upgrading it to destroy the cancerous cells.

Bar-Ilan University’s Psychology Professor Ruth Feldman found couples that stay together have higher levels of oxytocin in their blood when they first pair up than couples that ultimately break up. Prof Feldman spent years studying the hormone’s role in the mother–child bond.

Weizmann Institute graduate Prof Jonathan Kipnis has discovered that the T-cells that fight infections also govern intelligence. Mice without T-Cells cannot perform simple tests, but perform normally when their T-Cells are restored. Kipnis got the idea from his Weizmann advisor.

Scientists at Israel’s Weizmann Institute have discovered a pseudo-education system in the colon. Newly arrived monocytes are taught how to maintain a healthy balance in the gut by resident immune cells. But if you get an infection or eat the wrong food, the new pupils run wild!

A team including researchers from Israel’s Technion has developed an innovative technique that they believe will cure deformities and blindness caused by ectodermal dysplasia, which affects seven out of every 10,000 babies born in the world. Via in-vitro experiments, damaged cells caused by mutant p63 genes can be greatly improved using a chemical substance called PRIMA-APR246.

Israel’s Gamida Cell Ltd. reported success in the Phase III clinical trial of its StemEx treatment for leukemia and lymphoma. Compared to a control group, far more patients receiving StemEx survived 100 days or more following transplantation.

The Israeli innovations featured at the US road shows included Archmedical’s tissue sampler, BiFlow’s Nitino stent, Medasense’s pain monitor and Moebius’s injectable solution for osteo-arthritis.