Israel Active

Israeli inventor Yossi Gross founded Vascular Dynamics in 2008. Its stent is implanted by a non-invasive procedure into the cerebral arteries and increases blood-flow to the brain. Vascular Dynamics has just raised $13.2 million to help take the stent through human clinical trials.

The University of Haifa has developed a virtual reality (VR) therapy combined with cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to treat the fear of flying (aviophobia) and many other psychological conditions. Psychology Prof. Marilyn Safir and Dr. Helene Wallach developed the technique, which already shows an impressive success rate.

(Thanks to Yoeli) A delegation of Nigerian doctors from the University Teaching Hospitals of Abuja, Jos, and Maiduguri, is in Tel Aviv for a 2-week training course. The course focuses on emergency medical preparedness and response; mass casualty incident management; trauma care and disaster management.

26 Palestinian Arabs were evacuated to Israeli hospitals following a bus accident South of Ramallah. Raida Elian is typical – she suffered severe burns and is being treated in Tel Aviv’s Sourasky (Ichilov) Hospital. Raida thanked the Israelis for their treatment and for saving her life.

Doctors from Israel’s “Eye from Zion” organisation removed a large tumour from the eye of a 10-year-old Kavda Imsak,thereby saving her life. Israel’s MASHAV and the Jewish Joint organisations paid for Kavda to be brought to Israel and surgeons worked free of charge.

Scientists from Bar Ilan University, Hadassah University and Hebrew University have discovered that the SIRT6 gene controls the aging process in mammals. Activators such as resveratrol (found in red wine) increase SIRT6 levels and could extend the human life span.

The Weizmann Institute of Science and Tel Aviv University, have been chosen as Core Centres of the Integrated Structural Biology Infrastructure (Instruct), supporting European biomedical research. Instruct’s aim is to allow Europe to maintain a competitive edge in cellular structural biology.

Dr. Ehud Lamm of Tel Aviv University is at the front line of research into how the genome affects the way our genes change and develop. And below, the first article in TAU’s latest magazine shows that the university is at the centre of the race to develop solutions to rare genetic diseases.

Yissum, the research and development company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, had signed a licensing agreement with a UK company, for the commercialisation of kits that enables immediate detection of drug-resistant infections.

Scientists at Israel’s Technion have developed tiny containers made of natural materials that can protect the drug inside until it is broken down inside the intestines. The drug can then target more precisely the required location of cancers, inflammation and other gastro problems.