Wounded IDF soldier Netanel Felber has come a long way thanks to brain rehab, Israel’s illumigyn is improving women’s healthcare in the Gulf, and much more!
By Michael Ordman
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Brain rehab helps wounded IDF soldier
In 2018, 24-year-old Netanel was shot in the head by a terrorist. Minimally conscious for several months, he is now making slow but steady recovery progress, against all odds, at Sheba Medical Center’s Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit.
https://www.jns.org/wounded-idf-soldier-makes-strides-at-sheba-brain-rehab-unit/
Saving women’s lives in the Gulf
Israel’s illumigyn has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Dubai-based company DHI 2048 to deploy 2,500 units of its Gynescope cloud platform service. It will boost the availability of imaging and examination to improve women’s healthcare in the region.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3916633,00.html
Algae to treat IBD
Israel’s Yemoja and Israel’s MIGAL Galilee Research Institute are leading a 4-year research initiative to find algae-sourced compounds to help Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) sufferers. The 21-member Algae4IBD consortium has received a €7.5 million EU Horizon 2020 award.
https://www.prnewswire.com/il/news-releases/yemoja-joins-migal-institute-to-pioneer-major-study-of-microalgae-for-inflammatory-bowel-disease-301365044.html
Coronavirus latest
Some 2.3 million Israelis have now had a coronavirus booster. It is 95% effective against infection and available to all Israelis vaccinated over 5 months ago. Serious case numbers have declined and are nearly negligible in those who have been triple-vaccinated. Some 2.5 million children have returned to school.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-08-30/covid-19-boosters-work-at-curbing-severe-cases-israel-data-show
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/312641
https://datadashboard.health.gov.il/COVID-19/general
Israeli vaccine Phase 2 trials commence
Israel’s Institute for Biological Research IIBR has stated that it has delivered 1,000 doses of its BriLife coronavirus vaccine to Georgia for starting Phase 2 trials. IIBR’s partner, NRx, will lead the trials, expand patient numbers and prepare for Phase 3.
https://nocamels.com/2021/08/israel-covid-19-vaccine-phase-ii-trial-georgia/
Protection against Delta variant
A pre-clinical trial of opaganib from Israel’s Redhill shows that its strong antiviral and anti-inflammatory activities can inhibit any variant of the SARS-Cov-2 virus. Opaganib targets SK2 – a key enzyme used by the virus to replicate, irrespective of spike protein mutations.
https://www.redhillbio.com/RedHill/Templates/showpage.asp?DBID=1&LNGID=1&TMID=178&FID=4457&PID=0&IID=21354
Covid trial of cholesterol treatment
Scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem successfully trialed TriCor (fenofibrate see here previously) on 15 severely ill Covid patients. 14 were weaned off their ventilators within a week. TriCor targets inflammation-producing lipids produced by the coronavirus.
https://www.ynetnews.com/health_science/article/sjjmdjb11f
Better cancer detection
In a study of over 9,000 patients, Tel Aviv University researchers used previously ignored “silent mutations” analysis techniques to increase the chances of detecting cancer early. They proved that the huge volume of genomic and gene expression data available can help extend survival times and save lives.
https://tau.zimininstitutes.org/projects/automatically-deciphering-silent-cancerous-mutations/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41525-021-00229-1
Gastric cancer diagnostics in Israel
Israel’s Ibex Medical has launched its new Galen Gastric system, to detect gastrointestinal cancer, at Israel’s Maccabi HMO (Health Management organization). Maccabi is the world’s only health system to use AI for multi-tissue detection (breast, prostate and gastric).
https://nocamels.com/2021/08/ibex-ai-gastrointestinal-cancer-maccabi/
An affordable US virtual health company
Israel’s Antidote Health is bringing a virtual Kupat Holim (health fund) to the US for the benefit of uninsured and under-insured Americans. Using a digital service and AI, Antidote Health says it can cut the costs of the service to about a tenth of what Americans pay now.
https://www.jpost.com/jpost-tech/israeli-startup-looks-to-disrupt-us-healthcare-with-kupat-holim-model-677574
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3916071,00.html
https://www.antidotehealth.ai/
The best birthday gift
United Hatzalah EMT Gal was just in time when he used his own son’s EpiPen to save the life of a 5-year-old boy who suffered an anaphylactic reaction in Netanya. It was the birthday of the boy’s mother and she said that the life of her son was the best birthday present she had ever received.
https://israelrescue.org/blog/the-best-birthday-gift-her-sons-life/
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