Israeli biotech Redhill is testing another pipeline medicine against COVID-19; Technion scientists have developed Liquid Foam Therapy (LIFT); Israel’s Hospitech produces the AnapnoGuard, and much more!
by: Michael Ordman
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Another potential coronavirus treatment
Israeli biotech Redhill has announced that another of its pipeline medicines RHB-107 (upamostat) is to be tested by the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) against SARS-CoV2, the virus that causes COVID-19. (Redhill’s Opaganib is already saving lives.)
https://www.redhillbio.com/RedHill/Templates/showpage.asp?DBID=1&LNGID=1&TMID=178&FID=2432&PID=0&IID=15260
Giving coronavirus patients a LIFT
Scientists from Israel’s Technion Institute have developed Liquid Foam Therapy (LIFT). It improves the distribution across the lungs of surfactant, the liquid that coats the surface of alveoli in the lungs,. COVID-19 kills the cells that secrete surfactant, making it harder to breathe.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3807833,00.html
Protecting intubated patients
Israel’s Hospitech produces the AnapnoGuard (reported here previously) which seals the trachea of intubated patients and protects them against Ventilator Associated Pneumonia. It was in use in China before the coronavirus outbreak and is now in use in 5 Israeli hospitals.
https://www.jpost.com/HEALTH-SCIENCE/Israeli-startup-protects-coronavirus-intubate-patients-from-complications-624552
US patent for coronavirus vaccine
Tel Aviv University Professor Jonathan Gershoni has been granted a US patent for technology to develop a vaccine for COVID-19. The vaccine targets the coronavirus’s Achilles’ heel, its Receptor Binding Motif (RBM), which the virus uses to bind to and infect a target cell.
https://english.tau.ac.il/news/covid19-Jonathan-Gershoni
https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-grants-israeli-prof-patent-for-tech-that-could-see-virus-vaccine-in-months/
Recovered from Covid-19
A 45-year-old coronavirus patient at Jerusalem’s Wolfson hospital woke up from a 29-day coma. A 22-year-old regained consciousness after a three-week coma. A 94-year-old Jerusalem woman has recovered from Covid-19. And Eli Beer, CEO of United Hatzalah returned home to Israel after his recovery.
https://worldisraelnews.com/45-year-old-israeli-wakes-up-from-coronavirus-coma/
https://www.jewishpress.com/news/us-news/florida/eli-beer-recovered-from-coronavirus-coming-back-to-israel/2020/04/21/
Successful caesarian birth
A seriously ill corona patient, 32-week’s pregnant and on ventilation, gave birth to a healthy 5.2lb baby via cesarean section in the isolation ward at Ziv Medical Center in Tzfat (Safed).
https://worldisraelnews.com/watch-israeli-hospital-drama-as-corona-patient-gives-birth-via-cesarean/
The first new antibiotic in 3 decades
Israel’s Regina Barzilay co-led an MIT team that used artificial intelligence to discover Halicin – the first entirely new antibiotic molecule in 30 years. It kills two of the most dangerous and durable bacteria which (unlike with other antibiotics) were unable to develop resistance to it.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3808712,00.html
The meaning of life
As the cell’s protein factory, the ribosome is the only natural machine that manufactures its own parts and is key to explaining how life develops. Researchers at Israel’s Weizmann Institute are now able to demonstrate the self-synthesis and assembly of the small subunit of a ribosome on a surface of a chip.
https://wis-wander.weizmann.ac.il/life-sciences/self-synthesizing-ribosome
https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/16/eaaz6020/
National breastmilk bank saves preemie
A premature infant at Haifa’s Carmel Medical Center became the first baby to receive donated milk from Magen David Adom’s new national milk bank. The baby was unable to digest formula milk and his mother was unable to nurse him. The baby is now doing well and gaining weight.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/278984
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