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MRI-focused ultrasound brain treatment from Israel’s Insightec is used at Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center to cure patients of tremor; more good news for Parkinson’s treatment; human airbags protect elderly from falls, and much more.

ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS

Patient hypnotized to overcome fear of MRI

The MRI-focused ultrasound brain treatment from Israel’s Insightec is used at Haifa’s Rambam Medical Center to cure patients of tremors. One of the patients was afraid of being enclosed in the MRI machine. He underwent hypnosis therapy, had the treatment and now he’s cured!
http://www.jpost.com/Business-and-Innovation/Health-and-Science/Hypnosis-helps-beat-MRI-fear-483102

More good news for Parkinson’s treatment

Israel’s NeuroDerm has released positive preliminary results for the final Phase II trial of its ND0612H treatment on 38 patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease.  NeuroDerm will now proceed with Phase III trials on 240 patients prior to requesting CE (European) Certification.
http://ir.neuroderm.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=253749&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=2250523

Two awards for NovellusDx

Israel’s NovellusDx (see Jun 2016) has received a $900,000 BIRD Foundation award to identify and design personalized cancer therapies for the Delaware-based Gene Editing Institute. NovellusDx also won 1st prize in the international Quality Innovation Award competition.
http://www.phillyisraelchamber.com/bird-u-s-israel-binational-industrial-rd-foundation-invest-900000-novellusdx-christiana-care-gene-editing-institute-collaboration/ http://www.novellusdx.com/news/novellusdx-receives-1st-prize-in-the-international-quality-innovation-award-competition/

Protecting surgeons from radiation

Israel’s RadiAction has developed an innovative shielding device to protect surgeons from radiation. Its technology will help increase in the number of image guided procedures performed annually. RadiAction has just raised $5.7 million of funding.
http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-radiation-shielding-co-radiaction-medical-raises-57m-1001179860
https://www.youtube.com/embed/AMCrLR5rrV4?rel=0  http://radiactionmedical.com/

New treatment for ALS

Israel’s NeuroSense Therapeutics is developing a treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. It is based on a discovery by Weizmann Institute Professor Eran Hornstein of a micro-RNA molecule lacking in the muscles of ALS patients.
http://www.globes.co.il/en/article-neurosense-to-develop-als-treatment-1001180069

Israeli roots of leukemia treatment

I reported previously (Sep 26) that Israel’s Teva had launched a generic version of the cancer treatment Gleevec (imatinib mesylate). What I didn’t realize that Gleevec itself had Israeli origins, being based on work by Weizmann researcher Eli Canaani.  In 2003 Gleevec saved the life of Jewish hockey player and leukemia sufferer Sam Field.  http://www.jta.org/2017/03/08/arts-entertainment/miracle-drug-with-israeli-roots-saves-jewish-hockey-player-hit-with-cancer

Human airbags protect elderly from falls

Every year nearly 3 million seniors suffer life-changing hip fractures from falls. Israel’s Hip-Hope is a smart waist-belt that senses an impending collision with a ground surface and deploys two large airbags instantly from each side of the belt to cushion the hips.
https://www.israel21c.org/hip-hope-cushions-falls-to-prevent-fractures-in-elderly/
https://www.youtube.com/embed/62JO0mfpZzE?rel=0

 

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