https://verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com/
The bad news:
Terrorism has again reared its ugly head in Israel, bringing grief and fear to all its citizens. Politics, as usual in a freewheeling democracy, is fractious with the biased media having a heyday in misinformation.
Is there good news? Definitely! Just read Michael Ordman’s weekly compilation of Israel’s remarkable achievements in every aspect of human endeavor to heal, give succor, and enrich the lives of billions of citizens throughout the world. rsk
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Israeli women are world’s 9th healthiest. (TY Hazel) In the 2021 Hologic Global Women’s Health Index (measured by Gallup) published this week, Israel is 9th overall and 2nd for life expectancy. The report aims to heighten awareness and guide actions that increase the life expectancy and quality of life for women globally.
https://hologic.womenshealthindex.com/sites/default/files/2022-09/Hologic_2021-Global-Women%27s-Health-Index_Full-Report.pdf
Medication to prevent antibiotic toxicity. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Israel’s Tissue Dynamics again used their “sensors on a chip” to bypass animal testing in developing a new treatment. They proved that the diabetic drug empagliflozin blocks the toxicity of aminoglycoside antibiotics in kidney disease patients.
https://en.huji.ac.il/news/breakthrough-antibiotic-safety-bionic-technology-blends-sensors-and-human-tissue
New anti-microbial compound. Scientists at Israel’s Ben Gurion University have created a new compound by combining copper with a polysaccharide derived from the marine red microalga Porphyridium sp. The long, dense spikes on the surface of the compound kills bacteria and fungus by poking holes in their membranes.
https://in.bgu.ac.il/en/pages/news/red_algae.aspx https://www.mdpi.com/1660-3397/20/12/787
A natural remedy for IBD. Israel’s Sheba Medical Center has developed CurQD – a botanical combination of Curcumin (Tumeric) and QingDai for treating Ulcerative Colitis. Phase 1 and 2 human trials were successful and a spin-off company Evinature is now marketing the product.
https://www.israel21c.org/a-natural-plant-based-treatment-for-ulcerative-colitis/ https://evinature.com/
Smart partnership to find IBD treatments. Israel’s CytoReason (see here previously) is partnering France’s Sanofi to identify novel therapies to treat Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Sanofi will pay CytoReason millions of dollars to use the Israeli startup’s computational AI-discovery disease model platform.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/sanofi-extends-cooperation-with-israels-cytoreason-for-bowel-disease-drug-discovery/
More research about healthy aging. Ben Gurion University’s Dr Debra Toiber and her international colleagues have made more discoveries about the role of the protein SIRT6 in the aging process (see here previously). They have now found that SIRT6 prevents mitochondrial disfunction that causes brain diseases.
https://in.bgu.ac.il/en/pages/news/toiber_aging.aspx https://www.nature.com/articles/s41419-022-05542-w
Treating Autism and Alzheimer’s. The American Friends of the Hebrew University is hosting an evening with the University’s Dr Haitham Amal on 31 Jan in Florida. Dr Amal will discuss the groundbreaking development of therapies for Autism and Alzheimer’s disease. https://www.afhu.org/event/towards-the-groundbreaking-development-of-therapeutic-drugs-for-autism-and-alzheimers-disease/
Solutions for today’s medical challenges. The Tel Aviv University MedTech Hackathon attracted 200 students and 120 mentors. The winner OReye utilizes cutting-edge computer vision technology for a safer operating room. Runner up was a wellness app for the early diagnosis and treatment of peripartum depression.
https://english.tau.ac.il/news/medtech_hackathon_2023
Using the mind to benefit the body. Dr. Amit Abraham of Ariel University’s Department of Physiotherapy uses Dynamic Neurocognitive Imagery (DNI) to improve the lives of amputees and Parkinson’s sufferers. DNI also improves the performance of dancers and athletes such as Israel’s Olympic rhythmic gymnastic team.
https://www.ariel.ac.il/wp/en/discovering-how-mental-imagery-boosts-physical-performance/
Gala raises $1.1 million for HU medical center. The 2023 Palm Beach Scopus Award Gala raised over a million dollars for the Hebrew University’s Center for Computational Medicine in Jerusalem. The center will develop data-driven personalized health solutions, to replace “one size fits all” medical treatment.
https://www.jns.org/wire/2023-palm-beach-scopus-award-gala-raises-over-1-million-for-the-hebrew-university-center-for-computational-medicine/
CNN features Israeli medical company, but…. How CNN can publish a detailed article featuring Israel’s Insightec without mentioning the word “Israel” is quite revealing. It describes the company as “a leading maker of focused ultrasound machines”. Here in the IsraelActive archives are the full facts about Insightec.
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/01/15/health/focused-ultrasound-tremor-depression-ocd-wellness/index.html
Largest increase to health basket. Israel has increased its health basket of Government-provided services, medications, supplies, and medical equipment by a record NIS 650 million. More than 120 new medications and treatments were added, benefiting 350,000 citizens and permanent residents.
https://www.jpost.com/health-and-wellness/article-728878