As Michael Ordman reminds us in this week’s dazzling list of Israel’s contributions to medicine, technology, agriculture, and water technology to name only a handful, Tel Aviv is also ranked as the happiest city in the world due to “Rich cultural heritage, kind people, and abundance of food, shopping, and learning” “as well as “a global hot spot for spring break and vacationing as a whole.”(https://www.thetravel.com/happiest-cities-in-the-world/#tel-aviv-israel)
All this from a post-colonial Jewish nation which is the size of New Jersey, Lake Michigan, Wales, or Kruger National Park, and the eighth smallest nation in Asia with a high standard of living and one of the world’s most educated work forces.
Read it all. rsk
www.verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
4,000+ spine operations. The xvision Augmented Reality Spine System from Israel’s Augmedics (see here previously) has now been used to treat over 4,000 patients and implant more than 20,000 pedicle screws across 21 U.S. states. It consistently demonstrates 97-100% accuracy across multiple patient studies.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/bjfbm8fu3 https://augmedics.com/
Hope for children with epilepsy. Researchers at Tel Aviv University and elsewhere have developed therapy in the laboratory to treat Dravet syndrome – a life-threatening form of epilepsy in children caused by a mutation in the SCN1A gene. The scientists used a harmless virus containing normal SCNIA genes to “infect” the brain.
https://www.aftau.org/news_item/tau-discovery-may-help-children-suffering-from-dravet-syndrome/
https://www.jci.org/articles/view/159316
Converting skin cells into placenta cells. Scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have converted human skin cells into functional human placenta cells. The breakthrough can help cure pregnancy-related diseases and infertility issues by generating placenta cells that won’t be rejected as foreign tissue.
https://www.jns.org/colleges-universities/hebrew-university-of-jerusalem/23/6/21/297061/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-39104-1
When women should take their meds. Israel’s Levana.ai is an AI-based solution that personalizes women’s prescriptions based on their cycle. It’s a platform for women who are taking long-term medication and provides doctors with recommendations regarding when and how much medication to prescribe to their patients.
https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/s1iydoovh https://levana.ai/
Brain block may cure addicts. (TY Nevet) Hebrew University of Jerusalem researchers have identified in the laboratory that the claustrum area of the brain is vital to preventing addiction to certain medications. Existing remedies could help susceptible individuals increase their resistance and self-control.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-discovery-could-help-brain-block-urge-for-highly-addictive-fentanyl/
https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(23)00737-6
All fingers and thumbs. Arab Israeli Dr. Firas Mawase is head of the Neurorehabilitation and Sensorimotor Neuroscience Laboratory at Israel’s Technion. He is investigating rehabilitating the dexterity of brain-damaged patients (e.g., from a stroke), using engineering and computational tools and functional imaging of the brain.
https://www.technion.ac.il/en/2023/05/all-fingers-and-thumbs/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0H0uATaJPA
US approval for safe epidural device. The EpiFinder device from Israel’s Omeq Medical (see here previously) has just received US FDA approval. A limited US launch is planned for early 2024.
https://www.israel21c.org/smart-device-aims-to-improve-safety-of-epidurals/
Partnership with UAE healthcare system. Israel’s Sheba Medical Center has partnered UAE’s PureHealth, the largest integrated healthcare platform in the Middle East. The two will conduct joint research, promote advanced technology in healthcare, collaborate on staff training, and boost bi-lateral health tourism.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/sheba-medical-center-enters-partnership-with-largest-uae-healthcare-system/
Technion and Toronto medical AI partnership. Israel’s Technion Institute and the University of Toronto Artificial Intelligence Centers have partnered to develop AI solutions in the field of medicine. The first workshop took place in Ein Gedi in May. https://www.technion.ac.il/en/2023/05/changing-medicine-with-ai/
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/tech-and-start-ups/article-742749
Quick-thinking saves mother and baby. Rachel, a nurse midwife attending a mother in labor at Ziv Medical Center in Safed, noticed that the baby’s head was moving in the wrong direction. She rushed them to ER, where doctors diagnosed a complete rupture of the uterus, delivered baby, and later reconstructed the mother’s womb.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/quick-thinking-israeli-midwife-saves-mother-and-baby/
Research training for doctors. The Israel Science Foundation has launched Israel’s MAVRI initiative (Hebrew for “one who heals”). The ISF will award grants totaling $100 million over five years, to create a select team of Medical PhDs who will conduct clinical research that will ultimately benefit patients.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-science-foundation-announces-new-program-to-support-physician-
