·
Israel’s Sonovia is to donate 120,000 of its
new virus protection masks.
·
Israel
helps Palestinian Authority fight the coronavirus.
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Israel’s
Teva donates coronavirus treatment to US hospitals.
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An Israeli
Professor has won the “Nobel Prize” for Mathematics.
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An Israeli
security testing company exits for $1.15 billion.
·
Israel’s
museums, orchestra and cyclists have gone online.
·
Israel’s
bone marrow database registered its millionth donor.
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ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Virus
protection masks. (TY UWI) Israel’s
Sonovia (see here) is now
in full production of its face masks that protect the wearer from the
coronavirus. Sonovia will donate the first 120,000 of the new masks to the
Israeli government, for use by medical workers, patients and key employees.
More will be donated to other countries.
https://tps.co.il/articles/we-know-that-we-can-kill-the-coronavirus-israeli-company-donates-120000-cutting-edge-protective-masks-to-govt/ https://www.jpost.com/HEALTH-SCIENCE/Israeli-start-up-to-donate-120000-masks-to-stop-coronavirus-spread-621077
Treatment saves coronavirus
patient. The Israel-Arab bus driver, who was
critically ill from the coronavirus, is out of danger. He caught the virus from
a group of Greek tourists and was treated with anti-viral medications. Chloroquine,
Remdesivir and several experimental medications (see link) are being used in severe
cases.
Stem cell treatment may
relieve coronavirus symptoms. Israel’s Pluristem
Therapeutics’s placenta-based cell therapy (see here) could be used to treat patients suffering from respiratory and inflammatory
complications associated with coronavirus. Pluristem has launched a joint project
with two Berlin-based medical institutions.
https://www.jpost.com/HEALTH-SCIENCE/Israeli-cell-therapy-to-treat-acute-COVID-19-patients-prevent-ARDS-621016 https://unitedwithisrael.org/novel-israeli-therapy-takes-aim-at-coronavirus/
30-minute coronavirus testing
kit. Israel’s BATM has developed a diagnostics kit
to detect coronavirus from saliva samples in less than half an hour. The kit
already detects SARS and MERS virus infections. BATM is now busy commercializing
the kit for large-scale production.
Double boost for potential
ALS treatment. (TY Atid-EDI) The US
FDA has given Orphan drug status to the PrimeC ALS therapy from Israel’s
NeuroSense (see here). Meanwhile,
NeuroSense has begun Phase 1 human clinical trials of PrimeC at two US sites
and a Phase 2a human trial at Tel Aviv’s Sourasky Medical Center.
Trial success for
diabetes pill. (TY YL & UWI) Israel’s
Oramed announced good results of its Phase 2b trials of ORMD-0801 treatment for
Type 2 diabetes. Oramed will now discuss its Phase 3 plans with the US FDA.
Breakthrough designation for
corneal implant. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s
EyeYon Medical (see here) has
been awarded Breakthrough Device designation for its EndoArt polymer film
implant, attached to the posterior corneal surface, to treat chronic corneal
edema. EndoArt has been successful in early human clinical trials.
Only take the vitamins
you need. Israeli app Nutricco monitors a person’s nutrient
intake, provides dietary advice and delivers missing vitamins to your home. It
is intended for those who currently waste money and risk their health by taking
unnecessary supplements.
Smells to boost memory
while you sleep. Scientists from Tel Aviv
University and Israel’s Weizmann Institute have demonstrated that administering
certain scents during sleep bolsters memory processes in the brain. The study tested
memory recall after using rose scent while memorizing words and then during a
short nap.
EU approval for blood
pressure wristband monitor. (TY Atid-EDI) In
Sep 2019 Israel’s Biobeat received FDA approval for its medical smartwatch and
patch (see here). It
has now also received CE Mark approval. The smartwatch measures blood pressure,
cardiac output, stroke volume, blood oxygenation and heart rate.
A surgical sewing-machine. Israel’s Anchora Medical develops single-use suturing devices used
to bring soft tissue into the desired placement during open and minimally
invasive surgeries. Anchora has just raised $4.5 million in a funding round led
by Japan’s Hoya Corporation.
Building an imaging
system for prostate cancer. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s
Isotopia Molecular Imaging has entered into a development partnership with Germany’s
Eckert & Ziegler for the development of its PSMA-11-Kit for prostate cancer
imaging. Isotopia’s team includes some of Israel’s leading scientists.
https://isotopia.co.il/isotopia-molecular-imaging-and-eckert-ziegler-to-start-partnership-for-prostate-cancer-imaging/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5yhCGBqsiA
Predicting success of
cancer treatments. Israeli scientists are frequently
finding new ways of personalizing cancer treatments. Some are based on genetics
(see here) or
proteins expressed by the body (see here). Now Weizmann
Institute researchers are devising a system to predict how patients will
respond to immunotherapy.
Unlocking more medical
data. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s
MDClone (see here) organizes
patient data to help medical research in Israel and in the US. It has now expanded to Canada with The Ottawa
Hospital – one of Canada’s largest hospitals. MDClone’s technology can potentially
benefit thousands of Canadians.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND
GLOBAL
Paralympic medalist
builds wheelchairs for athletes. Doron Shaziri lost
his leg during action in the IDF. He then took up wheelchair basketball and Paralympic
shooting, for which he won several medals. His experience led him to design
wheelchairs for sports such as basketball, tennis, badminton, rugby and even
dancing.
Blind and deaf Israeli makes
world-class wine. Yossi Samuels has launched YOSSI
wine in partnership with Herodion Winery - the first Israeli wine made by a
blind and deaf person. It also includes a Braille label. Yossi has heightened
senses of smell and taste. He studied wine in Israel and France until he became
a sommelier.
Israel’s first female Muslim
police lieutenant. Sabreen Saadi is about to become
the first hijab-wearing Muslim woman to attain the rank of lieutenant in the
Israel Police. Saadi is from a traditional Muslim family in a Bedouin town in
northern Israel. There are currently 55 Arab women in the Israel Police.
Israel
helps PA prevent coronavirus. Israeli authorities have
delivered hundreds of coronavirus testing kits to the Palestinian Authority and
to the Gaza strip, plus tons of disinfectant material. In addition, professional
teams of Israelis and Palestinian Arabs have been working together to prevent
the spread of the virus.
https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Israel-delivers-disinfectant-to-West-Bank-amid-coronavirus-outbreak-620574 https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/15739/israel-palestinians-coronavirus
Protecting USAF pilots. The US Air Force has just awarded Israel’s Elbit a $471 million
10-year contract. Elbit will provide a system to warn USAF pilots if an
infrared missile has been launched at their aircraft, so that the pilot can engage
in evasive maneuvers. The system is already used by the Israeli Air Force.
How to grow crops in the
desert. Tel Aviv University’s Nitsan Sustainable
Development Lab helps farmers in rural Asia and Africa grow crops in arid conditions.
Israeli ag-tech enables farmers to use water and fertilizer more efficiently,
grow crops resistant to disease and drought, and harness data to increase yields
and quality.
Sudan authorizes Israeli
flights over its territory. Sudan has authorized overflights
to and from Israel for the first time. So, when flights resume, once the
coronavirus is defeated, air travelers between Israel and South America will
enjoy shorter duration flights than previously.
Israel attends anti-terrorism
conference in Morocco. An unnamed Israeli official attended
the “Warsaw Process Counterterrorism and Illicit Finance” working group in
Marrakech, Morocco. Though the countries have no formal relations, Morocco has
hosted Israeli leaders, and many other Israelis have visited there.
Coronavirus
treatment for the US. Israel’s Teva manufactures hydroxychloroquine
sulfate, the less toxic version of chloroquine, which alleviates some of the coronavirus’
symptoms. Teva is donating six million tablets of the treatment to help U.S.
hospitals meet an expected surge in demand.
Italian professor praises
Israel’s coronavirus preparations. Massimo Galli is
Professor of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences at Milan University and Director
of infectious diseases at the Luigi Sacco hospital in Milan. On Italian TV he
praised Israel as being the only country prepared for this huge (coronavirus) problem.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
World’s
top prize for Mathematics. Israel’s Hillel
Furstenberg is being awarded a share of the Abel Prize and 7.5 million
Norwegian Kroners “, for pioneering the use of methods from probability and
dynamics in group theory, number theory and combinatorics.” The Abel is the
Mathematics equivalent of the Nobel Prize.
How to use your appliance. Many state-of-the-art appliances can be connected to the Internet
and controlled from a smartphone app. But setting these up can be complicated. Those
manufacturers that have partnered with Israel’s Co-pilot are now able to use the
service to detect your problem and guide you through the process.
https://www.israel21c.org/if-your-gadget-has-you-stumped-copilot-will-guide-you/ https://www.copilot.cx/
Israel’s largest youth robotics
competition. (UWI) Before
the recent restrictions on large events, Israeli youth joined with teens from
the United States to compete in Israel’s largest robotics competition ever.
Stopping a criminal waste
of water. (TY Hazel) Israel’s Public Security
Ministry is installing a water control system in Israeli prisons to save hundreds of thousands of cubic feet of
water. It is to prevent prisoners deliberately leaving taps running in showers
and bathrooms. https://www.israelhayom.com/2020/02/11/new-system-will-fight-intentional-water-waste-by-palestinian-prisoners/
The future of freelance
work. Israel’s Fiverr started as a marketplace for
people selling services for five dollars (see Aug 2011). Its freelancers have since earned over $1
billion, selling their quality products and services globally - without leaving
their computers. It is even using AI to help them design company logos.
Read it to me. As reported here previously (Sep 2018) Google
Israel developed the “Go” app that reads aloud web content. The Israeli team
has now upgraded the app, now named “Read It”. New features include a human
voice and translation into 42 languages.
You can even say to your Google Assistant, “Hey Google, Read it!”.
Better air quality at home
and work. Israel’s Urecsys develops air treatment
technologies for optimizing air quality within residential and commercial
buildings. Urecsys predicts and detects pollution levels and then activates
building controls to protect workers and residents. Urecsys has just raised $4
million in funds.
TIPA is second of 500 top
Food Tech companies. (TY Hazel) Israeli compostable
flexible packaging company TIPA Corp was named in 2nd place in global network
Forward Fooding’s Food Tech 500 – “the world’s first definitive list of AgriFoodTech
talent.”
https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2020/02/17/The-FoodTech-500-The-world-s-first-definitive-list-of-AgriFoodTech-talent-unveiled http://nocamels.com/2020/03/israel-tipa-corp-foodtech-500-forward-fooding/
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Deep Instinct grows. Israeli cybersecurity startup Deep Instinct’s
success (reported here previously) continues. It has raised another $43 million to help grow its sales and
marketing team in New York, and its R&D team in Israel. There are now 10
million HP computers pre-installed with Deep Instinct’s AI security technology.
Another new IKEA store. (TY Janglo) IKEA plans to open a 6th Israeli store, at Moshav Eshtaol - north of
Beit Shemesh. The 25,000 square meter store will have 400 employees and serve
the Jerusalem region.
Israeli gelato chain launches NYC branch. Israel’s family-owned boutique
gelato chain, Anita, plans to open its first New York City branch. The
1,076-square-foot branch in 2nd Ave will offer 150 flavors ranging from dairy
to seasonal fruit-based sorbet to sugar-free and vegan varieties, served from
huge glass vitrines.
Clever acquisition. Israel’s Mellanox is in the process of being
taken over by Nvidia (reported here). But this hasn’t stopped it growing.
After record-level recent profits it has now acquired Irish network intelligence
startup Titan IC Systems. https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3798193,00.html
Checkmarx exits for $1.15 billion. Israel’s Checkmarx is to be
acquired by private equity firm Hellman & Friedman for $1.15 billion. It is
the largest-ever acquisition of an application security company. Checkmarx’s testing
finds security flaws in major technology platforms, including Google and
Samsung.
Distributing the right image. (TY Atid-EDI) Israeli mobile X-ray startup NanoX (see here) has signed an agreement with the Gateway
Group for Gateway to distribute NanoX devices across Australia, New Zealand and
Norway. It has also signed an agreement
with USARAD, to deploy 3,000 NanoX systems in the US.
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200206005855/en/Nanox-Signs-Strategic-Collaboration-Agreement-USARAD-Deployment https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3798212,00.html
Financial power for radio wave power. As reported previously (Jan 2019) Israeli startup Wiliot’s innovative sensor uses radio waves to power IoT
devices without batteries or electrical wiring. Wiliot has just raised $20 million in funds from
PepsiCo, Verizon and others.
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
Take a virtual tour of Israeli museums. (TY Janglo) Israel’s museums are going online, providing virtual guided tours
of new exhibits and fun activities for visitors of all ages. The museums
include the Israel museum, Tel Aviv Museum of Art and Ben Gurion’s Desert Home.
Israeli
Philharmonic’s live online concerts. The Israel
Philharmonic Orchestra has been live-streaming concerts “as a gesture to the
music lovers in quarantine.”.
https://worldisraelnews.com/watch-israel-philharmonic-to-livestream-concert-for-those-in-quarantine/
A
glimpse of Tel Aviv. A one-minute video to give something
of the feel of Israel’s second-largest city.
Two
NFL players train with the IDF. Washington Redskins
running back Adrian Peterson and free-agent cornerback Josh Norman trained with
Israeli soldiers at the Wingate Institute in Netanya, Israel. “It’s amazing to
get in there and train with these guys because they are at the top of their
game,” Norman told Fox News.
On-line
cycling with top cyclists. (TY Janglo) Israel’s only professional cycling team, Israel Start-Up Nation
(ISN), is leading a virtual online team ride. Fans with ‘Smart’ trainer-devices
can join Germany legend Andre Greipel, Israel’s Guy Sagiv, and Britain’s Alex
Dowsett through their phones, TVs or iPads.
THE JEWISH STATE
Another Canaanite city conquered by the
Israelites. Archeologists have unearthed the Canaanite
city of Lachish (see
here for others), that was conquered by the Israelite army, led by Joshua. “And
the Lord delivered Lachish into the hand of Israel,” (Joshua 10:32).
Caves where Jews fought the Romans. (TY Janglo)
Dr. Yinon Shivtiel, senior lecturer at Safed Academic College, has identified hundreds
of caves in the Galilee used by Jews during the Great Revolt against the Romans
almost 2,000 years ago. Described by Josephus, they contained coins, jars,
lamps and parts of arrows.
Serbia to open diplomatic mission in
Jerusalem. (TY Janglo
and Hazel) Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced at the AIPAC Policy
Conference in Washington, DC that his country plans on opening a Chamber of
Commerce economic office and a diplomatic mission in Jerusalem.
https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/diplomacy-defense/1583098533-serbia-s-vucic-announces-intention-to-open-official-state-office-in-jerusalem
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/276670
The 400th anniversary of the US-Israel
alliance. From 1620 to 2020 Americans have cemented
their ties to the Land of Israel. In the US there are 18 Jerusalems, 32 Salems
(the original Biblical name of Jerusalem) and 83 Shilohs (where the tabernacle
stood).
One million potential donors. Israeli NGO Ezer Mizion has celebrated an historic milestone of one
million registrants for its Bone Marrow database. Before the founding of the
registry in 1979 a patient had only an 8% chance of finding a match. Today it
is 76%. Israel has the highest number of registered of donors per capita.
Celebrating Life. (TY UWI)
Even a virus epidemic can’t stop an Israeli religious Jewish wedding. The Mercaz Harav Yeshiva in Jerusalem conformed
to Ministry of Health restrictions by using its balconies for the guests of the
bride and bridegroom. The video conveys some of the joy of the celebration.
