Little Israel makes a Big Impression
Israel’s enemies like to conceal the fact
that the Jewish State is one of the smallest of nations - dwarfed by its
massive Arab neighbors. Israel’s tiny
geographic size contrasts with the immense benefit it brings to the world. And
from recent news articles it is noticeable that many of Israel’s greatest and
potential successes started very small indeed.
Israel’s Kadimastem has been having much
success with its revolutionary technology that uses microscopic stem cells to protect
or repair brain function. Pharmaceutical giant Merck is to work with
Kadimastem to conduct screening for new treatments into Multiple Sclerosis and
other neuro-degenerative diseases. Another Israeli biotech, BrainStorm, has
just built a bioreactor to multiply stem cells for advancing its treatment of ALS. Still at the cellular level, Israel’s
Macrocure is launching on NASDAQ to finance its CureXcell white blood cell
therapy to treat hard-to-heal
and chronic wounds.
Israel’s Hil Applied Medical has recently
been granted a patent in Japan for its focused radiation cancer therapy. Hil’s
lasers destroy tumors using a
beam of protons – some of the smallest matter in the universe. The Ebola virus may also be invisible to the
naked eye, but it is causing havoc and panic across Africa. Israeli biotech Protalix has offered
its facilities to produce the experimental vaccine ZMapp that has been
having some success in treating Ebola victims.
Separately, Israeli doctors are giving Cameroon medics training
on how to fight the virus and Israeli biochemists are working hard to develop
another vaccine. Meanwhile
Jerusalem-based Argaman Technologies employs high-powered ultrasound to
impregnate textiles with accelerated Copper Oxide in order to prevent
the spread of bacteria and viruses such as Ebola.
Israel is a small country but certainly
punches well above its weight on medical matters. The exclusive International Society of Orthopedic Centers (ISOC)
has expanded its membership to include just
one hospital in the Middle East:
Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Center.
ISOC members must perform a minimum of 5,000 orthopedic surgeries each
year. Then there is the example of the
European Society of Anesthesiology (ESA), which has over 18,000 members in 40
countries. It has just elected Israel’s
Dr Zev Goldik as its
new President.
Jewish ethical teachings state that saving
the life of one person is like saving an entire world. Israeli doctors apply this ethos equally to
Jews and to non-Jews.
During the past few weeks this included a unique kidney transplant to
save a 14-year-old
Gaza boy with obstructed blood vessels; operating
on a blind 12-year-old
Syrian boy brought to Israel on a donkey by his brother; delivering the
baby
of a Syrian woman fleeing from Quneitra (the seventh Syrian baby born
at Ziv medical center in Safed); treating the 366th Syrian civil war casualty
brought into Ziv (a 47-year-old
Syrian woman who had lost limbs) and heart surgery for a sick
Yazidi child from Northern Iraq.
No wonder Israeli Arabs say that Israel is the safest
place for an Arab in the Middle East.
Israel is one of the world’s leading
countries in the field of nanotechnology – building products and materials at
the molecular level. Scientists at the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem are researching colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals
- tiny synthetic particles containing metal impurities that don’t exist in
nature but could have exciting implications for electronics, solar power and
medicine. On a slightly larger scale,
Israel’s OriginGPS has developed the world’s
smallest GPS chip. Named “The
Micro Hornet GPS” it is only 10x10x5.8mm and weighs merely 2.5 grams. It has the capability to be incorporated in
clothing, automobiles and any valuable item that requires its location to be
tracked. Staying with microelectronics,
Israeli-Arab start-up SolidRun has developed the first scalable computer that
is no bigger than
a credit card.
Finally, here’s
something for all those shortsighted media professionals who find it so
difficult to see the huge benefits that Israel brings to the world. Israeli start-up LOOK has developed a device
for finding
misplaced spectacles. A tiny attachment to the spectacles
connects wirelessly via an app to any mobile device.
Of course, there is a much simpler way for
these people to see tiny Israel more clearly.
They just need to try opening their
eyes.
Michael Ordman writes a free weekly
newsletter containing positive news stories about Israel.
For a free subscription, email a request to
michael.goodnewsisrael@gmail.com
