Aiming for Near-Normal Blood Sugar Did Not Delay Combined Risk of Diabetic Damage for People With Long-standing Diabetes, NIH-Sponsored Trial Finds

In people with longstanding type 2 diabetes who are at high risk for heart attack and stroke, lowering blood sugar to near-normal levels did not delay the combined risk of diabetic damage to kidneys, eyes, or nerves, but did delay several other signs of diabetic damage, a study has found.  The intensive glucose treatment was compared with standard glucose control. These findings are from the NIH-funded Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) trial.  Although intensive t...

Long-Awaited Bilski Decision Expected Soon

by GERSON PANITCH, FINNEGAN   June 14, 2010 Patent professionals and U.S. Supreme Court watchers alike on high alert as a Bilski decision is expected before the Court’s 2009 term comes to an end this month.  Perhaps no case is more anticipated than the decision in Bilski v. Doll, especially for those in high-tech fields such as telecom, software, and professional services.  Over a year has passed since the Supreme Court agreed to hear Bilski’s appeal (June 1, 2009), and more than seven ...

BioMed 2010: Merck-Serono reaches out to collaborate with Israeli companies and entrepreneurs

BioMed 2010: Merck-Serono reaches out to collaborate with Israeli companies and entrepreneurs This is done through Inter-lab is the company's R&D center in Israel • Inter-Lab CEO, Regine Shevach: "The Israeli science has a special zest to it, one which we are thrilled to encounter time and time again; Together with Merck Serono, this special zest can create the next blockbuster drug…" Merck Serono, the largest biotechnology company in Europe, is calling on Israeli entrepreneurs and comp...

ILSI-BioMed 2010 Has Begun!

This morning the ILSI-BioMed Week 2010 has finally been launched, with 7,000 anticipated participants that will take part in lectures and meetings with the experts and seniors of the bio-pharma and medical equipment industry in Israel and abroad. Following the opening words of the event's organizers, ILSI and Kenes, the president of Israel Shimon Peres came up to the stage and surveyed the future of Israel, which will be based on advanced technologies and serve as an example to the entire...

A French Delegation in the Negev

A French delegation has visited today (Sunday, 13.6.2010) at Ben-Gurion University, as the guest of Bio-Negev, the international center for innovation in the biotechnology industry and life sciences in the Negev. The purpose of the visit is to examine potential collaboration between the visitors and the new initiative in the Negev, BGU being one of the partners in the project. Prof. Rivka Carmi, president of the university, places a great amount of value in the initiative, which can be direct...

BioMed 2010 week Innovations: The New Generation of PainShield

NanoVibronix will present the second generation of PainShield – for the treatment of pain and chronic wounds using ultrasound waves Following the commercial success of the first generation PainShield device, for the treatment of (surprise, surprise) pain, especially one that stems from Trigeminal Neualgia, the Israeli company NanoVibronix now reveals the second generation of the device. This time, it has some extra capabilities to treat chronic wounds. NanoVibronix, based in Nesher, is develo...

Israel’s Life Sciences Export On the Rise

The Coming ILSI–Biomed Israel 2010 Week: The Israel Export and International Cooperation Institute: Life Sciences Export Rose by 14% on the First Quarter of 2010, Summing up to the Total of ca. $1.7 Billion “The first 2010 quarter export of the life sciences industry summed up to ca. $1.7 billion, an increase of about 14 percent compared to the same period last year. This increase is derived from a 15.4 percent increase in the export of medications, which has summed up to ca. $1.3 Billion...

Stem Cells as Seek-and-Destory Missiles against Cancer

As published in New Scientist, stem cells were succesfully modified to act as seek-and-destroy missiles against cancer in mice brains Stem cells are often viewed as the ultimate solution for regenerative medicine, and for a good cause. Given the correct cues, they can regenerate whole parts of the body, and even re-create an entire embryo (although that would require QUITE some understanding of the cues involved in the process). It seems, however, that now a new use has been found for the...

A Novel Israeli Kit for Regaining Feeling in the Palms

Sheba Hospital will expose a Israeli kit for sensory training, that improves the brain activity for patients who suffer from a decrease in feeling in the palms The Department for Multiple Sclerosis in Sheba Hopsital will present for the first time a novel kit for sensory training, that improves patients' brain activity. The kit will be presented in the BioMed Israel Week 2010, which will be held on July 14th-16th in Tel Aviv. The kit is based on cylinders that come in varied textures, an...

Researchers from RAMBAM Hospital Fight Parkinson’s Disease with Imagination

A new research from RAMBAM hospital shows that Guided Affective Imagery (דמיון מודרך) can make the tremors of Parkinson's disease go away. The relationship between the mind and the body has never been fully determined. Worse, the field is wide open for charlatans, holistic healers, homeopaths, naturopaths and what-have-you. However, from time to time we get some ‘real’ peer-reviewed scientific papers that offer new insights on the mind-body link. Such a paper was recently published in the...