Photo credit: Ilan Levi
www.ilanlevi.com

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On the opening of the ILSI Biomed Israel 2011 week(Monday, May the 23rd, 2011), President Peres has announced the launch of a new international centre in Israel, set to conduct brain research and to promote the neuro–technology field. Registered as a non–profit association, the centre will be headed (voluntarily) by entrepreneur Dr. Rafi Gidron, one of the entrepreneurs and founders of Chromatis, which, in the year 2000, was sold to Lucent for $ 4.8 Billion, together with representatives of the Israeli life science industry, senior academists, medical doctors, the Chief Scientist and the office team of the President of the State of Israel.

In his opening speech, Mr. Peres described how in the early 1980’s, when he started to promote the research of nano–technology in Israel, people around him did not understand what he was doing and were sceptic about the idea that nano–technology could be developed in Israel. “Today, Israel is considered to be one of the most esteemed Nano centres in this arena”, said Mr. Peres, “and this is exactly the right moment to aim at the next target – a global centre that leads the development of brain research based technologies, ultimately helping millions of people around the world, victims of brain strokes, Alzheimer’s disease or even blindness and deafness.”

Being aware of the fact that many of the senior functionaries of world and Israeli industries were in the audience, President Peres took the opportunity and called them to join the new centre initiative and to contribute to its success. “This centre will have no international borders, no politics and no prejudices, and it will only be guided by and act for the benefit of the entire humanity.”

Mr. Peres noted that considering the position of Israel in relation to patents, one can feel very proud realising that the number of patents granted to Israeli companies in the field of medical instrumentation makes it the world number one in relation to the population size and positions the country in the fourth place considering the absolute number of patents. In the Bio–Pharma field, Israel holds the world second place in relation to the population size and the world eighth place in the absolute patent number. Moreover, Israel is the world number one in the number of patents granted to the life sciences industry as a percentage of the total number of patents authored by Israeli inventors.

The ILSI Week – “BioMed Israel 2011″ – celebrates this year its ten–year anniversary. During the last decade it has become an international conference event, and each year hosted the greatest (and the hottest) names of the world from the bio–technology, drug and medical instrumentation fields. The event organisers, the association of the Israel Life Science Industry – ILSI – and the Kenes company, estimate that among the thousands of expected participants, including CEOs and senior functionaries of the Bio–Pharma and medical instrumentation companies, scientists and investigators, designers of public opinion acting in the field, venture capital fund managers and private investors, there will be more than 1000 visitors from around the world who will attend the conference as well.

The ILSI Week is the annual major event of the life science industry in Israel. The event includes an international professional conference attended by the world best experts (CEOs and senior functionaries of the Bio–Pharma and medical instrumentation companies, scientists and investigators, designers of public opinion acting in the field, venture capital fund managers and private investors) from Israel and from other countries and a trade show which presents the hottest innovations. Counted to be the greatest meeting point for life science bodies held outside the United States and won an international recognition, the “ILSI – BioMed Israel 2011″ will be held between May the 23th and May the 25th in the David Intercontinental Hotel and Dan Panorama Hotel, in Tel Aviv.

Please visit the event website at: http://www2.kenes.com/biomed/pages/home.aspx.

For additional information please contact: Mr. Nahum Donitza, Ms. Einat Aharonson, Donitza Communication – +972–3–5167336
www.donitza.co.il

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The aim of the proposed NPO will be to shift the emphasis of research in Israel towards brain research through conventions, steering committees, and, most importantly, by raising money. The NPO will identify the most interesting and important subfields in brain research where Israel has the greatest comparative advantage, and raise capital to support basic and applied research in them via a range of research institutes, NPOs, and possibly young commercial companies.

Peres told “Globes”, “We intend to replicate our achievements in nanotechnology in neurotechnology, but the scale will be much greater and more impressive.”

The president’s aides said that Peres helped raise hundreds of millions of dollars for nanotechnology research, and that he could probably do the same for neurotechnology.

Gidron said that two areas would be the focus of research: the human-machine interface and therapies. At ILSI Biomed 2011, Peres and Gidron met top Israeli and foreign brain researchers, as well as Office of the Chief Scientist head of life sciences Ora Dar. They identified several important subjects for action, including early diagnostics for neurological and psychiatric disorders, support and for demonstration for academic ideas, and support for the use of advanced medical computer systems at Israel’s hospitals and health funds to collect data and conduct research on brain disorders, including depression, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease, autism, strokes, and schizophrenia.

In the coming months, the NPO will convene a steering committee to formulate a road map for operations, after which it will begin raising capital and publish calls for papers for researchers and companies.

The first fruit of this activity is the raising of $10 million for neuron computability – the translation of brain activity for the computer. The money was raised from foreign donors for a special foundation that will finance a joint research team from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Swiss Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne.

Peres said, “Israel lives on its brain. This is not a one-time thing, it is something renewed constantly and ever more powerfully. We’re now embarking on the fourth revolution. The first were the agricultural, industrial, and information revolutions, and now comes the revolution of the brain. This is a problem that Israel devotes itself to solving as quickly as possible and as strongly as possible.”

Gali Weinreb
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news – www.globes-online.com – on May 23, 2011

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10 more years!

ILSI-Biomed starts tomorrow!
Want to win an iPad2 at ILSI-Biomed? Shizim’s iPad2 lottery campaign for Biomed companies: Tell us about your company, and get a chance to win an iPad2 !

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To download the participation form: http://www.lsahome.com/competition/application_2011_iPad.doc

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Abbott Diagnostics will be attending Biomed 2011 and is interested in discussions with potential collaborators leading toward the development and commercialization of novel IA/CC biomarkers in all therapeutic areas:
o Evidence of clinical utility
o Well characterized antibody development
o Preferably, a developed ELISA format
o Workable, defendable, global IP position

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The Embassy of Italy in Tel Aviv In collaboration with Israel Italy Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Cordially invite you to attend the

FIFTH Italian Israeli Conference on Life Sciences:

“Collaboration and Innovation in Cancer Research and Treatment”

Tuesday, May 24, 2011 Dan Panorama Hotel, Tel Aviv From 09.00 to 13.00
for informations info@italia-israel.com

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10 more years!

In preparation for the closing session of the upcoming ILSI biomed conference, dealing with the issue of local management vs. international management, ILSI-Biomed is conducting a survey to assess current attitudes towards management of an Israeli start up companies.

The session will be led by Dr Dalia Megiddo.

If you could answer a few short questions, your name and company will be kept confidential.

1. Is in necessary at some point in an Israeli healthcare company’s life cycle, to recruit a CEO who is part of the US market and culture, preferably a US-born and raised CEO (as opposed to an Israeli CEO with less experience in the US market)? Yes/No Comments_____________
2. Is in necessary at some point in an Israeli healthcare life cycle, to recruit a CEO who is part of the Europe market and culture, preferably a European-born and raised CEO (as opposed to an Israeli CEO with less experience in the European market)? Yes/No Comments ________
3. If so, at what stage of the company’s life should this change be made? (R&D / Clinical trials / advanced clinical trials / sales) Comment _____________
4. What is the main contribution of an American/Europe CEO to an Israeli company? (Relationships and networking / experience in running a healthcare company / deep understanding of the US market / has no specific advantage over an Israeli CEO)
5. If you have experienced a multi-cultural management system, feel free to give you opinion on the best ways to raise the chances of such an arrangement actually benefiting the company
_____________________________________________________________

ILSI will appreciate if you respond as soon as possible to michal@ilsi.org.il or sima@ilsi.org.il

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Shlomo Yanai has been the President and Chief Executive Officer of Teva since March 2007.

Prior to joining Teva, Mr. Yanai was President and Chief Executive Officer of Makhteshim-Agan Industries Ltd. from 2003 until 2006. Previously, Mr. Yanai served in the Israel Defense Forces (the “IDF”) for 32 years, where he achieved the rank of Major General, the highest rank below Chief of Staff, and successively held two of the most senior positions: Commanding Officer of the Southern Command and Head of the Division of Strategic Planning.

Mr. Yanai was the head of the Israeli security delegation to the peace talks at Camp David, Shepherdstown and Wye River. Mr. Yanai was a board member of Bank Leumi Le-Israel Ltd. from 2004 until 2007. Mr. Yanai is a member of the Board of Governors of the Technion (Israel Institute of Technology) and of the International Advisory Board, M.B.A. Program of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, as well as an honorary member of the Board of the Institute for Policy and Strategy of the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya.

Mr. Yanai received a B.A. in political science and economics from Tel Aviv University in 1983 and an M.P.A. in national resources management from George Washington University in 1990, and graduated the Advanced Management Program of the Harvard Business School in 2000.

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Dr Megiddo has been involved in the Life Science Venture Capital Industry since 1999 and is well recognized as one of the leaders in the healthcare investment community both in Israel and internationally. She is a frequent speaker at local and international meetings and served as a board member at Given Imaging (NASDAQ-GIVN) and Elron (NASDAQ- ELRN). She is also involved in founding several successful companies such as Medingo, Chiasma and Alcobra.

Dr Megiddo holds an MBA from Kellogg- Recanati School of Business , and teaches at various entrepreneurial programs in Israeli universities. She completed her medical studies at the Hebrew University’s Hadassah Medical School in Jerusalem in 1978.

After spending a few years as a faculty member in the Family Medicine department at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Dr. Megiddo founded and sold two successful businesses in the medical field: The Journal Club – Israel’s leading provider of Continuing Medical Education for physicians, and Academia Medica – a medical multimedia developer and worldwide distributor for Continuing Medical Education programs for physicians.

Dr Megiddo will moderate the closing session entitled MANAGEMENT TEAM – GLOBAL OR LOCAL? in the up-and-coming ILSI-BioMed week at the Wednesday, May 25, 2011.

ILSI-BioMed week – program at a glance.

ILSI-BioMed week – detailed program.

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He joined Roche in 1998, as Head of Global Cardiovascular Research (to include Metabolic Research from 2001) and in 2002 became Head of Discovery Research, Basel and in 2006 Head of Discovery Research and Non Clinical Development, Basel.

Before joining Roche, Gianni Gromo was Acting Vice President for the Cardiovascular Division of Eli Lilly in Indianapolis, USA, having been first Medical Advisor and then Research Director for Lilly from 1995. Between 1988 and 1994, he was Immunology Section Leader and then Research Director for Italfarmaco in Milan, Italy.

Gianni Gromo trained in medicine and gained his PhD in Clinical and Experimental Haematology at the University of Milan, followed by a Fellowship in Experimental Oncology at the University of Pavia, Italy. From 1980 to 1984 he was Associate Medical Doctor, University of Milano, Divisione di Medicina II, San Raffaele Hospital ,Milano , Italy. From 1984 to 1988 he was first Postdoctoral Associate and then Assistant Professor, at the Immunobiology Research Center, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, US.

Gianni Gromo is married with Paola, they have two daughters Giulia & Martina. He has a long standing interest in modern & contemporary art, tennis, skiing and scuba diving.

Gianni Gromo will give a keynote lecture in the up-and-coming ILSI-BioMed week at the first day, Monday, May 23 2011.

ILSI-BioMed week – program at a glance.

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