ILSI-Biomed Israel

Medigus Announces World’s Smallest Video Camera

Medigus Ltd. has developed the world's smallest video camera - just 0.99 mm in diameter. These miniature cameras are manufactured from materials suitable for human medical procedures. They are designed specifically for small-diameter disposable endoscopic devices, used in diagnostic and surgical procedures in regions of the anatomy where larger scopes are not viable. Medigus will begin supplying camera samples in the coming weeks to US and Japanese companies which produce cardiology-r...

The DaVinci of Surgery

Artist, dentist, sculptor and internationally-known surgeon: all these titles belong to one man, Prof. Stephen A. Schendel, who recently visited Rambam. There, he performed innovative operations and gave lessons in the art of medicine. Prof. Stephen A. Schendel and Rambam doctors performing surgery. © Pioter Fliter-RHCC During the beginning of March, Rambam surgeons conducted two complicated operations that included maxillofacial and plastic surgery. Such treatments are usually divi...

Israeli Breath test could identify head and neck cancer

An 'electronic nose' can distinguish between molecules found in the breath of head-and-neck cancer patients and those of healthy people, according to the results of a small, initial study published in the British Journal of Cancer. Researchers from Technion – Israel Institute of Technology collected breath samples from 82 people from three groups: head-and-neck cancer patients, lung cancer patients and healthy people. The team examined the differences in the molecules present in the exhal...

Not Clowning Around

The operating room is not the most pleasant place for any patient. But for children about to undergo surgery, it is especially frightening. At Rambam we’ve learned that there is nothing to fear but fear itself. Now, as part of preparation for surgery, children become familiar with the operating room through the guidance of a medical clown called ‘Bermula’ Rambam’s medical clowns. Pioter Fliter-RHCC.© Medical clowns have been active at Rambam for the last eight years. Now, they have ent...

Protecting Fetuses and their Mothers

Rambam researchers were the first in the world to link blood clotting with fetal loss and vascular complications in pregnant women. In light of these findings, they developed medical treatment that is now saving fetuses and their mothers around the globe. Prof. Benjamin Brenner at the laboratory in Rambam. Raanan Tal-RHCC© Research at Rambam Health Care Campus (RHCC) has drawn a direct connection between blood clotting, and fetal loss and vascular complications in pregnant women. The...

Six trends that will change the fundamentals of pharmaceutical distribution

The latest report in the Pharma 2020 series from PwC US outlines six trends that will fundamentally change the way pharmaceutical companies make and distribute products. “The current pharmaceutical supply chain worked well when the ‘blockbuster’ paradigm prevailed, but pharma’s focus in a post-health reform world is shifting from products to patients, and their supply chain processes need to adopt the speed and agility of other, more consumer-oriented industries such as consumer electroni...

Meet the speakers: STEPHEN N. OESTERLE, M.D.

STEPHEN N. OESTERLE, M.D. Senior Vice President for Medicine and Technology Stephen N. Oesterle, M.D., joined the company in 2002 as Senior Vice President for Medicine and Technology. In this role, Steve provides executive leadership for Medtronic scientific research, formation of technological strategies and continued development of strong cooperative relationships with the world's medical communities, technical universities, financial institutions and emerging medical device companies...

BrainStorm Raises $3.6 M To Launch Phase I/II Trial for ALS.

The recent appointment of Adrian Harel as the CEO of BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics (OTCBB: BCLI) signals the beginning of a new era both for the company and for its new top exec. BrainStorm, after several hurdle-crossing years of pre-clinical testing and validation of its autologous stem cell therapy, is about to become the first Israeli company to reach the clinical trial stage with a differentiated stem cell-based therapy. The company`s Phase I/II trial, expected to begin in the spring,...

Robots back breakthrough surgery.

SpineAssist – an Israeli invention – is revolutionizing delicate spinal surgery. Judy Siegel-Itzkovich spoke to the innovative company’s CEO. Many patients scheduled for a major spinal operation naturally worry that they might find themselves in a wheelchair due to a surgical error, or simple bad luck. While this happens only rarely, it is a possibility. The results of orthopedic surgery are as good as the specialist who performs it – but today, the risk is much reduced. Not only is there...

Prof. Michael Karin and Prof. Alexander Polyakov – Winners of 2010 Harvey Prize

Prof. Michael Karin and Prof. Alexander Polyakov are the winners of the Technion’s 2010 Harvey Prize. Prof. Karin, from the University of California, San Diego, will receive the prize in the field of human health. He discovered the strong link between obesity, inflammation and cancer. The judges decided to award the prize to Prof. Karin for “his pioneering contribution that led to deciphering the molecular mechanism through which mammalian cells react to cytokines which cause inflammation...