ILSI-Biomed Israel

Israeli biotech – Good for what ails you

Israel is the world leader in patents for medical devices, relative to population size, and second in the patenting of biopharm products, including pharmaceuticals and treatments. Israel is eighth in the number of patents granted in the life-sciences industry, which may be the most amazing statistic of all, given the amount of time and money companies must invest in getting a product or technology tested and patented. This week, the Israeli biotech industry was having its annual confer...

LifeBond Raises $20m in a Third Financing Round

LifeBond, a biosurgery device company has completed a $20m fund raising, which was led by Giza Venture Capital and Aurum Ventures. Also participating in the round were existing investors: Pitango Venture Capital and Mr. Robert Taub, GlenRock Israel and The Zitelman Group. LifeBond CEO, Ishay Attar said "LifeBond is marching forward rapidly to provide solutions for major un-met needs in surgery. We welcome the new investors to the company” The start-up company LifeBond, which...

The Israeli Life Science Industry. 2001-2010: A DECADE of GROWTH

Following the big success of ILSI-BioMed Week: some data on Israeli Life Science industry. The Israeli Life Science Industry is young and growing. Of the existing 702 companies, 56% were founded during the last decade. A closer look reveals that a quarter (173 companies) of the Industry was established in the last five years. Figure 1 depicts the trend and growth experienced by the industry in the 2001-2010, period. 306 companies were established prior to 2001, with the oldest one, Teva Pharm...

Israel world’s top investor in R&D

srael is the world's top investor in R&D as a proportion of GDP in 2011, according to the World Competitiveness Index of 59 countries by Switzerland's IMD Business School. Israel is ranked 17th in competitiveness overall, the same as in 2010. Israel was also ranked first by IMD in the functioning of central banks. Hong Kong and the US tied for first place in global competitiveness this year, taking over from Singapore, which fell to third place. The Federation of Israeli Chambers of C...

ILSI-Biomed 2011: Israel’s Chief Scientist Reports a 430 million NIS Investment in Life Science Industries and Announces the Field as a Favored Sector

In 2010, the Israeli Chief Scientist approved a total of NIS 430 million in various program budgets. The R&D Committee alone considered 338 support applications from 193 companies for life science projects. 265 projects were approved for State assistance. Statistical reports prepared by the Israeli Chief Scientist office towards the ILSI – Biomed Israel 2011 Week, which will open in Tel Aviv next week (May 23-25, 2011), show that the Chief Scientist helped support life science projects in...

Allium, Israel Biomedical Innovations to merge

Urology stent developer Allium Medical Ltd. (TASE: ALMD) has announced that it plans to merge with another company. Biomedix Incubator Ltd. (TASE:BMDX) owns 25.8% of Allium, which said that the target company is also controlled by Biomedix. The target company is apparently Israel Biomedical Innovations Ltd. (formerly Endogun), whose operations are synergetic with Allium's. Biomedix owns 18% of IBI, which has technology for connecting tissue within the body without the need for surgery. IB...

Boston Scientific to Pay up to $24.3m for Israeli Start-Up

The identity of the buyer of SI Therapies has been revealed: US medical devices giant Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX), which the past has acquired Israeli companies Remon Medical and Labcoat, and has invested in many Israeli biomed companies and funds. Aran Research Development & Prototypes has published new details in its financials about the agreement it signed to sell the subsidiary (55 percent), from which it emerges that Boston Scientific paid $5.13 million in cash, and that the purcha...

Israeli Life Sciences Boom

A recent Wall Street Journal feature story claims to see "symptoms of a bubble" in the flooding Biotech IPO scene in the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Appetite for Israeli initial public offerings of life-science companies is booming, writes the WSJ, but critics say the sector is immature and lacks the transparency for investors to make informed decisions. Over the last few years the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange loosened up on its rules for tech companies looking to go public. At the same time, ...

Boston delegation will visit ILSI-BioMed week with over a billion dollars in the pocket to look for investments in Israel

Prepare to meet an official delegation from Boston, Massachusetts, which is expected to visit the up-and-coming ILSI-BioMed week to be held in Tel Aviv between 23-25 May, to hear about the hottest emerging innovations in search for potential investment. The delegation will include senior managers from Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC), MassMEDIC, a council for initiatives and interests in the field of medical devices, and MassBio, a non-profit organization that represents and provides se...

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,...