ILSI-Biomed Israel

Meet the Speakers: The Future of siRNA

siRNA is one of the molecules of future medicine, with some success at early clinical trials. How will this molecule affect the future of therapeutics? Twelve years ago, a novel mechanism for shutting down genes has been described in a nature paper. The mechanism described made use of molecules called siRNA – Small Inhibitory RNA – whose potential for the development of new therapies for diseases like cancer has been recognized immediately. Last year, Dr. Dan Peer managed to create lip...

The Law of the Ordinary and Contact Lenses against Glaucoma

A new invention in the form of contact lenses against glaucoma, shows how biomedical devices should be designed I like to think about biomedical instruments as bits of magic. Not because they cause wonders and provide instant-cures (though some do), but because the more ordinary and mundane in appearance they are, the better they become – much as in magic tricks. It’s the Law of the Ordinary ™. If you market a device for overcoming seizures, and it looks like a robotic arm-sleeve, the...

OrSense Receives FDA Approval for Non-Invasive Oximetry Monitoring System

OrSense Ltd., developer of monitors for non-invasive measurements of various blood parameters, announced it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for NBM-200MP, a non-invasive oximetry and low signal oximetry sensor.   Non-invasive pulse oximetry has become a standard of care in the operating and recovery rooms, intensive care units and emergency services, yet it has been known to provide erroneous oxygen saturation readings in situations of low perfusion, low...

Meet the Speakers: Prof. Mauro Ferrari on Individualized Medicine

Prof. Mauro Ferrari will give a keynote lecture in the up-and-coming ILSI-BioMed week, regarding the ways in which Nanotechnology Enables Individualized Medicine A friend of mine came to me recently with an interesting question. Both he and his wife suffer from headaches, and while he can take a single tablet of acamol to make the pain go away, his wife is almost unaffected by the tablets, which makes her quite grouchy – and leads in turn to him having an headache again. Why is that? A...

ILSI’s New Site

ILSI have a new website, with a notable Global Industry Analysis section I probably don't even have to mention who or what is ILSI. If you're browsing in this site, you should know by now that ILSI (Israel Life Science Industry) is a non-profit organization that represents the mutual goals of the Israeli Life Science community. Along with KENES, they are partners in the ILSI-BioMed Week conference, and they work with the Knesset, government, ministries, foreign embassies and foreign organ...

ILSI's New Site

ILSI have a new website, with a notable Global Industry Analysis section I probably don't even have to mention who or what is ILSI. If you're browsing in this site, you should know by now that ILSI (Israel Life Science Industry) is a non-profit organization that represents the mutual goals of the Israeli Life Science community. Along with KENES, they are partners in the ILSI-BioMed Week conference, and they work with the Knesset, government, ministries, foreign embassies and foreign organizat...

Evolution in the Hospitals – How to Stop It?

Pathogens are constantly developing and evolving immunities to antibiotics, especially in the hospitals. Can we halt the course of evolution? A friend of mine, who also happens to be a medical doctor, got injured in an accident a few weeks ago and was hospitalized with an open fracture in his knee. Unfortunately, the wound got infected, and perhaps unsurprisingly – with germs who were resistant to the more common antibiotics in use. If you’re fearful for my friend’s health, you can relax ...

Start-up Weekly: MGVS – a Israeli Cell / Gene Therapy Company

MGVS is a promising Israeli company, whose leading product has passed Phase I/II trial in December 2009 and could be used to treat critical limb ischemia. PLUS they're currently recruiting! Name: MGVS Ltd. CEO: Guy Yachin Sector: Biotechnology Suc-Sector: Cell therapy Medical Field: Cardiovascular Est.: 2000 Stage: Phase I/IIa Clinical trials Vision: To become the leader in advanced cell therapy based solutions for cardiovascular patients Employees: 21 and currentl...

A New Competition by MATIMOP, ILSI and the Office of the Chief Scientist

A new competition by MATIMOP, ILSI and the Office of the Chief Scientist, may pave the way for Israeli companies to the Bio International Convention in Chicago Wherever there is competition, people strive for improvement. That's the basis of capitalism, and the reason why companies in the West are usually more efficient than their subsidized and nationalized counterparts in the east, or in the ancient Soviet Union. The free market constitutes a competition all by itself, but why not add s...

Asthma Relief Inhalers Might Make Asthma Worse?

A new study at the University of Leicester is probing why asthma relief inhalers might actually make asthma worse - and what can be done about it Ever since the industrial revolution, asthma has become one of the most common medical conditions in the world, with an estimated 300 million people suffering from the condition worldwide. Being an asthmatic myself, I know that currently there is no cure for asthma, although there are 'relievers' – usually inhalers that relieve asthma symptoms by re...