In the 17th Aug 2014 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlightsinclude:
· A new life-saving Israeli wound treatment has been proven “in action”.
· Israel’s revolutionary new hip-replacement device will never need replacing.
· The first Arab Bedouin co-operative is launched – in Israel of course.
· Israel wins the International Mathematics Competition for the first time.
· Two Israeli medical companies are launching on NASDAQ.
· Coins minted by the Jewish State 2000 years ago have been unearthed near Jerusalem.
Page Down for more details on these and other good news stories from Israel.
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Wound closure technology saves Israeli soldiers. Soldiers wounded in Operation Protective Edge are benefiting from a brand-new Israeli technology to close open wounds quickly. TopClosure acts like a medical zip to protect wounds immediately when they are inflicted, allowing them to be fully treated later.
Israel pioneers the future of medicine. Electronic Medical Records transformed Israel’s health system and convinced the USA to implement them. Sensing technology is the next big advance. Jerusalem’s symposium “Connected Health and Vulnerable Populations” showed how Israel is a prototype for global better health.
ALS sufferers live longer in Israel. In global terms, between 5 and 10 percent of ALS sufferers survive more than 10 years after being diagnosed. But in Israel, 20 percent of ALS patients survive longer. The high survival rate is thought to be due to family support systems, the Israeli health care system and early diagnosis.
Brainstorm completes stem cell bioreactor. Israel’s BrainStorm, together with Canadian company Octane Biotech, has built a bioreactor for commercial production of the stem cells used as a basis for the company’s treatment for ALCS. The ability to multiply stem cells is critical for the treatment’s success.
Israeli scientist leads search for Ebola cure. Virologist Dr. Leslie Lobel from Ben Gurion University is developing a vaccine to defeat the Ebola virus by studying the immune systems of the disease’s survivors. He has spent 12 years studying the disease in Uganda.
New pancreatic cancer treatment is now Israeli. Normally, foreign investors acquire Israeli biotechs that develop cancer treatments. But here, Israel’s Redhill Biopharma has bought pancreatic cancer treatment RP101 from Germany’s RESprotect GmbH. RP101 has passed Phase II trials and has vital orphan status.
Revolutionary device for hip replacements. Israel’s MMATech Ltd develops components for total hip implants, made of a revolutionary Polyimide material, MP1 developed originally for the aerospace industry. They are self-lubricating, durable, and have a long lifespan. MMATech is raising funds for FDA approval.
GE selects heart-attack prevention watch. Israeli start-up Oxitone literally keeps a “watch” on blood-oxygen levels affecting the heart. Two optical lasers are built into an oximeter that sits on the wrist. GE Healthcare chose Oxitone from 400 companies and is the only foreign company to join GE’s entrepreneur program.
Vaccine protects against all avian flu strains. Israeli biotech BiondVax has announced that its M-001 vaccine has been validated against all H7 virus strains, thus protecting against all avian (bird) flu variations.
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
Up to 90 days sick leave for parents. Israel’s Ministerial Law Committee has approved a bill that grants up to 90 days sick leave annually for the parents of an ill child. Just as there is a responsibility to care for ill children, the state also has a responsibility to see to it that the child’s parents can do what the situation demands.
The world’s first Arab Bedouin cooperative. Israel’s Arab-Jewish Center for Equality, Empowerment and Cooperation has launched the Mara’i Sheep Breeders Cooperative. Initially comprising 10 Bedouin shepherd families, the cooperative is expected to become a model for Arab livestock raisers and business owners.
Israel provides 10 generators to Gaza hospitals. (Thanks to Rodger) On Aug 6th, in a unique (mostly unreported) deployment operation, the Israel Electric Company transferred 10 generators with a total capacity of 4.3 megawatts via the cargo terminal at Kerem Shalom for the benefit of hospitals in Gaza.
Study for a green MBA. Israel is one of the world’s most advanced countries for the management of water and renewable energy resources, and a leader in developing innovative and sustainable technologies. Haifa University’s new MBA program focuses on the subject of Sustainable Business Management.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
How earthquakes form. Da Vinci defined the mechanics that drive earthquakes over 500 years ago, but he wasn’t accurate. New research by scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has demonstrated that friction can only occur when the connections between the surfaces are first ruptured in an orderly process.
One-minute construction. You would expect that engineers at Israel’s Technion could build quickly, but time-lapse photography reduces the construction time for the new D. Dan and Betty Kahn Mechanical Engineering building down to just sixty seconds!
New energy cyber security center. Israel’s energy cyber security firm Nation-E plans to launch its energy cyber security center in Hadera on September 15. Companies worldwide can evaluate microgrids, smart meters, and all grid-connected devices, and determine how and why attackers are able to infringe their networks.
Joint nano-research gets $675,000 grant. Scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Yeshiva University of New York will together study colloidal semiconductor nanocrystals – tiny synthetic particles containing metal impurities with intriguing implications for the electronics, solar energy and biological fields.
The fastest switch in the world. (Thanks to Atid-EDI) Israel’s Mellanox has launched the world’s first 100Gb/s EDR InfiniBand switch. Switch-IB is the world’s fastest computer switch with 36-ports of 100Gb/s to provide 7.2Tb/s of switching capacity – 250 percent higher than any alternative and ideal for data centers.
The first scalable credit-card-size computer. (Thanks to Atid-EDI) Israeli-Arab start-up SolidRun has developed another tiny computer. The credit-card-size Hummingboard HB-i1 has 512MB RAM, two USB ports, a Fast Ethernet network port, Freescale’s i.MX6 system on chip, 1GHz ARM A9 core and costs from $45.
Israeli team wins international math competition. For the first time ever, an Israeli team won the International Mathematics Competition, held this year in Bulgaria. The four Tel Aviv University and two Technion students received 355 points — 38 more than the second-place group.
No limit to where free wireless can be set-up. Israel’s Communications Minister Gilad Erdan has signed an order that removes limitations on the public use of Wi-fi hotspots. From now on, anyone anywhere in Israel will be allowed to set up a hotspot – providing free Internet outdoors as well as indoors.
Converting electricity from buildings. (Thanks to Israel21c) Israeli start-up SolarOr has developed BIPV – building-integrated photovoltaic. The BIPV panels convert Direct Current trapped in a building into AC energy that can be used locally or sold back to the electric company.
Scientists discover Israel’s deepest cave. Researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have found the deepest cave so far discovered in Israel. Located near Israel’s border with Lebanon, the cave is 187 meters below ground – 30 meters deeper than the previous Israeli record-holder, which was mapped 30 years ago.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Undertone acquires Upfront. (Thanks to Nevet –www.broaderview.org) Digital advertiser Undertone, has bought Israeli brand-focused programmatic platform, Upfront Digital Media. Following the acquisition, Undertone is to set up its first development center in Israel.
Supersonic to expand in Asia. Israeli mobile advertising technology company Supersonic has raised $15 million to further its growth and expand its operations in Asia. Formerly known as SupersonicAds, the company has developed an in-app monetization and user acquisition platform.
OurCrowd has raised $60 million for 46 startups. OurCrowd, the leading equity crowdfunding platform for accredited investors, announced that it has successfully raised a total of $60 million, in its 16 months of existence, for its 46 portfolio Israeli companies.
50 years of commercializing innovations. Founded in 1964 to protect and commercialize the Hebrew University’s intellectual property, Yissum has registered over 8,500 patents covering 2,450 inventions; licensed out 750 technologies and spun-off 90 companies. Its products generate over $2 billion in annual sales.
http://www.afhu.org/yissum-
Display panels for Chinese factory. Israel’s Orbotech has received orders worth $55 million for inspection, testing and repair equipment at Nanjing CEC Panda LCD Technology Co., Ltd. – a China Electronics Corp. company.
Israel attracts foreign investors while confronting terrorism. An upbeat summary by Yoram Ettinger of recent Israeli economic news.
Israeli water delegation impresses U.S. Food & Beverage industry. Israeli water technology companies recently met with large food & beverage companies in Chicago, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, and Delaware. They had much to offer the F&B market in the areas of safe water, water reuse, water ratio and better sustainability.
ReWalk to launch on NASDAQ. (Thanks to Atid-EDI) Israel’s ReWalk Robotics (previously Argo Medical) has filed for an IPO on Nasdaq to raise $58 million. ReWalk’s flagship product is a robotic exoskeleton that provides powered hip and knee motion to enable individuals with Spinal Cord Injury to stand upright and walk.
Wound treatment biotech to launch on NASDAQ. Israel’s Macrocure’s white blood cell injections treat hard-to-heal and chronic wounds. It wants to raise $75 million from an IPO on NASDAQ to finance its CureXcell a cell-based therapy that restores the natural balance required for the wound healing process.
Intelligent Israeli companies. For years I have been using the Israeli artificial intelligence system Genieo to find relevant news items to feature in my newsletter. Now, Genieo itself has become a news item. It has been taken over by another Israeli software company – Somoto.
Tax breaks to create 3,000 cyber jobs in Negev. (Thanks to Nevet –www.broaderview.org) Israel is to give tax breaks and access to cooperative cyber programs to lure leading domestic and multinational firms to a new national cyber park in the Negev desert. Israel aims to create 3,000 cyber-related jobs over the next 10 years.http://www.defensenews.com/
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
Great Israeli music. Kol Cambridge’s DJ Antithesis on Tel Aviv’s Radio TLV1 pays tribute to the soldiers who keep us safe and reflects on the emotions that have flooded our hearts with a selection of Israeli singers and songwriters.
THE JEWISH STATE
What matters is our family. Lone soldiers leave their Diaspora homes to serve in the Israel Defense Forces. Most men become combat soldiers. Some women also fight in combat, while most serve as instructors in army technology, or deal with the press and plan missions that hopefully will never need to be carried out.
Israeli youth step up to the challenge. Israeli children are foregoing their summer vacation plans in favor of helping children in the bomb shelters in Ashdod, helping senior citizens, volunteering at hospitals, contributing to public diplomacy and collecting care packages for the soldiers on the front.
114 bronze Jewish revolt coins found near Jerusalem. A hoard of coins from the fourth year of the Jewish Revolt against Rome – minted months before the fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE – was unearthed during the expansion of Route 1, the major highway connecting Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
Preparing for the Shmitta (7th) year. Observant Israeli farmers may be making the desert bloom, but every 7 years they must let the land of Israel rest. So in the months before the Jewish New Year it is a very busy time. Here is what Shoshana and Yoni Rappeport have been doing in their Argan tree plantation.
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