Weekly Innovations from ISRAEL #10: Global Health Challenges

Pressing health issues affecting millions worldwide demand innovative solutions. In this week's edition of Weekly Innovations from ISRAEL, we are featuring Israeli companies exemplify how the country's thriving high-tech ecosystem tackles global healthcare challenges head-on.?

From laser treatments revolutionizing glaucoma care to AI-powered biomarkers transforming cancer and heart disease therapy, these companies are breaking new ground. Digital therapeutics optimize the efficacy of conventional treatments, and diverse expertise across medicine, engineering, neuroscience, and computer science converges, creating multidisciplinary approaches that could reshape healthcare landscapes.

On a personal note, I'd like to congratulate Eden Golan on her impressive fifth-place finish at the Eurovision Song Contest. The audience vote, where Israel received top marks from 14 countries plus the "rest of the world," was quite a surprise given the calls to ban Israel from the competition. It just goes to show that the loudest voices on the internet don't necessarily reflect the views of the broader public. Golan's powerful performance of "Hurricane" seems to have resonated with millions of voters across Europe and beyond, perhaps signaling their opposition to the bullying and threats.

Join us as we explore these pioneering Israeli companies changing the face of global healthcare, one breakthrough at a time:

BELKIN Vision: Illuminating the Path to Glaucoma Relief

A leading cause of irreversible blindness, glaucoma has long been a formidable challenge, but BELKIN Vision 's approach offers hope.

Founded by Prof. Michael Belkin and led by Daria Lemann-Blumenthal , the company has developed a treatment that delivers a swift and precise laser beam to the eye's drainage area, enhancing fluid outflow and effectively reducing intraocular pressure – the primary risk factor for glaucoma.

With a single button press, their "Eagle" device delivers 120 automated treatments in just one second, making the procedure as convenient as prescribing eye drops. This remarkable feat addresses a long-standing challenge in glaucoma management – patient compliance with medication regimens.

BELKIN Vision's technology is not only user-friendly but also remarkably versatile. By delivering laser beams through the external part of the eye, it can treat both open-angle glaucoma, which accounts for 70% of cases, and angle-closure glaucoma, commonly found in East Asian populations.?

By making glaucoma treatment accessible to any clinic or hospital, even in remote areas, the company is paving the way for improved access to care and early intervention, key factors in preventing vision loss.

This remarkable innovation has garnered global recognition, culminating this month, in the company's acquisition by the Swiss-American ophthalmology giant Alcon . This acquisition validates the groundbreaking nature of the technology and ensures its widespread availability, bringing hope to millions around the world.

The story of BELKIN Vision is a testament to the power of Israeli innovation and its ability to tackle global challenges: Through cutting-edge science, unwavering determination, and a commitment to improving lives, this company represents the best of what Israeli technology has to offer.

AccuLine: Detecting Heart Disease Through An Accurate, Non-Invasive Approach

While BELKIN Vision addresses the challenge of glaucoma, another Israeli company, AccuLine , is targeting a different but equally critical health issue: heart disease.? Imagine a world where heart attacks are significantly reduced, saving countless lives and transforming healthcare.

AccuLine's CORA technology is designed to accurately detect coronary artery disease (CAD) – the leading cause of heart attacks worldwide. It offers a new approach to cardiac health assessment. By analyzing three vital signs – heart's electrical activity, oxygen saturation levels, and respiratory phase – in just four minutes, CORA can evaluate a patient's risk for CAD with high accuracy. This non-invasive, radiation-free, and cost-effective examination has the potential to replace current inaccurate, time-consuming, and labor-intensive stress tests.

The science behind CORA utilizes two novel bio-signals: Voltage Spread, which measures the inter-cycle variability of the heart's electrical signal, and VCG, a 3D image of the heart's electrical activity. These biomarkers, combined with AI-powered signal processing and data visualization, enable precise CAD detection.

Moshe Barel , Aaron Frimerman , Benny Shani , and Shai Revzen lead a team with extensive experience, backed by renowned institutions like Mayo Clinic , eHealth Ventures Group , and Maccabi Health care Services .

AccuLine exemplifies Israeli innovation, leveraging science to tackle a major global health challenge.?

Nucleai: Tailoring Cancer Treatments with Cellular-Level Intelligence

Biomarkers are measurable indicators of a biological state or condition, often used in diagnostics and treatment monitoring. Just like AccuLine has innovated with new biomarkers for heart disease detection, Nucleai leai has discovered new biomarkers for cancer.

Imagine a world where cancer treatment is personalized, precise, and tailored to each patient's unique biology. This is the promise of Nucleai – a remarkable spatial AI biomarker company that is revolutionizing cancer care.

Founded by Avi Veidman , Eliron Amir , and Lotan Chorev , Nucleai harnesses the power of AI to analyze pathology images and spatial data at the cellular and tissue levels. In simple terms, this means that Nucleai's AI can study detailed images of cancerous tissues and cells, and understand the complex relationships and patterns within them. This includes analyzing the different types of cells present, their shapes and structures, and how they are spatially organized and interact with each other within the tumor environment.

I believe Nucleai's approach is poised to transform drug development, refine biomarker discovery, and improve the precision of therapeutic targeting. By deciphering the intricate cellular conversations within tissue samples, Nucleai can predict therapeutic outcomes and pave the way for personalized, effective treatment options tailored to each patient's unique needs.

In a world where precision medicine is the future, Nucleai is harnessing the potential of spatial biology - providing hope for millions of people worldwide.

Remepy: Merging Digital Tech and Medicine for a Hybrid Healing Approach

Last but not least, let’s talk about Remepy. They’ve come up with an entirely new way to look at medicine: mobile apps that work alongside traditional drug treatments, offering a unique, tailored experience for each patient.

Remepy’s apps, which they call "digital molecules," use proven interventions to boost brain plasticity, improve connectivity, and promote positive behavior changes. These apps provide non-invasive sensory stimulation using visual, auditory, and tactile elements to target key areas like spatial navigation, motor control, memory, emotion regulation, and balance.

These interventions demonstrate unique mechanisms of action, directly impacting brain activity, structure, and downstream effects on neuro-endocrine and neuro-immunological systems. By working synergistically with drug mechanisms, Remepy creates a new class of pharmaceutical assets with hybrid modes of action.

By targeting the links between chronic stress, neuroendocrine imbalance, and immune dysfunction, Remepy's interventions mitigate detrimental drug effects and promote overall well-being.

Israeli research and innovation is transforming personalized medicine, making a profound impact on health and quality of people worldwide - join me in congratulating founders Or Shoval and Shahar Shelly M.D for raising their $10 million Seed round!

Israel's spirit shines through, whether on the Eurovision stage or in cutting-edge medical labs and clinics. The innovative companies I highlighted today are just a fraction of the groundbreaking healthcare work underway in the Start-Up Nation.?

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