Betting on Out-of-the-Box Ideas to Fight COVID-19
Live From Technion Webinar
With Professors Marcelle Machluf and Ezri Tarazi
Professor Marcelle Machluf is using trickery to try to trap the coronavirus, and Professor Ezri Tarazi has created an air shield to protect health care workers. Join our upcoming webinar to hear these maverick professors from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology talk about their innovative work in the fight against the SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
Prof. Machluf achieved acclaim by modifying mesenchymal stem cells into so-called NanoGhosts that deliver drugs directly to cancerous tumors, killing them from within. At the time scientific journals thought her research, which showed the NanoGhosts reduced tumor size by 85%, was too good to be true. Today, she is adapting that successful technology to create decoy NanoGhosts that attract and entrap the coronavirus, making for a less severe infection.
Prof. Tarazi is a renowned industrial designer who last year used a 3D printer to create the world’s first artificial coral reefs to restore the ocean’s ecosystem. He has now designed a device that improves the efficacy of masks worn by medical staff on the frontline of the pandemic. Inspired by biological warfare masks of the Israel Defense Forces, the invention covers the head and blows air onto the face to shield the doctor from the surrounding area, which might carry infectious aerosol droplets. It even helps with overheating and fogging.
Featured Speakers
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Professor Marcelle Machluf, dean of the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, is becoming a national treasure in Israel. In 2018, she was chosen to light a torch in a prestigious Independence Day ceremony, and was named “Woman of the Year” by Israel’s Lady Globes magazine. Her research has been included in “Israel’s 60 Most Impactful Developments,” a project of Israel’s Ministry of Science and Technology. And last year she launched a startup to develop her NanoGhost technology.
Professor Ezri Tarazi, chair of the Industrial Design Program in the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning and head of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center, known as T-Hub, is a serial entrepreneur and designer whose pieces have been exhibited in museums including MoMa. He has worked with tech startups and the Israeli government to apply design thinking to industrial problems, and has created life support systems such as chemical masks for children.
