The Technion’s story has been intertwined with Israel’s for more than a century, from laying the foundations for a new nation to shaping its future.
To bring a new drug to market costs on average $1.3 billion, according to a recent report in the Journal of the American Medical Association, and takes up to 20 years. These astronomical sums do factor in the billions of dollars and years of research invested in what potentially promising therapies that ultimately lead nowhere, according to David Harel, the co-founder and CEO of CytoReason, an Israeli startup using AI and reams of data on the human body to create computational models of diseases affecting mankind. “Developing new drugs is very, very expensive. And the reason it’s expensive is not only…
A study by GrayMatters Health, which develops digital training therapies to help the brain regulate mental health care, has shown that its FDA-approved Prism device is effective in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The device, now available in selected clinics in the US, shows a patient’s brain activity in the amygdala, the small region of the brain associated with emotions and memory, while interacting with different scenarios. This can help patients with PTSD control their symptoms by better understanding what triggers that heightened activity in that part of the brain.
A frustrating experience as a caregiver for her then-boyfriend with cancer made Maayan Cohen realize that non-medical personnel in a medical setting needed help understanding the information in front of them. Despite dutifully tracking his treatment herself, Cohen realized that noting down his vitals in a binder full of papers was not helping her understand his condition or manage his medical records. Many others in a similar situation, she realized, were also tracking the vital signs of sick loved ones. But without a doctor at hand, it was hard to know what could help or hinder the condition.
In December, the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology will celebrate 100 years. Looking at the list of achievements over the years makes you realize how significant its contribution to the state’s development has been – and still is. “For many years we were essentially the only engineering school in the country, and to this day we are the only technological university,” the Technion president, Prof. Uri Sivan, tells Israel Hayom in a special interview. “To a large extent, we shouldered the burden of founding the state on our shoulders, and over the years we have all reaped the rewards for this….
Scientists led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed and simulated a new energy-efficient way to generate highly focused and finely controlled X-rays that are up to a thousand times more intense than those from traditional methods. The findings are published in the journal Light: Science & Applications. This paves the way for ultra high-quality X-ray imaging that uses powerful X-rays for detecting flaws in semi-conductor chips accurately. The new method could also allow more focused X-ray imaging to be done for health screening while using less energy. The novel method is based on computer simulations that shoot electrons at an ultra-thin…
In a study conducted at the University of Twente, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and the Open University of Israel, researchers have developed a novel approach to address the environmental challenges posed by perchlorate salts, which have been identified as persistent pollutants with potential impacts on human health. The researchers published their findings in an article titled “Selective Perchlorate Sensing Using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy with Self-Assembled Monolayers of semiaza-Bambusurils,” in the journal Chemistry—A European Journal. Perchlorate salts are a type of anion—slightly negatively charged molecules—which have raised concerns due to their ability to interfere with the proper functioning of the thyroid gland, leading to…
By the time Sara Smolley was born, her grandmother was unable to talk to her. She had been diagnosed with early onset Parkinson’s disease at the age of just 40, which stripped her of much of her motor capabilities. “More than anything, it was her speech that was impacted,” says Smolley, the co-founder and VP Partnerships of Voiceitt, an Israeli speech recognition platform for people who have non-standard speech. “Of course, that affected her ability to build a relationship with my brothers and me, as we couldn’t understand what she was saying,” she tells NoCamels. The AI-powered Voiceitt platform is designed…
Cornell Tech’s Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute will now offer companies worldwide an opportunity to send talented employees to an intensive one-year program to work on new business ventures that explore commercial uses for emerging technologies. The new Cornell Tech Venture Fellows Program at the Jacobs Institute allows individuals to immerse themselves with a cohort of academically-minded entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs from diverse global businesses at Cornell University’s state-of-the-art tech campus in the heart of New York City. The program is powered by Cornell Tech’s successful Runway Startups Program in the Jacobs Institute, which has launched more than 100 startups since 2014. Today…
Researchers at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa have developed a new tool to determine whether a cancer patient is predisposed to an advanced kind of treatment called immunotherapy. The immune system contains “checkpoints” to prevent it from attacking cancer cells too strongly, as this would also potentially damage nearby healthy cells. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) suppress this action and allow the immune system to attack the cancer cells, but they are only effective in less than 40 percent of patients and tools currently being used to predict the drug’s efficacy are not completely accurate. Keep reading at nocamels.com.
Three Israeli research projects have won a $1 million prize for initiatives tackling the climate crisis. The prize is designed to advance groundbreaking innovation and research that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Climate Solutions Breakthrough Research Prize is awarded by the Jewish National Fund of Canada with the support of Keren Kayemet LeYisrael (KKL-JNF), with each making a matching contribution to the prize money. The prize was also awarded in conjunction with Startup Nation Central, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting Israeli innovation. The winners are: Prof. Shany Barath and Prof. Yechezkel Kashi from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, who developed…
It’s come to this. With Earth at its hottest point in recorded history, and humans doing far from enough to stop its overheating, a small but growing number of astronomers and physicists are proposing a potential fix that could have leaped from the pages of science fiction: The equivalent of a giant beach umbrella, floating in outer space. The idea is to create a huge sunshade and send it to a far away point between the Earth and the sun to block a small but crucial amount of solar radiation, enough to counter global warming. Scientists have calculated that if…
Leaning on our friends and family during these challenging times has been an immense relief for many of us, but one of the most important forums for solidarity in this era shaped by conflict and tragedy is not so visible. The power of online community has played an invaluable role in providing wartime support, and Nathanaelle Klein, Technion alumna and Chief Product Officer at Soli, is one of the talented individuals shaping an empowering online community in Israel right now. In speaking with Nathanaelle, I learned about how the academic foundation she acquired at the Technion inspired her global career, and…