Israel: Innovative Irrigators

Due to a contributing number of factors, the fields of Europe are having a difficult time staying watered. Climate change, a population increase, urbanization, and government demands have transformed areas once teeming with fresh water into areas that struggle immensely. Farmers in locations such as the Po Valley are abandoning the wide range of crops they once raised for soybeans and corn in order to take advantage and receive EU (European Union) subsidies for crops to be used in bioenergy production.

Israel has already taken an impressive leap into improving the situation. The Israeli drip-irrigation developers, Netafim, are leading an international coalition to develop new precision technologies that will refine irrigation control and maintenance, therefore increasing water availability for crops that require a larger amount of water. Named FIGARO (Flexible and Precise Irrigation Platform to Improve Farm Scale Water Productivity), the €6 million project will “build a system to enable precise irrigation based on humidity, climate conditions, plant needs, and other factors, all based on a smart computerized system,” said Adriano Battilani, scientific manager of the FIGARO project and a collaborator and pioneer of the plan, which is being managed together with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. FIGARO will consist of a computerized model that will track and direct water activity, thus reducing the dearth of water some areas face.

Paired with recycling technologies and water conservation projects the EU is instituting, the Israeli-developed technology being provided by Netafim will have a significant effect on European farming in the years to come. The program has already been implemented at nine sites in Europe and Israel as a pilot program. If the trials achieve their goals, FIGARO will be extended to the rest of Europe.


Below are some links in which Israeli irrigation has assisted in other aspects, more information about FIGARO, and a video describing FIGARO.

1. http://www.thetower.org/advances-in-israeli-water-technology-assisting-in-worldwide-food-production/

2. http://www.jspace.com/news/articles/israeli-firm-heads-international-team-to-reduce-agricultural-waste/11241

3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-jAKvKcWP0#t=191

4. http://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-water-tech-comes-to-rescue-of-eu-farmers/

European farmers observing FIGARO.

http://www.jspace.com/news/articles/israeli-firm-heads-international-team-to-reduce-agricultural-waste/11241

FIGARO in action.

http://www.jspace.com/news/articles/israeli-firm-heads-international-team-to-reduce-agricultural-waste/11241

ImMucin: Targeting and Destroying Cancer Cells

Israel, in the past recent years, has been making incredible progress in targeting one of the world's deadliest diseases, cancer. One of these innovations has been produced by an Israeli company, Vaxil BioTherapeutics. Vaxil is developing ImMucin, a therapeutic vaccine for the treatment of cancer, composed of a distinct 21 amino acid peptide. It essentially stimulates the patient’s immune system to identify and destroy cells on which the cancer marker MUC1 appears. As it is usually visible only on cancer cells and not on healthy cells, the concept behind the drug is that the immune system will target and kill the cancer cells but leave healthy cells unharmed.

The ImMucin vaccine possesses several defining characteristics. First, approximately 90% of all cancers are thought to have this particular marker, thus providing ImMucin the capacity for enormous potential. Second, the specific sequence is only found on the cancer cells and not in soluble form in the blood, (thereby increasing the strength of the immunological response). Furthermore, ImMucin can activate a combined initiation of multiple subcategories of immune cells. Also, ImMucin can be provided to a very wide section of the population with no need for complex and expensive personalization or prior selection based on the patient's immune system. In addition to this, ImMucin has a unique property that may allow it to control the inclination of the tumor to elude the immune response (TAP deficiency) and develop resistance to treatment.

In 2013, ImMucin successfully completed a Phase I/II study in patients with Multiple Myeloma at the Hadassah Medical Center, Jerusalem and Rambam Medical center, Haifa, Israel, meeting all the study's stages and requirements. Vaxil is preparing a Phase II study in Myeloma and another study in  solid tumors (e.g. breast or lung cancer).

Below are some links in which the idea behind the vaccine have been featured:

1. http://jewishbusinessnews.com/2013/06/20/israeli-cancer-vaccine-immucin-shows-optimistic-results/

2. http://www.vaxilbio.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18&Itemid=27

3. http://globenewswire.com/news-release/2013/04/09/536849/10027839/en/Vaxil-Reports-Positive-Results-From-a-Phase-I-II-Clinical-Trial-Using-Its-Therapeutic-Cancer-Vaccine-ImMucin-In-Patients-With-Multiple-Myeloma.html

4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21570434

5. http://www.myeloma.org.uk/about-muk/news/myeloma-news/immucin-a-potential-vaccine-for-myeloma/

The ImMucin Vaccine
http://www.myeloma.org.uk/files/4013/3536/1218/vaccine1.jpg

The ReWalk: Remarkable Inventions, One Step At a Time

Recently deemed one of TIME 2013's "The 25 Best Inventions of the Year," the ReWalk is nothing short of extraordinary. Developed by Argo Medical Technologies in Haifa, Israel, the ReWalk is essentially an exoskeleton suit that uses technology with motorized legs that power knee and hip movement. The ReWalk is controlled by on-board computers and motion sensors, allowing users to engage in self-initiated walking without requiring ropes or switches to begin stepping. ReWalk controls movement using slight changes in balance, imitates natural gait and pace, and provides practical walking speed. A forward tilt of the upper body is sensed by the system, which activates the first step. The ReWalk also sits, stands, allows turning and has the ability to climb and descend stairs.

The original ReWalk is available in two versions – the ReWalk I and the ReWalk P. The ReWalk I is  for use by medical institutions for research or therapy, under the supervision of a healthcare professional, such as a physical therapist. The ReWalk P is a personal unit, intended for personal use by patients at home or in public. The ReWalk was approved for hospital use in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2011 and underwent clinical trials in MossRehab in Philadelphia.

Quite recently, on May 8th 2012, a paralyzed British woman, Claire Lomas, used a ReWalk to become the first person ever to finish a marathon using a bionic assistance suit. Lomas, who was paralyzed from the waist down in a 2007 riding accident, completed the London Marathon in 17 days with her ReWalk system. Later on in 2012, Lomas became the first person to take the ReWalk suit home to help her in everyday tasks.

Below are some videos and links that include more information about this fascinating device:

1. http://rewalk.us/rewalk-2-0-on-abc-10news/

2. http://rewalk.com

3. http://rewalk.us

4. http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/health&id=9322025

5. http://techland.time.com/2013/11/14/the-25-best-inventions-of-the-year-2013/slide/rewalk/

The ReWalk in action.
http://images.gizmag.com/hero/rewalk.jpg

An overview of the ReWalk.
http://cdn.medgadget.com/img/robodudes.jpg