News

The 2018 Israel American Council (IAC) National Conference was held recently at the Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, Florida. On December 1, Dr. Eyal Zimlichman, Deputy Director General, Chief Medical Officer and Chief Innovation Officer at Sheba Medical Center was honored as a guest speaker in an engaging panel discussion on “The Future of Medicine.”

The Humanitarian Response Team from the Israel Center for Disaster Medicine at Sheba Medical Center was the first international team of doctors, nurses, and lab technicians to respond to the urgent call for help following an outbreak of cholera in Lusaka, Zambia. Cholera is unheard of in Israel, just like in all Western nations. However, Sheba held fast to their commitment to share medical excellence under all circumstances.

A team comprised of several Israeli ophthalmologists and nurses recently set sail for the South Pacific paradise island of Papua New Guinea, where they will perform advanced cataract surgeries. The head of the team is Dr. Eva Platner, an ophthalmologist, and all of the medical specialists represent The Israel Center for Disaster Medicine and Humanitarian Response at Sheba Medical Center.

The Angelman Syndrome Foundation (ASF) recently expanded their international reach into Israel, collaborating with The Edmond and Lily Safra Children’s Hospital at Sheba Medical Center in Israel to open a new clinic. ASF’s mission is to advance awareness and treatment of AS, and the foundation has funded numerous research grants and clinics. With the addition of the Israeli clinic and another new clinic in The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario in Ottawa, Canada, the ASF now has 10 global locations (eight of which are in the United States).

Approximately four billion prescriptions for medication are filled every year in the United States. Within this staggering number, anywhere from four to eight million of these medications will involve potentially life-threatening mistakes. In response, MedAware has developed a technological solution to identify and prevent dangerous prescription errors in real-time. Their innovative technology was tested recently in a live clinical trial at Sheba Medical Center, and the MedAware notifications were found to be on time and accurate 80% of the time.

For the fifth year running, Sheba Medical Center’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit was awarded the “Excellence in Neonatal Intensive Care” title by the Ministry of Health.

A fusion biopsy is a smart biopsy guided by MRI scanning. During the test, suspicious areas are noted by the radiologist, and the MRI data is combined with ultrasound images. This combination (fusion) makes it possible to target the biopsy more accurately to suspicious areas, rather than blind piercing, and to increase the rate of disease detection.

KidneyCure, the Israeli cell therapy company based in Tel Aviv, is developing treatment for end-stage renal disease. This innovative company recently announced the financial support of new investors, Aurum Ventures, controlled by Morris Kahn, and Direct Insurance –Financial Investments. Altogether, the addition of these two investors brings the total capital raised by KidneyCure to $4 million.

Lonza, a Swiss biotech company, opens their new Israeli Collaborative Innovation Center (CIC) in the Life Science Park, in Haifa. This Research & Development center features 1,000 square meters of space. CIC employs staff of 15 scientific professionals. Managed by Dr. Frida Grynspan-Gotlieb, the CIC aims to take advantage of Israel’s frontline expertise in software and cell/molecular biology and engineering in order to enhance Lonza’s capabilities.