Cancer Breakthroughs from Technion

WORLD CANCER DAY

Technion researchers and alumni are revolutionizing diagnostics and treatments for cancer patients around the world. Less invasive testing, targeted therapies and personalized treatment options will maximize health outcomes for those living with cancer.  February 4th is World Cancer Day and we are proud to share the most recent cancer breakthroughs from the Technion.

DESTROYING BRAIN TUMOURS

Technion alumni-founded Insightec is partnering with California-based SonALAsense and the Ivy Brain Tumor Center in Arizona to test a promising non-invasive treatment to effectively and safely destroy deadly brain tumors. Insightec founder and vice chairman of the board Dr. Kobi Vortman is a Technion alumnus.

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PRECISION CANCER TREATMENT

Nobel Laureate and Technion Distinguished Professor Aaron Ciechanover discusses Israeli startup OncoHost’s PROphet system, which combines life-science research and advanced machine-learning technology to develop personalized strategies to maximize the success of cancer therapy. OncoHost was founded in 2017 following more than a decade of academic research led by chief scientific adviser Technion Professor Yuval Shaked, head of the Rappaport Technion Integrated Cancer Center. Prof. Ciechanover is also on OncoHost’s board of scientific directors.

 

NOVOCURE’S VALUE RISES ON THE NYSE

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Novocure, whose FDA-approved Optune system is used for treating glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, now has the highest valuation of any Israeli health care company on the New York Stock Exchange. The product was approved by Israel in 2020 for the treatment of mesothelioma, a rare lung cancer caused by asbestos. According to the company, the technology could also theoretically be effective in treating pancreatic, ovarian, lung and other difficult to treat cancer types. Novocure was founded in 2000 by Technion Professor emeritus Yoram Palti.

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MORE ACCURATE RADIOLOGY 

Co-Founder and CTO Yitzi Pfeffer and Aviel Blumenfeld, CEO, at IMedis Medical.

Israeli medical system company IMedis has received approval from the EU for its AI-based quality control system for radiology departments. The system can accurately identify findings that would require follow-ups and may have been missed by the radiologist in an initial reading, and help discover early findings without symptoms that could lead to cancer. IMedis Medical CEO and Co-founder Aviel Blumenfeld is a Technion alumnus.

 

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CANCER SENSING TOILET SEAT

An early screening unit that uses AI , computer vision algorithms, and multispectral optical sensors might one day help prevent many of the 700,000 yearly global deaths from colorectal cancer. The OutSense IoT sensor clips onto the toilet and operates automatically, non-invasively, discreetly and without active user intervention. The sensor “knows” who is sitting on the toilet based on the closest smartphone, as well as other ways to identify the user. Real-time analysis is conducted in the cloud, and notification of any abnormal results is sent immediately to the smartphone of the user or caregiver. OutSense Chairman and Founder Ishay Attar is a Technion alumnus.

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BETTER BIOPSIES

Limaca Medical says it has developed a medical device to perform endoscopic ultrasound-guided biopsies that promise 'ten times' greater procedural efficiency (Courtesy)

Israeli startup Limaca Medical has developed a medical device to perform endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided biopsies that promise “ten times” greater procedural efficiency with less trauma than the commonly used endoscope. Limaca’s Precision biopsy device gives surgeons more control and enables them to precisely reach the area of interest in the organ and offers a vast improvement over current EUS methods. Limaca Founder and Medical Director Iyad Khamasi is an assistant professor at the Technion, and the director of the Invasive Endoscopy Unit at the Rambam Health Care Campus.

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