TAKE HEART: Every year, millions of adults worldwide are diagnosed with heart failure. Vectorious’ V-LAP, the world’s first direct heart pressure monitor located on the heart’s left atrium, is allowing physicians to get unprecedented access to the earliest indication of heart pressure changes before the patient feels any symptoms, in order to manage the disease and to live a better life.
Vectorius co-founders, Oren Goldshtein and Dr. Eyal Orion, are both Technion Alumni.
Prof. Ido Kaminer of Technion-Israel Institute of Technology’s Andrew and Erna Viterbi Faculty of Electrical Engineering heads the Robert and Ruth Magid Electron Beam Quantum Dynamics Lab. His AdQuanta group has developed a new 4D electron microscope, the first of it’s kind in Israel and one of the few in the world.
This breakthrough is likely to have an impact on numerous potential applications, including the design of new quantum materials for storing quantum bits with greater stability. Similarly, it can help improve the sharpness of colors on cell phones and other kinds of screens.
Kaminer explains, “We have developed an electron microscope that produces, what is in many respects, the best near- field optical microscopy in the world. Using our microscope, we can change the color and angle of light that illuminates any sample of nano materials and map their interactions with electrons, as we demonstrated with photonic crystals.”
Technion technology behind revolutionary new device
“Patients receiving oncology therapies are immuno-compromised and susceptible to infection,” says Dr. Avishay Bransky, CEO of PixCell Medical. “A hospital environment presents a major risk, due to potential contact with other patients, staff and for hospital-acquired infection. As such, we believe that enabling the shift to home care settings for oncology, in particular, is a crucial evolution in cancer care.”
PixCell Medical offers a new technology that enables rapid, at home blood tests that could enable remote the administration of remote chemotherapy treatment for cancer patients. Their patent-protected device uses an underlying technology known as viscoelastic focusing (VEF), which was first discovered at the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology.
Researchers Develop Self-cleaning Face Mask Which Could Kill Coronavirus
Led by Professor Yair Ein-Eli, researchers from the Technion Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering have developed a self-disinfecting, reusable protective face mask.
The disinfection process occurs when a layer of carbon fibers in the mask is heated using a low current source, such as a mobile phone charger. A patent application for the invention has been submitted in the U.S.
New Hope and Therapeutic Technologies: A Breath of Fresh Air for COVID-19 Patients
On Tuesday, June 2 we had the pleasure of hosting Technion Professor Josué Sznitman for our first national virtual event.
Dr. Sznitman and his team have developed an innovative technology that could dramatically improve the efficacy of existing drugs for treating Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. The team’s technology is known as Liquid Foam Therapy (LIFT), and is intended to dramatically improve the distribution of surfactant, the liquid that coats the surface in the lungs. Surfactant reduces the energy required for breathing and the technology could help save the lives of severe COVID-19 patients.
Watch Dr. Sznitman explain this innovative new technology and how it can help save lives.
A team led by Professor Shady Farah, of the Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering, is developing disinfectant polymer materials with strong antiviral properties for the protection of surfaces where COVID-19 can linger. The polymers are highly stable macro-molecules designed to have long-lasting disinfecting qualities. The antiviral polymers can be used in hospitals, schools, transportation systems, homes, and more, giving an extra layer of protection against COVID-19.
June 5th is World Environment Day, a day to reflect on what we can do protect the health of our planet. This year in particular, amidst the pandemic, we all have a heightened awareness of the ways in which our earth and human health are interconnected and must safeguarded. Let’s all take this opportunity to become more environmentally responsible and mindful of the ways we can preserve nature today.
Here are a few ways Technion’s technological innovations encourage you to revisit your relationship with the world we live in.
Technion is part of a $21.4 million Israel-US consortium to develop water-energy technologies. More specifically, they are focusing on energy-efficient enhanced water supply, wastewater reuse and resource recovery, and energy water systems.
PhD student Avigail Landman and Masters student Rawan Halabi are saving the planet with a water-splitting system powered by solar energy. This is a huge step towards eliminating our use of fossil fuels and lowering the damaging effects they have on our environment.
Augury is an Industrial Internet of Things and AI company which makes machines more reliable and enhances human productivity to help reduce environmental impact. Also known as “machine whisperers”, Augury co-founders Gal Shaul and Saar Yoskowitz are Technion alumni.
German giant Daimler AG recently announced their collaboration with UBQ Materials to develop “clean” auto parts from converted unsorted household waste. UBQ Materials CTO Shaul Sheffer is a Technion alumnus.
Ph.D. student Natalia Barger and Assistant Professor Ramez Daniel, head of the Synthetic Biology and Bioelectronics Lab at Technion, designed a biological computer to monitor different substances in the environment. Constructed within a bacterial cell, it can transmit signals and can even warn about hemorrhaging in the human body in the future.
Hydratech founder and CTO Dr. Dovik Barkay, is a Technion alumnus who started Hydrantech to create smart hydrant that saves water and millions of dollars. This smart hydrant alerts authorities of leaks, theft or malicious attempts to penetrate a water supply.
Technion graduate Tomer Tzach started CropX in 2014. The company is based on a hardware and software system that uses the power of big data, machine learning and cloud technology to boost agricultural output. Their revolutionary system protects the environment by helping farmers save on water, fertilizer and energy while conserving resources.
Technion alumnus Eylam Ran is the Founder and CEO of agri-tech startup, Edete Precision. They have developed an innovative two-stage artificial pollination technology which mimics the way honeybees collect and distribute pollen. Now bees can take a break!
Mekorot and Newsight Imaging collaborated to develop an inexpensive spectrometer which can improve monitoring the quality of water and considerably increase efficiency. Co-founder and CTO of Newsight Imaging, Eval Yatskan, is a Technion alumnus.
Technion researchers are always trying to find innovative solutions to help save the planet. One of these solutions includes a remote sensor that can be placed on drones or satellites to produce high-resolution data on soil contaminants and detect oil leaks.
Technion students, researchers and alumni are making big strides daily to help improve the state of the environment. If we all contribute by making one small change, together we can make a big impact. Be the difference the world needs. Support Technion Research helping make the world a better place.
Dear Friend,
So much has changed at the Technion. In-person classes have moved online, events have been cancelled, and COVID-19 research is well underway. In fact, right now, at least 40 Technion research teams are developing rapid diagnostic tools, treatments for patients, and potential COVID-19 vaccines. In the midst of so much anxiety, there is hope… thanks to the dedicated students and brilliant researchers at the Technion.
You can support students to continue their studies and ensure that vital COVID-19 research gets out of the lab and starts saving lives. It won’t surprise you that the response from the Technion community is nothing short of remarkable.
SUPPORT THE COVID RESEARCH FUND
Prof. Naama Geva-Zatorsky leads a team of researchers at Technion in developing a cheap and fast home kit to test for coronavirus. Without the need for elaborate lab equipment, the researchers say the kit is 99% accurate.
Prof. Josué Snitzman and his team developed Liquid Foam Therapy (LIFT), a potentially-life saving technology combined with a smart inhaler that delivers necessary drugs to the lungs. This gives hope for COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
Maj. Dr. David Alkaher, the CTO and innovation leader of the Israeli Air Force’s Unit 108, led the AmboVent project: a ventilator hack that could help COVID-19 patients and responders on the frontlines. Maj. Dr. David Alkaher is a Technion alumnus.
Prof. Ezri Tarazi and his team have created an innovative device for medical staff masks. This shield continuously blows air on their faces improving protection against infection, while eliminating fogging and overheating.
Intel recently acquired Israel’s Moovit for $900m for their transit solution helping essential workers get to their jobs safely amidst the coronavirus crisis. Co-founders Yaron Evron and Roy Bick are Technion alumni.
Corsight’s technology gives medical teams touch-free access to open locked areas through an AI-based facial recognition system without the removal of protective gear. Cortica was founded by Prof. Yehoshua Zeevi and doctoral graduates, Igal Raichelgauz and Karina Ordinaev.
Prof. Marcelle Machluf found an innovative way to help those affected by the coronavirus through her patented Nano-Ghost therapy. Best known for her cancer research to treat melanoma, Prof. Machluf has refocused her research on the pandemic.
We’re in this together. Behind every innovation, idea and breakthrough, there is one common purpose: to save lives.
With your support, the Technion can take even greater strides to help those in need and prove how determination and the Israeli spirit can make the impossible possible in fighting the pandemic.
Israeli startup Sonarax is ready for a touchless new world with its ready-to-install ultrasonic data-transmission technology. In the era of COVID, we are all more of shared touch surfaces such as elevator buttons, ATM touch pads and other buttons touched by multiple people. Sonarax offers a touchless solution based on machine-to-machine technology using sound-waves to transfer data between any devices equipped with a speaker and microphone.
“It all began with Roni Papo, an engineer from the Technion, who had the vision and passion to harness sound-waves in order to deliver data,” says Sonarax Chief Commercial Officer Nimrod May. “He developed algorithms to send data in small packages over soundwaves.”
Collaborative research between IBM Research and Technion – Israel Institute of Technology has led to a new method for the separation of particles and molecules from small samples, based on their diffusivity, a molecular property which correlates well with size. The researchers are currently adapting the method for rapid and direct detection of coronavirus from throat swabs.
In a recent paper published in Angewandte Chemie and designated by the journal as a “Very Important Paper,” researchers at IBM Research Europe in Zurich and at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology presented a new method and device for separation of particles and biomolecules.
The device makes use of virtual channels, a concept presented by the same team a year ago in a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, wherein unique flow fields can be generated in a microfluidic chamber using electric field actuation. In their latest findings, the authors used this technology to create bidirectional flows – alternating stripes carrying fluid in opposite directions. Such a flow field is impossible tocreate using traditional pumps and valves, and when particles are introduced into this flow they behave in a well-explained yet initially non intuitive manner: small particles remain stationary, while large particles flow away quickly.
“We know that all particles in a fluid move in random directions in a process called Brownian motion” said Vesna Bacheva, a PhD candidate in the Technion Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, and a co-first author of the paper. “This is the same mechanism that allows us to smell a small drop of perfume from across the room – the molecules simply make their way randomly in a process also known as diffusion. However, small particles diffuse much faster than large ones, and when placed in the bidirectional flow they move across the opposing flow streams very quickly. This makes them move very slightly back and forth but overall – stay in place. Larger molecules or particles diffuse much slower and end up being carried away by the flow.” The team calls their method BFF, meaning “bidirectional flow filter.” This separation mechanism was defined by one of the paper reviewers as “a fundamentally significant contribution to the field that only comes along every 10-20 years.”
“It really is very simple,” added Dr. Federico Paratore, postdoctoral researcher at IBM Research in Zurich, who also co-first authored the paper. “Surprisingly, it hasn’t been done so far, most likely because of technological limitations. Whereas developing the concept certainly took time and iterations, with today’s microfabrication capabilities the final device is rather a simple solid-state device that can be produced on a large scale”.
In the paper the team demonstrated the separation of antibodies and particles from small molecules and provided the theory and engineering guidelines for separation of wide variety of biomolecules. “The reason this might be very useful is because the majority of biological assays rely on a reaction between a probe and the target molecule in the sample, followed by removal of the excess probe molecules that did not find their target. This last step is often very involved and is extremely challenging when the volume of the sample is small,” said Prof. Moran Bercovici. “Our method does this very well, provided that the two reacting elements are of sufficiently different size.”
The team is currently working to adapt the method for rapid detection of the novel Coronavirus.
Dr. Govind Kaigala explained the concept: “Fortunately, the coronavirus is fairly large – about 100 nm in diameter. This is much larger than antibodies or other probes that can be used to bind to it. Using our method we hope to be able to place a patient’s sample into our chip where it will mix with visible probes, and then see only the viruses flowing out while the unbound probes stay behind.”
This work was funded by the European Research Council (MetamorphChip) and by the BRIDGE program (project 40B1-0_191549), funded by Innosuisse and the Swiss National Science Foundation.
Click here for the paper in Angewandte Chemie
Click here to video explaining the research