Good News From Israel

Several readers have emailed me asking why my columns always deal with the more serious aspects of news from the Middle East. Well, that’s because I usually analyze the day to day current events in Israel and the region, and how they impact the U.S. in general, and U.S. – Israel relations in particular.

But I have been neglecting the positive, uplifting and world-changing news that comes out of Israel every day.

So this week’s column is dedicated exclusively to good news and developments from Israel.

These recent articles come from two resources: israel21c.org and nocamels.com, where you can find more about these inventions, together with a wealth of information on how Israel is constantly making the world better, safer and healthier.

1.   Novel wound clot bandages can stop severe bleeding within minutes.

Developed by nano-materials specialist Dr. Shani Eliyahu-Gross of Core Scientific Creations, WoundClot is composed of a highly absorbent gauze made from regenerated cellulose (what plant cell walls are made of). When applied to a wound, this single-use, sterile bandage turns into a gel-state membrane, forming a stable membrane with the platelets (clotting blood cells) from the wound. By enhancing the natural process of coagulation, WoundClot stops hemorrhaging within minutes. Perhaps more importantly, the membrane lasts up for up to 24 hours. (nocamels.com)

2.   Israeli Tech Puts 3D Holographic Heart In The Doctor’s Hand To Save Lives

Real View has developed what is probably the most advanced 3D interactive visualization system. Their holographic system allows physicians to work with the patient’s true 3D anatomy appearing as precise volumetric holograms floating in mid-air.  (nocamels.com)

3.   China signs 5-year agreement with Galilee institute

The Galilee International Management Institute has signed a five-year cooperation agreement with the Chinese government on innovations in agriculture. The Institute offers advanced seminars to professionals from over 170 transitional and industrialized countries, in an attempt to promote cooperation on global and regional levels.   Over the last 10 years, the Galilee International Management Institute (GIMI) has trained over 900 Chinese officials.  The new agreements call for GIMI to train approximately 130 Chinese — mainly in the fields of agriculture, water management and technological innovation — each year for the five years. (israel21c.org)

4.   A single blood test could detect multiple diseases

An Israeli-led international team of researchers has proof of concept for a single blood test that can detect multiple conditions, including diabetes, cancer, traumatic injury and neurodegeneration, in a highly sensitive and specific manner.

The novel method, tested on 320 patients and control groups, zeroes in on patterns of circulating DNA that is released by dying cells and traces it to specific types of tissue. (israel21c.org)

5.   California to grow rice sustainably with Israeli water-tech

The first sustainable farming initiative leveraging Israel’s pioneering research and innovation in water technology will begin this spring at Conaway Ranch in Woodland, California. The goal of the novel project is to reduce the vast amount of water ordinarily used in growing rice.

“We couldn’t ask for better partners: Ben-Gurion University of the Negev’s Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research and Netafim USA, the world’s leading drip-irrigation manufacturer, both of which have experience growing rice in arid regions,” said Kyriakos Tsakopoulos, president and CEO of Conaway Preservation Group, owner of the 17,000-acre Conaway Ranch in north-central California, upon announcing the project at the AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington, D.C. on March 20, adding: “This effort could serve as a model for other farms and potentially save hundreds of thousands of acre-feet of water in California if widely adopted”. (Israel21c.org)

6.   Breakthrough Blood Test For Alzheimer’s Disease To Undergo Clinical Trials

In order to accurately diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, medical professionals must conduct a long series of tests to assess a patient’s memory impairment, cognitive skills, functional abilities, and behavioral changes. The process also includes costly brain imagining scans and, in some cases, invasive cerebral spinal fluid tests to rule out other diseases.

Now, a new discovery by a team of Israeli and American researchers seeks to effectively screen and diagnose Alzheimer’s using a blood test. The new study, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, proposes a new biomarker for cognitive aging and Alzheimer’s disease: The activity-dependent neuro-protective protein (ADNP), whose levels can be easily monitored in routine blood tests. The study also found that higher ADNP levels tested in the blood correlate with higher IQ in healthy older adults. The researchers now plan to move forward into clinical trials in order to create a pre-Alzheimer’s test that will help to tailor potential preventative treatments (nocamels.com).

And these are just a few examples.

 It’s important to always remember that with all the bad news that comes out of that region, Israel is fulfilling its destiny as not only the Jewish Nation State and homeland, but as a constant light to all the nations of the world.

There is always good news from Israel, and I promise to emphasize it more.