In addition, a patent was approved for the Israeli development for the treatment of headaches and neck pain
The Minister of Science, Yaakov Perry, is mobilizing to promote biomed in the Negev
The Minister of Science, Yaakov Perry, used the break between holidays for a meeting in order to promote the biomed field in the Negev. In favor of the issue, representatives of Bio-Negev, (a company for the public benefit Ltd.), went to the minister's office, to present to him the activity model that, in their estimation, will promote one of the economic fields that are developing these days in the Negev alongside high-tech.
"Bio-Negev is working to stabilize and condition the biotechnology industry in Israel, and the beginning of its activity is focused on the Negev, alongside the centers of excellence of Ben Gurion University, the National Institute of Biotechnology and the Soroka University Medical Center," explained the CEO of Bio-Negev, Dr. Inbar Freeman, and presented Bio-Negev's unique activity model, which is built from a cluster of companies working in cooperation to strengthen the cluster together and each individually. "The centers of excellence are an important anchor in the field of biotechnology in the Negev and the cluster was built around it. Bio-Negev recognizes the gap between these centers of excellence and the ability to bring excellent technologies to fruition. For this purpose, service companies operate in the cluster, which are the milestones in biotechnological development, and together, the cluster creates the envelope for young biotech companies, in the various stages of development," explained Dr. Freeman.
In the meeting with the minister, who showed great interest in the field of biotechnology that is developing in the Negev and in Bio-Negev activity in particular and even promised to examine the issue of participating in the financing of the activity, the representatives of the partner organizations in Bio-Negev participated: CEO of the commercialization company of Ben Gurion University of the Negev (BGN Technologies), Netta Cohen , the University's Vice President of Marketing, Sagi Langer, the CEO of the Target Company, Sima Kahlon, and the representative of the Negev Development Authority, Vared Goshen. Also present at the meeting were the founder of Bio-Negev and a member of the board, Dr. Shay Yarkoni and Dr. Freeman.
Bio-Negev, which is a global innovation center for the biotechnology and life sciences industry in the Negev, was established to serve as a 'superframework' for the development of the biotechnology and life sciences industry in the Negev region. The center integrates existing resources and capabilities (academic, clinical and industrial), works to establish industrial infrastructures in the region and is a focal point that attracts financial, organizational, managerial and human resources to the Negev. Bio-Negev, which was established as a regional industrial "cluster", in the format of the European clusters (Bioclusters), is currently the only full member from Israel within the super-European framework - the European Council for Regional Biotechnology Centers - CEBR.
A grant of up to NIS 6 million to establish a laboratory complex for biotechnology companies in Jerusalem
The Jerusalem Development Authority, through the Bio-Jerusalem project, published a tender for the construction of a laboratory complex in Jerusalem intended for rent by start-up companies in the field of biomed. As part of the operations of the Jerusalem Development Authority, the Ministry for Jerusalem and the Diaspora and the Jerusalem Municipality to develop the biomed industry in the capital, the Jerusalem Development Authority is offering a precedent grant of up to 6 million shekels for the construction of a 1000 square meter chemistry and biology laboratory complex and offices. The grant, which joins a series of programs and benefits that exist in Jerusalem in the field of biomed, is intended for entrepreneurs and property owners who will establish and operate the complex, and lease space to biotechnology companies.
Moti Hazan, CEO of the Jerusalem Development Authority predicts that this initiative will be another magnet for biomed companies to Jerusalem "We offer a solution for a real need that currently exists in the biomed industry, which is numerous in start-up companies that do not manage to build research and development laboratories. This benefit joins a series of benefits that we recently launched that support the biomed industry, including the grant to encourage the absorption of employees in biomed companies which can reach up to 3.9 million NIS for the company, a grant for the purchase and construction of equipment and infrastructure for use by the industry which can reach 8 million NIS, a grant for the company Biomed moving to Jerusalem or expanding there and a grant for employing students in Biomed companies - all measures designed to encourage the activity of biotechnology companies in the city."
"Since the launch of the Marom program, which is shared by the Ministry for Jerusalem and the Diaspora, the Jerusalem Municipality and the Jerusalem Development Authority, in which we significantly increased the unique benefits for Biomed companies, we have witnessed the growth of the sector in the city, which is manifested in the move of companies to Jerusalem, the expansion of existing companies and the establishment of new companies in the city. We encourage established and young biomed companies, service providers to industry and entrepreneurs in the field of life sciences to contact us to benefit from the wide basket of benefits for companies operating in Jerusalem," added Mr. Hazan.
The start-up companies that require a laboratory infrastructure do not currently have an available and accessible solution. They can bear the cost of building the laboratory themselves or pay indirectly for the construction cost through a high rent and a long-term lease commitment. In both cases, most of the young companies do not have the required resources, and are therefore forced to work from within the academy or find creative solutions such as subletting or working with external contractors. The proposed solution, where companies will be able to rent laboratory space and offices for short or long periods, is unique in Israel and based on similar models in the US and Europe. The model is flexible and modular, so it allows for changes or replacement of tenants in the future.
The grant was given as part of the Marom Program, a multi-year plan to strengthen the economy of Jerusalem that was approved by the Israeli government in 2011, and which allocates over NIS 70 million to research and development and industry in the field of biotechnology in the capital between 2011-2016 for the purpose of strengthening Jerusalem as a biotechnological center.
A patent was approved for an Israeli development for the treatment of headaches and neck pain
The Israeli company Headway from the Trendlines Group, reports that it has received patent approval in the USA for a facility for the treatment of chronic neck and headache pain. The Occiflex, a dynamic cradle for the treatment of head and neck pain, is equipped with a unique mechanism that allows controlled maneuvering of the treated limb, thus giving the therapist treatment options that were not possible until now. The scope of the initial market in the USA is estimated at 368 million dollars
Chronic head and neck pain, with a component of neck muscle abnormalities, affects the lives of hundreds of millions worldwide, treated in approximately 50,000 physical therapy and pain clinics. With the advancement of medicine and the increase in life expectancy, the number of people who regularly suffer from the problem also increases steadily. The treatment offered today, which includes drugs, invasive procedures and alternative solutions, is in many cases ineffective, ineffective in the long term, and also causes many side effects.
These days Headway received a product patent in the USA and a pre-production series of the treatment bed with the dynamic cradle (Occiflex) will enter clinical trials later this year, after two years of research and development in collaboration with the Dutch company Enraf-Nonius. The company expects to start sales in less than a year, based on the international marketing channels of Enraf-Nonius. The scope of the initial American market is estimated at 368 million dollars.
Tamir Levital, CEO of Headway: "The initial idea for the development of the cradle came from the long-standing frustration of Dr. Yaron River - a pain specialist, which resulted from a lack of effective treatment methods for head and neck pain. Today, there is a growing population of people suffering from these pains, many of whom lack an effective, personal, safe, non-invasive and non-pharmacological solution. During the R&D, we emphasized on keeping the treatment environment as similar as possible to the manual treatment given today. This treatment, as effective as it may be, requires precious time and physical effort from the therapist, and in fact cannot be performed beyond a few minutes. The device's ability to repeatedly, accurately and conveniently perform the treatment tailored to the patient personally, for an unlimited time, at very low speeds, achieves excellent clinical results, as proven in 4 clinical trials carried out in recent years. Now, after the patent procedure for the product has been completed, we hope that in the near future OcciflexTM will take its natural place as a standard treatment for those suffering from head and neck pain."
