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February 08, 2012 |
General Electric is investing in Israeli start-up, Check-Cap -- a developer of an ingestible imaging capsule that may help detect colorectal cancer. The investment is being made through the GE healthymagination Fund, an equity fund that makes investments in highly promising healthcare technology companies.
In the past, General Electric bought well-established companies and factories in Israel, but this is its first investment in a startup company in Israel.
"Check-Cap's technology is not only innovative but it presents great promise to change the standard of patient care and to help them avoid the discomfort of traditional colonoscopies," said GE Vice President & GE Healthcare Chief Technology Officer Mike Harsh.
Check-Cap's largest shareholder is the Pontifax fund. The company was founded in 1995 by entrepreneur Dr. Yoav Kimchy.
Similar to Given Imaging's Pillcam, the Check-Cap capsule can diagnose tumors from within a patient's body.
The two Israeli innovations differ in that Pillcam uses light to make images and Check-Cap's ingestible capsule will use X-ray based imaging.
Check-Cap also says its disposable capsule will require no bowel cleansing before ingestion and no hospital visit, allowing patients to go about their daily routines without having to alter their activities.
Check-Cap plans to introduce its ingestible imaging capsule in the European Union in late 2013, subject to CE Mark regulatory approval. The company is in discussions with the United States Food & Drug Administration concerning appropriate clinical activities to support approval to market the product in the US.
"We are pleased to have GE be a new investor and collaborator," said Guy Neev, Chief Executive Officer of Check-Cap. "GE's investment is an acknowledgement of the patient need we are addressing as well as the clinical promise of our technology. Colon cancer is the most deadly, preventable cancer that patients currently experience. Our goal is to reduce patient mortality by facilitating dramatically increased patient adherence with the physician screening recommendations, allowing earlier detection and treatment. GE's experience in the imaging space will be a significant contribution to our efforts as we progress in our clinical and regulatory program towards commercialization."
In related news, Check-Cap announced plans to raise $20-25 million in a private placement with the support of Citigroup. The funding is in addition to the investment by GE. ...
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February 07, 2012 |
It's a new Israeli record as 45 players from 10 countries are set to battle with words at this weekend's Fourth Israeli Open Scrabble Tournament.
Players from 10 countries will take part in the Fourth Israeli Open Scrabble Tournament.
Foreign players from the UAE, England, Canada, United States, Norway, Malta, Australia, Scotland and Germany will take on the Israeli wordsmiths in Netanya from February 10-12, 2012.
"We've become a lot more international. We started with five or six foreign players in first Israeli Open. Now we have 19 people," says Evan Cohen, organizer of the event and Israel National Scrabble Champion. "We're well recognized on the international calendar. We've had former world champions, we get top players."
Tournament Scrabble is a serious form of the world's most popular word game. The Israeli tournament is internationally rated and follows World English-language Scrabble Players' Association (WESPA) rules.
"The Israeli Open offers the perfect opportunity to escape the bleakness of a European winter and play international Scrabble in one of the finest settings of anywhere it is played in the world," says Britain's Scrabble champion Mikki Nicholson.
The game was conceived in 1931 by an out-of-work American architect named Alfred Mosher Butts. Today, the game exists in 29 languages including Hebrew, German, Italian, Spanish, French and Braille. English is the language used by serious players and in tournaments.
Cohen says the Israeli Open "shows another side of Israel. It's a good image that we're projecting."
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February 07, 2012 |
Getting to Eilat just got easier. The Cabinet has approved the construction of a railway line from Tel Aviv to the country's southern resort city. According to the plan, the 350-kilometer line will be for passengers and freight and is due to shorten travel time to just two hours. "The Tel Aviv-Eilat railway line will change the face of the country. For 63 years, there has been talk about linking up the periphery to the center, but nothing has been done," said Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Moreover, the line is meant to offer a new Asia-Europe trade route.
"The State of Israel must create vital interests from a national strategy point-of-view. We have the ability to create an alternative transportation route that bypasses the Suez Canal - this is an insurance policy. Israel must become a continental land crossing route and create great power interests," said Netanyahu. "The railway line and Israel's natural gas resources can forge strong links in the economic, energy and industrial fields."
Prime Minister's Office Director-General Harel Locker will consider three alternatives for financing the project: An inter-governmental agreement between Israel and another government with which there are economic and strategic interests; establishing the project in cooperation with the private sector; or funding from the state budget.
The line is scheduled to open five years from the start of construction.
Reports estimate the project's costs to run some $2.3 billion.
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February 06, 2012 |
Even with a reported 1,000 cyber attacks every minute directed at Israeli web sites, Israel is seen as one of the top three countries in cyber-readiness according to a McAfee survey. The cyber defense poll gave Israel, Finland and Sweden a score of 4.5 out of five for their ability to cope with cyber threats and attacks. No country scored a perfect five. The US, UK, Germany, Spain, France, Netherlands and Estonia were given four out of five points. And China, Brazil and Mexico were listed as being among the least able to defend themselves against emerging cyber attacks. Isaac Ben-Israel, senior security advisor to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, is quoted in the report as saying that Israel sees 1,000 cyber attacks every minute. "The hacktivist group Anonymous carries out lots of attacks but they don't cause much damage. The real threat is from states and major crime organizations," said Ben-Israel. "Cyber security is not about saving information or data, but about something deeper than that. It's about securing different life systems regulated by computers. In Israel, we realized this ten years ago," said Ben-Israel. "A cyber war can inflict the same type of damage as a conventional war. If you want to hit a country severely, you hit its power and water supplies. Cyber technology can do this without firing a single bullet."
The report calls for greater efforts be made to improve cross-border law enforcement. It also highlighted the need for sharing of information globally as necessary to keeping ahead of threats.
"Cybercriminals route their connection through multiple different countries," said McAfee CTO Raj Samani. "The bad guys share information - we need to do the same as well."
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February 06, 2012 |
The Artists' Colony Inn in Safed has been named Best B&B in the Middle East 2012 by travel review site TripAdvisor. Seven other Israeli guest houses made it into the Top 25 list as well.
The Artists' Colony Inn is located in a restored stone building in the famous Artist Colony of Safed.
"It was like staying in the middle of years and years of history," wrote Gale of Maryland, a visitor in January 2012.
"This Inn was such an unexpected delight. This little gem far exceeded our expectations. It is a quaint and beautifully restored property that has all the amenities of a first rate hotel," another guest wrote on the TripAdvisor site.
TripAdvisor ran several contests simultaneously, calling on travelers around the world to vote for their favorite spots across the globe. Other contests included Trendiest Hotels, Best Food and Wine Destinations and Top Destinations in the World, among others.
Seven other Israeli inns to place on the coveted B&B list include Barbakfar (fourth) and Frenkels Bed and Breakfast (fifth) in the Galilee, The Fauzi Azar Inn in Nazareth (14), Posh Pina in Rosh Pina (15), Lutheran Guest House in Jerusalem (16), Eden House in Tel Aviv (20) and Vered Hagalil Holiday Village (21).
In related news, Shalom Hotel & Relax Tel Aviv was the only Israeli hotel to score a place (16) on the Best Hotels in the Middle East list.
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