ASUH's breakfast event in New York focusing on Carmel Ltd

The University of Haifa has been showcasing its role in developing Haifa as an epicenter of life sciences
in a recent breakfast event in the US focusing on Carmel Ltd., the University’s Technology Transfer Organization.

The breakfast was organized by the American Friends Society (ASUH) and hosted by the law firm ZAG S&W
in their New York office. It featured guest speakers Dr. Uri Geiger, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Accelmed;
Elka Nir, CEO of Carmel; and leading University faculty Prof. Sarit Larisch and Dr. Dalit Barkan.

Speakers discussed Israel as a global hub for innovation and credited Carmel with providing the backing necessary
to mature projects for commercialization. A wide range of business, finance, research, scientific, technological and
philanthropic figures took part.

Karen Berman, CEO of ASUH noted that the "University of Haifa is leveraging its IP to change the way Israeli
companies interact with foreign investors and philanthropists." The event was a great success and ASUH hopes to
duplicate it in New York and throughout the US.

The article from 'At a Glance' Magazine, May 2017 >>

Life Science Start-ups Secure Impressive Investments Totaling $8 Million

ARTSaVIT and MemoFit, biotech companies of Carmel-Haifa and Carmel Innovations Fund, recently announced successful financing rounds with strategic business partners, bringing them one step closer to delivering their healthcare advances to the public.

Click here to read the full article - Published on Heights spring 2017

 

MultiQTL-Integrated Solutions for Genome Mapping

MultiQTL's mission is developing integrative bioinformatics tools for Genome Mapping. Genome mapping is a major part of genome projects and precondition for most of the genomic applications in agriculture, biotechnology, ecology, and medicine. Any organism with economical or ecological importance is (or will soon become) a target for genome mapping efforts. Genome mapping is also a prerequisite for genome sequencing, especially for large and complex genomes. Software products of MultiQTL Ltd integrate a broad spectrum of data mining, statistical analysis, interactive visualization and modeling tools that enable building reliable physical and genetic maps and powerful quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis using advanced methods for maximum extraction of mapping information from data.

MultiQTL's software packages are user friendly, fast, and take advantage of simple and sophisticated, classical and novel, methods of mapping analysis for controlled crosses of economically important plants and animals, as well as model organisms. MultiQTL Ltd provides also genome mapping services: building dense and ultradense genetic maps, assembly of physical contigs and super-contigs of fingerprinted BAC (bacterial artificial chromosome) libraries, and QTL analysis. MultiQTL's main products include: MultiPoint software (3 sub-packages), for building genetic maps; MultiQTL package, for genetic dissection of quantitative traits; LTC package, for building physical maps. A new package, MultiPool, for QTL mapping based on selective DNA pooling, is underway. A short outline of MultiQTL's available software follows:

MultiPointis an interactive package that provides a broad spectrum of tools for genetic mapping and includes: interactive and semi-automatic building maps for thousands of markers; testing reliability of the constructed maps by using re-sampling techniques (jackknife); increasing the reliability of multilocus maps by detecting and removing markers that caused neighborhood instabilities; building ultra-high density maps using data from “genotyping-by-sequencing” platforms; conducting consensus mapping by re-analysis of multiple data sets. 

MultiQTL is an integrated system for QTL analysis in controlled crosses that enables: versatile data mining and editing, single-QTL, two-linked QTL and Multiple QTL analyses; single-trait and multiple-trait analyses; QTL analysis across multiple environments; using selective genotyping design; evaluating the accuracy of the estimated parameters; comparing of alternative models (e.g., additive or dominant effects, epistasis and its components, variance effect, etc.); reporting genome-wise significant effects (FDR analysis).

LTC (linear topology contig) is a new analytical framework for physical mapping based on exploring the topology of fingerprinted BAC clone overlaps. LTC can be used for construction, verification, elongation, merging, and “curing” of the contigs. LTC proved especially competitive compared to other tools in dealing with very large high complexity genomes (like wheat and barley).

 Currently, customers from 25 countries from all continents are using MultiQTL's software. The majority of users are from agricultural research and development (academia, governmental institutes, breeding and seed companies). The target organisms include field crops, trees, fishes and other aquaculture objects, and model organisms. 

 

MultiQTL Ltd is seeking financial investments for extending its products and services and further R&D, in order to cover a wider spectrum of economically important organisms (for agriculture, biotechnology, ecology, and model organisms for biomedical research). MultiQTL Ltd  is open to collaboration and partnership with Bioinformatic and Software groups and companies as well as units conducting wet genomics.

MMPI®-2 Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory 2

  

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory®-2 (MMPI®-2)

 

Authors

 

2001 Manual:  James N. Butcher, Ph.D., John R. Graham, Ph.D., Yossef S. Ben-Porath, Ph.D., Auke Tellegen, Ph.D., W. Grant Dahlstrom, Ph.D., and Beverly Kaemmer, Coordinator for the Press

 

2003 RC Scales Test Monograph:  Auke Tellegen, Ph.D.,Yossef S. Ben-Porath, Ph.D., John L. McNulty, Ph.D., Paul A. Arbisi, Ph.D., John R. Graham, Ph.D., and Beverly Kaemmer

 

2009 FBS Test Monograph:  Yossef S. Ben-Porath, Ph.D., John R. Graham, Ph.D., Auke Tellegen, Ph.D.

 

Publisher:  University of Minnesota Press

 

Length:  567 True-False items

 

Administration Time:  60-90 minutes

 

Age:  18 years and older

 

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory®-2 (MMPI®-2), a revision of the original MMPI® (1943) was published by the University of Minnesota Press in 1989 and revised in 2001.  Updates were introduced in 2003 (The Restructured Clinical [RC] Scales) and 2006 (The Symptom Validity [FBS] Scale) documented in a test monograph in 2009.  

Relevant to a range of contemporary applications, the MMPI®-2 instrument is the most widely used and widely researched test of adult psychopathology. Used by clinicians to assist with the diagnosis of mental disorders and the selection of appropriate treatment methods, the MMPI®-2 test continues to help meet the assessment needs of mental health professionals in an ever-changing environment.

The MMPI®-2 test’s contemporary normative sample and extensive research base make it the assessment of choice for a wide variety of settings. The test can be used to help:

     Assess major symptoms of social and personal maladjustment.

     Identify suitable candidates for high-risk public safety positions.

     Give a strong empirical foundation for a clinician's expert testimony.

     Assess medical patients and design effective treatment strategies, including chronic pain management.

     Evaluate participants in substance abuse programs and select appropriate treatment approaches.

     Support college and career counseling recommendations.

     Provide valuable insight for marriage and family counseling.

The 567-item MMPI-2 is composed of over 120 scales, including

Validity Indicators, Superlative Self-Presentation Subscales, Clinical Scales, Restructured Clinical (RC) Scales, Content Scales, Content Component Scales, Supplementary Scales, Clinical Subscales (Harris-Lingoes and Social Introversion Subscales).

 

MMPI®-2 SCALES

Health and Risk Communication Research Center



The Multidisciplinary Research Center for Health and Risk Communication aims  to create an infrastructure based on scientific research,  in order to inform and empower the public and to enable developing, supporting and implementing programs, position papers and health and risk communication campaigns for corporations ,healthcare organizations and government offices in Israel;

The Center's Goals

• To apply theory-driven communication expertise across all phases of the public communication campaign process, including formative research, message design, message dissemination, and summative evaluation.
• To ensure that health and risk messages are culturally sensitive and appropriate to audience's health literacy levels.
• To facilitate the development and conduct of grant projects in the health and risk communication domains and to bring our expertise to interdisciplinary grant teams.
• To provide consultation to organizations seeking to create and disseminate health and risk communication efforts to audiences.
• To create interdisciplinary ties with faculty in other institutions to facilitate research, teaching, and mentoring of students in health and risk communication.
• To provide evidence-based recommendations to practitioners and consumers.

to contact the Center for Health and Risk Communication call 04-8288500 or mail us : This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

מרכז המחקר לתקשורת בריאות וסיכונים באוניברסיטת חיפה הוא המרכז הראשון הייחודי בתחומו באוניברסיטאות בישראל. העולם כיום רווי סיכוני בריאות, בטיחות וסביבה ,שהציבור צריך להתמודד עמם חדשות- לבקרים. לצורך מענה להתמודדות עם איומים וסיכונים אלה, הוקם מרכז מחקרי שייתן מענה לצרכים של הציבור ויהווה מקור ידע לרשויות ולארגונים. הציבור נאלץ להתמודד עם סיכונים רבים ומגוונים הנוגעים לכל תחומי חיינו כגון : זיהומים במזון( ראה המשבר אשר פרץ עם הקורנפלקס של חברת יונילבר) זיהום האוויר בסביבות תעשייתיות ,סיכוני בטיחות בדרכים, סיכונים ממגפות שמתפרצות ( ראה משבר הפוליו בישראל, מגפת האיבולה , נגיף הזיקה ). לא פעם ניצב הציבור מבולבל ואובד עצות לאור המסרים המעורפלים ולעיתים סותרים של מקבלי החלטות. יתרה מכך, משרדי הממשלה המקצועיים בתחומם חסרים את הידע התיאורטי והיישומי בתקשור סיכונים לציבור, ולא פעם נעזרים במשרדי יחסי ציבור ודוברים שאין להם מומחיות בתחום הידע התיאורטי והיישומי של תקשורת סיכונים.
לשם התמודדות עם סיכונים אלה יש צורך במרכז מחקר לתקשורת בריאות וסיכונים, שיספק מענה והנחיות לציבור כיצד להתמודד במצבי סיכון, תוך מתן הצעות והנחיות קורקטיות לאימוץ התנהגות. באותה עת, הממצאים המחקרים מהמרכז, ישמשו עבור הציבור מידע וכלים דרכם הוא יוכל להשפיע על מקבלי החלטות ומדיניות.
מטרת המרכז היא ליצור תשתית מבוססת מחקר לפיתוח, ליווי ויישום תוכניות, ניירות עמדה וקמפיינים של תקשורת סיכונים בארגוני בריאות ובמשרדי ממשלה בישראל; קידום שיתוף הפעולה והדיאלוג בין האקדמיה, ארגוני הבריאות והציבור; קידום החינוך האקדמי בתחום; ושיפור דרכי התקשור של סיכונים לציבור במטרה ליידעו ולהעצימו.

"תקשורת סיכונים" היא המונח המתאר את הפצת המידע ותגובות הציבור בהתאם בתנאי אי-וודאות ואיום. זהו תחום חדש יחסית, המתפתח בקצב גובר בשנים האחרונות. תקשורת סיכונים מתמקדת לא רק במהות הסיכון, אלא גם בתגובות הציבור למסרי הסיכון, כגון חששות והתנגדויות למסרים עצמם, וכן לארגונים ולמוסדות המנהלים אותם. ההכרעות המתקבלות בתקשורת סיכונים הינן במידה מסוימת תוצרי לוואי של השפעות חברתיות, תרבותיות ופסיכולוגיות. הצלחתה של תקשורת סיכונים תלויה בצמצום הפער בין הערכת הסיכון של המומחה לבין תפיסות הציבור, כדי ליצור משוב הדדי בין המומחים לציבור.

ליצירת קשר ולקבלת מידע נוסף ניתן לפנות לכרמל בטל' :04-8288500 או בדואר אלקטרוני  אל מרכז המחקר לתקשורת בריאות וסיכונים

מאמרים / ARTICLES

Communicating risk for issues that involve ‘uncertainty bias’: what can the Israeli case of water fluoridation teach us?  Anat Gesser-Edelsburg & Yaffa Shir-Raz, Published online: 07 Aug 2016,   Journal of Risk Research, DOI: 10.1080/13669877.2016.1215343

Health care workers - part of the system or part of the public? Anat Gesser-Edelsburg , Nathan Walter , Manfred S. Green . Published online: June 14, 2014, American Journal of Infection Control. HTML Version

Outbreak or Epidemic? How Obama’s Language Choice Transformed the Ebola Outbreak Into an Epidemic. Anat Gesser-Edelsburg; Yaffa Shir-Raz; Oshrat Sassoni Bar-Lev; James J. James,; Manfred S. Green. JUNE 4, 2015. Asset HTML Version

Science vs. fear: the Ebola quarantine debate as a case study that reveals how the public perceives risk

The “New Public” and the “Good Ol’ Press”: Evaluating Online News Sources During the 2013 Polio Outbreak in Israel

The Public Sphere in Emerging Infectious Disease Communication: Recipient or Active and Vocal Partner?

Why do parents who usually vaccinate their children hesitate or refuse? General good vs. individual risk

 

 

 

Vocal characteristics of neural development in premature infants

 


Principal researcher name: Dr Hagit Friedman

Invention area: life science & Pharma

Background:
Prematurity, a continuously growing phenomenon is a risk factor for multisystem injury, as body systems of the premature infants are not ripe for life out of uterus. Health problems may include immediate and long term complications, and in the long term, prematurity leads to high risk for brain injury and developmental impairments, ranging from Minor Neurological Dysfunction, through ASD, to Cerebral Palsy. With infants at risk, early detection and intervention for developmental impairments is crucial.

A young infant's cry is usually a signal of hunger, pain, or discomfort. But fine sound components of an infant cry, including those which are hardly noticeable to the human ear, can hold important information about the infant’s health and neural development. Various conditions might be reflected in vocal characteristics, including birth trauma, or brain injury. One famous extreme disorder is "cry of the cat" syndrome (caused by a genetic anomaly), but fine differences in infant's cry may also be indicators of an infant’s health. Today, Markers of neural development can be observed and quantified in the newborn and young infant examining the quality of spontaneous movements and oral neuromotor competence. Hence, if neurological deficits change the way infants activate their pharynx and vocal system, then even tiny differences might manifest themselves in differences in vocal characteristics. Vocal analysis may be a nonintrusive way to identify and quantify neurodevelopment impairments
in very young premature infants, and together with analysis of the quality of spontaneous movements and oral neuromotor competence, make a better and more reliable diagnostic tool.
Dr Friedman aims in this project are to analyze infants' vocal characteristics using a computer based tool and to define the correlation between infant's vocal characteristics and infant early development, Reflected in and the quality of infant's feeding movements and general movements.
The study is designed parallel prospectively (with young premature neonates) and retrospectively (vocal analysis of existing data, and speech and developmental outcome of these toddlers).

 

Usage:
Early assessment and detection of developmental impairments is crucial for early and effective intervention as early identification will support initiation of early treatment and may minimize neurological and functional deficits

 

 

Green Roofs

The Kadas Green Roofs Ecology Center

Principal researcher name: Dr.Shay Levy
Invention area: Environment & Cleantech

Background: Green roofs or living roofs – i.e. roofs that contain growing substrate and vegetation - can mitigate many of the negative environmental impacts that urban environments create. “Green” services that they can provide include:

  • thermal insulation for buildings which decreases energy use for heating and cooling
  • mitigating a heat island effect
  • mitigating carbon dioxide build-up and climate change
  • aesthetic qualities of natural beauty and recreational space
  • filters for gray water and storm-water runoff
  • mitigation local plots for agriculture and medicinal plants;
  • Increased efficiency of photovoltaic panels by lowering roof temperatures
  • Critical habitat in otherwise highly limited urban environments to house ecological communities thus aiding in preserving biodiversity
    (both species diversity and genetic diversity).

Carmel Ltd. is looking for potential partners and/or investors in this area. Please Contact us for further information. 

 

גגות ירוקים:
גג ירוק הוא גג אשר נושא עליו צמחייה. יתרונות הגג הירוק רבים כמו למשל:  מהווה בידוד יעיל מפני הטמפרטורה החיצונית ובכך חוסך בעלויות חימום וקירור ; עוזר בוויסות מי נגר בזמן החורף ; יתרון אסתטי טבעי, ועוד.

מרכז המחקר ע"ש קדס לאקולוגיה של גגות ירוקים מייעץ לחברות וארגונים בהפיכה של גגות לגגות ירוקים. למידע נוסף- This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

 

Prof. Fuad Fares: Cancer Program: Natural Extract for Treatment of Colorectal Cancer

Project name: Medicinal plant extract for treatment of colon cancerProject name: Medicinal plant extract for treatment of colon cancer
Principal researchers name: Prof. Fuad Fares and Dr. Rinat Bar-Shalom
Invention area: Natural Science
Background: Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer related death in the western world and it is the main cause of mortality among the gastrointestinal cancers in Israel. Approximately 60% of drugs currently in use for cancer treatment have been isolated from natural products and many of them are derived from plants. In the present study we examined the beneficial effects of a medicinal plant extract on colon cancer cells invitro and in vivo.
Results: Treatment with the plant extract demonstrated a profound reduction in cell viability. This reduction was accompanied with inhibition of DNA synthesis, cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase and induction of apoptosis through both intrinsic and extrinsic pathways. In vivo results indicated that the plant extract has a significant inhibitory effect, which is shown by a deceleration in tumor growth and small final tumor weights and volume. Histological examination clearly revealed apoptotic cells inside the tumor and a decrease in tumor cells' proliferation. No side effects such as weight loss, behavioral changes or changes in kidney and liver functions were observed.
Advantageous:First line treatment for colon cancer is surgery; however the majority of colorectal cancer patients are not candidates for curative local surgery, thus requiring chemotherapy. The effectiveness of chemotherapy treatment has been limited by the side effects and by development of resistance. In order to combat the problem of side effects and chemo-resistance, alternative therapies are required for the treatment of colorectal cancer. Natural products are an important source of anticancer drugs. The medicinal plant extract demonstrated a profound reduction in cell viability in vitro and in tumor progression in vivoand no side effects were observed.
Usage:The importance of this research stems from the profound inhibitory effects of the plant extract on colon cancer cells demonstrated in vitro and in vivo. Therefore, the plant extract is worthy of further investigation in order to be considered as a safe and natural treatment for colon cancer.
 
Carmel Ltd. is looking for potential partners and/or investors in this area. Please  Contact us for further information.

About Carmel

Carmel Ltd.- University of Haifa economic corporation  is responsible for all the business, commercialization and Intellectual property protection for the University.

The broad area of research within the University is reflected in the rich Intellectual property in various areas ranging from educational tools, via reading accelerating, marine sciences, agriculture and evolution and top notch biotech research in Oncology , Neurology and others.

The company also encourages collaboration between the Academia and the industry offering leading research and consulting.

 

Vocal characteristics of neural development in premature infants


Principal researcher name: Dr Hagit Friedman

Invention area: life science & Pharma

Background:
Prematurity, a continuously growing phenomenon is a risk factor for multisystem injury, as body systems of the premature infants are not ripe for life out of uterus. Health problems may include immediate and long term complications, and in the long term, prematurity leads to high risk for brain injury and developmental impairments, ranging from Minor Neurological Dysfunction, through ASD, to Cerebral Palsy. With infants at risk, early detection and intervention for developmental impairments is crucial.

A young infant's cry is usually a signal of hunger, pain, or discomfort. But fine sound components of an infant cry, including those which are hardly noticeable to the human ear, can hold important information about the infant’s health and neural development. Various conditions might be reflected in vocal characteristics, including birth trauma, or brain injury. One famous extreme disorder is "cry of the cat" syndrome (caused by a genetic anomaly), but fine differences in infant's cry may also be indicators of an infant’s health. Today, Markers of neural development can be observed and quantified in the newborn and young infant examining the quality of spontaneous movements and oral neuromotor competence. Hence, if neurological deficits change the way infants activate their pharynx and vocal system, then even tiny differences might manifest themselves in differences in vocal characteristics. Vocal analysis may be a nonintrusive way to identify and quantify neurodevelopment impairments
in very young premature infants, and together with analysis of the quality of spontaneous movements and oral neuromotor competence, make a better and more reliable diagnostic tool.
Dr Friedman aims in this project are to analyze infants' vocal characteristics using a computer based tool and to define the correlation between infant's vocal characteristics and infant early development, Reflected in and the quality of infant's feeding movements and general movements.
The study is designed parallel prospectively (with young premature neonates) and retrospectively (vocal analysis of existing data, and speech and developmental outcome of these toddlers).

Usage:
Early assessment and detection of developmental impairments is crucial for early and effective intervention as early identification will support initiation of early treatment and may minimize neurological and functional deficits

 

 

carmel logo

 

Carmel - University of Haifa, Economic Corporation Ltd. 

Eshkol Tower,
25th floor, Room 2502
University of Haifa
Haifa, 3498838
ISRAEL

Tel: +972-(0)4-8288500
Fax: +972-(0)4-8288499
Email: carmel@univ.haifa.ac.il
Website: carmel-ltd.haifa.ac.il

Contact Us

Please contact us for further information

Please type your name.

Please type your last name

Invalid Input

Invalid email address.

Please type your message