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

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..

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.

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.

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