Routine Blood Tests Could Replace Colonoscopy

Every man or woman over the age of 50 dread the words from their doctor:  "We  are scheduling you for a routine Colonoscopy."  For those of you who don't know what Colonoscopy is, WebMD has a very good explanation:

Colonoscopy is a test that allows your doctor to look at the inner lining of your large intestine (rectum and colon). He or she uses a thin, flexible tube called a colonoscope to look at the colon. A colonoscopy helps find ulcers, colon polyps, tumors, and areas of inflammation or bleeding. During a colonoscopy, tissue samples can be collected (biopsy) and abnormal growths can be taken out. Colonoscopy can also be used as a screening test to check for cancer or precancerous growths in the colon or rectum (polyps).

The colonoscope is a thin, flexible tube that ranges from 48in to 72in long. A small video camera is attached to the colonoscope so that your doctor can take pictures or video of the large intestine (colon). The colonoscope can be used to look at the whole colon and the lower part of the small intestine. A test called sigmoidoscopy shows only the rectum and the lower part of the colon.

Before this test, you will need to clean out your colon (colon prep). Colon prep takes 1 to 2 days, depending on which type of prep your doctor recommends. Some preps may be taken the evening before the test. For many people, the prep for a colonoscopy is more trying than the actual test. Plan to stay home during your prep time since you will need to use the bathroom often. The colon prep causes loose, frequent stools and diarrhea so that your colon will be empty for the test. The colon prep may be uncomfortable and you may feel hungry on the clear liquid diet. If you need to drink a special solution as part of your prep, be sure to have clear fruit juices or soft drinks to drink after the prep because the solution tastes salty.

Dave Berry explained the Colonoscopy best:

I called my friend Andy Sable, a gastroenterologist, to make an appointment for a colonoscopy.

A few days later, in his office, Andy showed me a color diagram of the colon, a lengthy organ that appears to go all over the place, at one point passing briefly thru Minneapolis . Then Andy explained the colonoscopy procedure to me in a thorough, reassuring and patient manner. I nodded thoughtfully, but I didn”t really hear anything he said, because my brain was shrieking, quote, “HE'S GOING TO STICK A TUBE 17,000 FEET UP YOUR BEHIND!”

I left Andy”s office with some written instructions, and a prescription for a product called “MoviPrep,” which comes in a box large enough to hold a microwave oven. I will discuss MoviPrep in detail later; for now suffice it to say that we must never allow it to fall into the hands of America’s enemies.

I spent the next several days productively sitting around being nervous. Then, on the day before my colonoscopy, I began my preparation. In accordance with my instructions, I didn”t eat any solid food that day; all I had was chicken broth, which is basically water, only with less flavor. Then, in the evening, I took the MoviPrep. You mix two packets of powder together in a one-liter plastic jug, then you fill it with lukewarm water. (For those unfamiliar with the metric system, a liter is about 32 gallons.) Then you have to drink the whole jug. This takes about an hour, because MoviPrep tastes – and here I am being kind – like a mixture of goat spit and urinal cleanser, with just a hint of lemon.

The instructions for MoviPrep, clearly written by somebody with a great sense of humor, state that after you drink it, “a loose, watery bowel movement may result.” This is kind of like saying that after you jump off your roof, you may experience contact with the ground.

MoviPrep is a nuclear laxative. I don’t want to be too graphic, here, but: Have you ever seen a space-shuttle launch? This is pretty much the MoviPrep experience, with you as the shuttle. There are times when you wish the commode had a seat belt. You spend several hours pretty much confined to the bathroom, spurting violently. You eliminate everything. And then, when you figure you must be totally empty, you have to drink another liter of MoviPrep, at which point, as far as I can tell, your bowels travel into the future and start eliminating food that you have not even eaten yet.

After an action-packed evening, I finally got to sleep. The next morning my wife drove me to the clinic. I was very nervous. Not only was I worried about the procedure, but I had been experiencing occasional return bouts of MoviPrep spurtage. I was thinking, “What if I spurt on Andy?” How do you apologize to a friend for something like that? Flowers would not be enough.

At the clinic I had to sign many forms acknowledging that I understood and totally agreed with whatever the heck the forms said. Then they led me to a room full of other colonoscopy people, where I went inside a little curtained space and took off my clothes and put on one of those hospital garments designed by sadist perverts, the kind that, when you put it on, makes you feel even more naked than when you are actually naked.

Then a nurse named Eddie put a little needle in a vein in my left hand. Ordinarily I would have fainted, but Eddie was very good, and I was already lying down. Eddie also told me that some people put vodka in their MoviPrep. At first I was ticked off that I hadn’t thought of this is, but then I pondered what would happen if you got yourself too tipsy to make it to the bathroom, so you were staggering around in full Fire Hose Mode. You would have no choice but to burn your house.

Finish reading here.

One of the major reason to have a Colonoscopy is to detect Colon cancer at an early stage.  And we all know that early detection can save your life.  So we submit to the humiliation of a 17,000 foot tube being shoved where the sun doesn't shine.

Until now.

Now there is real hope.  Researchers at Tel Aviv University's School of Public Health and Maccabi Healthcare Services' Department of Medical Informatics have discovered that routine blood tests can provide an early warning for colorectal cancer.

Anemia, a common blood disorder characterized by low hemoglobin levels, has long been associated with those suffering from colorectal cancer. It doesn't happen suddenly, however - and Tel Aviv University researchers say they have found that gradually decreasing hemoglobin levels can actually indicate a potential for colon cancer years in advance.

Graduate student Inbal Goldshtein, who works with Dr. Gabriel Chodick and Dr. Varda Shalev of TAU's School of Public Health and Maccabi Healthcare Services' Department of Medical Informatics, says that paying close attention to routine blood test results can be an effective screening system for colon cancer. Though some 50,000 Americans are expected to die from colon cancer in 2010, better screening leading to early diagnosis and effective treatment can significantly reduce those numbers, she says.

Goldshtein's study, recently published in the European Journal of Cancer Prevention, shows that most patients with colon cancer have a history of consistently declining hemoglobin levels up to four years before being diagnosed with the disease. Until now, only a sharp decrease in hemoglobin levels was sought out as an indicator of colon cancer. But Goldshtein and her fellow researchers have discovered that it's the continuous long-term decline that may announce the onset of the disease.

Specifically, a declining trend of more than 0.28 grams per deciliter every six months over a four-year period was observed - and as a result, may serve as a warning of illness on the horizon.

Over 3,000 patients suffering from colorectal cancer participated in the study, as did 10,000 control cases without colorectal cancer. Goldshtein and her fellow researchers looked at data from each participant's blood tests over a ten-year period, retrieved from the computerized database of Maccabi Healthcare Services.

Though hemoglobin levels may vary in everyone as a result of aging, a distinct trend was discovered among participants who had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer during the study period. Approximately four years prior to their diagnoses, their blood tests began to show a continuous decline in hemoglobin levels.

For the most part, Goldshtein says, these warning signs went unnoticed: "In practice, a doctor will look at the final results, and see if the hemoglobin levels are within a normal range. But this is not accurate enough. It is important to look at the continuing trend of each individual. If a person experiences a consistent decline relative to his own average level, it may be cause for concern."

The benefit of this screening process is that it can be part of an routine physical exam. Current testing for colorectal cancer is often expensive and unpleasant – and many people who should undergo the test do not do so.

The next step, says Dr. Shalev, is to create an algorithm which will automatically detect suspicious declines in hemoglobin levels, advising physicians to send their patients for further testing.

Not only have the researchers at Tel Aviv University have an easier test for colorectal cancer, but Prof. Shamgar Ben-Eliyahu, head of Tel Aviv University`s Department of Psychology has a new drug  treatment.

Cancer surgery wreaks havoc on a body`s immune system and stress hormones exacerbate the problem. As a result, about half of those who undergo surgery for tumor removal experience a recurrence of cancer in the same region or other parts of the body.

A new clinical approach being developed and tested by Tel Aviv University researchers may be the key to making cancer operations more successful. Prof. Shamgar Ben-Eliyahu, head of Tel Aviv University`s Department of Psychology, has opened on a new frontier in cancer research: he is recruiting colon cancer patients for a new clinical study which will test a cocktail of drugs to prevent the negative effects of stress responses to surgery. If successful, it will help the immune system maintain its vigor and prevent the occurrence of new tumors.

Combining two widely-known medications that affect immune and stress responses, Prof. Ben-Eliyahu has developed a formula he hopes will keep an immune system strong and prevent the recurrence of cancer. Already tested in animal models, the compounds will be employed in a clinical trial in Israel, for which Prof. Ben-Eliyahu`s team is currently recruiting patients and funds. They hope to have 800 colon cancer patients participate in the trial, due to begin shortly.

Increasing survival 300%

Read it all here.

Medical advances to benefit the whole world, yet those who wish everyone to Boycott Israel would not give a second glance to using Israeli invented products or medical breakthroughs.  There is a word for them: 

"Hypocrites!"

Israel is one of the smallest nations in the world, with only 7,308,800 people.  (Less than the State of New Jersey with 8,707,739).  Every Arab nation, let alone Muslim ones, have a larger population. They have greater wealth, bigger universities, etc... And yet, with all their resources, all their money their best achievements are tainted with superstition and junk science.

Now you can make the decision to boycott Israeli products, professors, inventions etc.. or you can decide to use those wonderful inventions and discoveries to improve your life.

The choice is yours.

New Hope For MS Sufferers

Multiple sclerosis is a disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms. Disease onset usually occurs in young adults, and it is more common in females. It has a prevalence that ranges between 2 and 150 per 100,000. MS was first described in 1868 by Jean-Martin Charcot.

MS affects the ability of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord to communicate with each other. Nerve cells communicate by sending electrical signals called action potentials down long fibers called axons, which are wrapped in an insulating substance called myelin. In MS, the body's own immune system attacks and damages the myelin. When myelin is lost, the axons can no longer effectively conduct signals. The name multiple sclerosis refers to scars (scleroses—better known as plaques or lesions) in the white matter of the brain and spinal cord, which is mainly composed of myelin. Although much is known about the mechanisms involved in the disease process, the cause remains unknown. Theories include genetics or infections. Different environmental risk factors have also been found.

And now new hope for sufferers with an Israeli team headed by Prof. Anat Achiron (photo on the left) of Tel Aviv University and vice-dean of research at Sheba Medical Center, has discovered a new way of detecting MS years earlier than the standard testing methods.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an equal opportunity destroyer. It attacks the central nervous system and eventually renders most patients disabled. Among its high-profile victims are celebrated cellist Jacqueline du Pre, whose career was ended by MS, and Joan Didion, a famous American writer.

The National MS Society estimates that there are currently about 400,000 cases in the U.S. and more than 2 million people suffer from the disease over the world. Although there is currently no cure, a breakthrough finding from a Tel Aviv University scientist and physician may lead to earlier diagnosis, more effective intervention, and perhaps even a cure for the autoimmune disease.

Prof. Anat Achiron of Tel Aviv University and vice-dean of research at Sheba Medical Center has uncovered a new way of detecting MS in the blood through her research at Sheba. The findings, just published in the journal Neurobiology of Disease, are expected to pave the way for a diagnosis of MS before symptoms can appear, allowing for earlier treatment.

“We are not yet able to treat people with MS to prevent the onset of the disease but knowledge is power,” Prof. Achiron says. “Every time we meet a new patient exhibiting symptoms of MS, we must ask ourselves how long this has been going on. We can diagnose MS by brain MRI, but we’ve never been able to know how ‘fresh’ the disease is,” she says.

If doctors can predict the onset of MS early enough, intervention therapies using immunomodulatory drugs such as Copaxone or beta-interferon drugs that stave off MS symptoms might be used.

“We theorized that if we looked at the gene expression signature of blood cells in healthy people, we could look for possible biological markers that characterize those who subsequently developed MS,” says Prof. Achiron.

Examining blood samples of twenty 19-year-old Israelis who were inducted into the army as healthy soldiers, and the nine of them who later developed MS, Prof. Achiron and her team at Sheba were able to use a “high throughput analysis” using more than 12,000 gene transcripts expressions. The screening compared similarities and differences in the blood of those who developed MS and those who did not, eventually establishing biological markers.

“Those who will develop MS will show a different blood signature from those who will not,” says Prof. Achiron. “When we compared the gene expression signatures, we saw a similar pattern of the same working biological processes.”

These early genetic markers may now be used to test for multiple sclerosis up to nine years before healthy young adults start developing symptoms. And because MS is thought to have a genetic component and a tendency to be found in siblings, Prof. Achiron says the biomarkers can be used as a tool for brothers and sisters of patients.

Finish reading here.

While not a cure, or even the prospect for a cure in the near future, it is the start towards one.  And with early diagnosis there is hope that early treatment regimens will help alleviate some of the suffering associated with MS.  And just perhaps the long awaited breakthrough in solving the puzzle of MS will arise from this study.  May it happen soon!

Peas Porrage Hot

Peas!  Just say the word and watch the revoltion  on the faces of children.  Even many adults hate this simple legume. Yes we can say that many people hate peas.  But that is about to change.

Professor Nathan Nelson of Tel Aviv University has discovered a crystal that could revolutionize solar energy in a common vegetable. In his search for “green” energy, Nelson discovered a complex membrane structure located in the pea plant that could teach humans how to produce energy with far greater efficiency.

The structure, called the Photosystem I (PSI) complex, is used by the plant to turn sunlight into fuel with a 100 percent yield. The complex's minute crystals could be used as microscopic batteries, Prof. Nelson suggests, or could form the core of solar cells.

"My research aims to come close to achieving the energy production that plants can obtain when converting sun to sugars in their green leaves,” he explains.

Current solar energy technology remains impractical in many climates, and is generally unable to meet energy demand. “If we could come even close to how plants are manufacturing their sugar energy, we'd have a breakthrough,” Nelson says.

Nelson's team has already met with some success in attempting to harness the power of the pea plant in the creation of electricity. By placing the plant's PSI crystals on a gold-plated surface, the scientists were able to generate 10 volts of power. This initial success will not solve the energy crisis, Nelson says, but could already be put to use in meeting small-scale solar power needs.

I know what you are thinking, 10 volts is not much of a big deal.  But think of it this way, image that it is not crystals on that gold plate, but peas.  Peas that are generating 10 volts of energy.  Now it seems very different, doesn't it.

What a unique concept! Using nature's own mechanism to produce energy to produce solar panels!

Another useful scientific discovery by the tiny nation of Israel!

Corals Devouring Jellyfish?

That is what the picture (above) is showing.  While not Earth-shattering, it does give us a better understanding of the world we live in.

Photographs taken by Israeli researchers have shaken up long-held beliefs regarding the diet of corals. Scientists have long thought that corals subsist solely from single cell algae (Zooxanthella) and tiny plankton sized 0.2 to 0.4 mm. However, photographs taken in Eilat in March 2009 show that corals are capable of devouring much larger food.

Omri Bronstein of the George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences in Tel Aviv University explained that the discovery was made in the course of a thorough survey of Fungia corals in the Gulf of Eilat, as part of a long term study of the corals' sexual plasticity, several corals of the type Fungia scruposa were seen and documented as they feasted on medusae of the type Aurelia aurita.

While it is known that many species eat medusae, including fish, sea turtles and birds, corals have never been documented consuming prey if this size.

Fungia, or plate corals, are usually found at depths from one meter to 100 meters. Some can measure dozens of centimeters in diameter as adults. The corals have been found to exhibit sexual plasticity: a coral that began its life as a female can change into a male in another season and back into a female in following seasons.

"These corals' amazing plasticity, both in the ability to change their gender and in their ability to feed off of food which they chance upon like the medusae, give them an advantage in dealing with the changing environment they live in,” Bronstein said.

The photographs have aroused great scientific interest and have been featured, among other places, in National Geographic and Scientific American magazines, as well as the BBC, Discovery channel and hundreds of news websites. The pictures were taken opposite the Inter-University Institute and the Underwater Observatory in Eilat.

Read the full story here.

Just look at them.  They look so peaceful, so lovely, so angelic.  Who would have known they are just cold-blooded jellyfish killers.  Who would have guessed?  Not me?

Just look at the poor Jellyfish.  Defenseless, homeless (Their homes were stolen from them by the agressive Zionist Corals.), without hope.  They have been made refugees for generations by the apartheid policies of the Corals.

Who will save the Jellyfish?

New Hope For Burn Victims

Hat tip to Elder of Ziyon

It is hard to treat burn victims. Very hard to insure that their wounds will not become infected. Hard to properly administer antibiotics. Hard on the patient who is in pain, and the caregivers who want to alleviate the patient's suffering.

Thus the new bandage developed by Prof. Meital Zilberman of Tel Aviv University's Department of Biomedical Engineering just might be the answer:

Despite advances in treatment regimens and the best efforts of nurses and doctors, about 70% of all people with severe burns die from related infections. But a revolutionary new wound dressing developed at Tel Aviv University could cut that number dramatically.

Prof. Meital Zilberman of TAU's Department of Biomedical Engineering has developed a new wound dressing based on fibers she engineered -- fibers that can be loaded with drugs like antibiotics to speed up the healing process, and then dissolve when they've done their job. A study published in the Journal of Biomedical Materials Research – Applied Biomaterials demonstrates that, after only two days, this dressing can eradicate infection-causing bacteria.

The new dressing protects the wound until it is no longer needed, after which it melts away. "We've developed the first wound dressing that both releases antibiotic drugs and biodegrades in a controlled manner," says Prof. Zilberman. "It solves current mechanical and physical limitations in wound-dressing techniques and gives physicians a new and more effective platform for treating burns and bedsores."

Prof. Zilberman's new wound dressing, which does not yet have a formal name, is designed to mimic skin and the way it protects the body. It combines positive mechanical and physical properties with what medical researchers call "a desired release profile of antibiotics."

While the concept is simple, the technology is not. Skin, Prof. Zilberman explains, serves a number of vastly different purposes. "Wound dressings must maintain a certain level of moisture while acting as a shield," she says. "Like skin, they must also enable fluids from the wound to leave the infected tissue at a certain rate. It can't be too fast or too slow. If too fast, the wound will dry out and it won't heal properly. If too slow, there's a real risk of increased contamination."

Prof. Zilberman's new wound dressing, which does not yet have a formal name, is designed to mimic skin and the way it protects the body. It combines positive mechanical and physical properties with what medical researchers call "a desired release profile of antibiotics."

Unlike oral antibiotics, locally-applied antibiotics can target and kill harmful bacteria before they enter the body to cause further infection, sepsis, or death. "People who suffer from large burns don't usually die from the condition itself. The fatal culprits are the secondary bacterial infections that invade the body through these vulnerable burned areas," says Prof. Zilberman.

The new TAU dressing inhibits bacterial growth and is biodegradable, which helps doctors avoid constant wound cleaning and redressing, allowing the body to do the work on its own. "When administered at the wound, a doctor can give relatively high but local doses of antibiotics, avoiding any toxicity issues that arise when the same amount of antibiotic passes through the body," explains Prof. Zilberman, who worked on this research with Jonathan Elsner, her PhD student.

Prof. Zilberman is now starting the early stages of clinical trials on animal models. So far, her wound dressing has passed physical and mechanical tests in vitro and in bacterial inhibition tests in the laboratory. She is also seeking a strategic partner to co-develop the research and take it to the commercial stage.

Read the full story here.

A little known fact about Tel Aviv University:

In independent rankings, TAU's innovations and discoveries are cited more often by the global scientific community than all but 20 other universities worldwide.

Internationally recognized for the scope and groundbreaking nature of its research programs, Tel Aviv University consistently produces work with profound implications for the future.

Israel is the 100th smallest nation in the world. It has a population of just a bit over 7 million people. It is the only true democracy in the Middle East. It has very few natural resources and is the size of New Jersey.

Yet it is producing more medical advances than all 57 Islamic nations combined.

This is just another one of those advances.

Well done Prof. Zilberman!

New Treatment For Bedsores

Hat tip to Israel Matzav

Bedsores, also known as Pressure sores, are areas of damaged skin and tissue that develop when sustained pressure cuts off circulation to vulnerable parts of your body, especially the skin on your buttocks, hips and heels. Without adequate blood flow, the affected tissue dies.

Although people living with paralysis are especially at risk, anyone who is bedridden, uses a wheelchair or is unable to change positions without help can develop bedsores.

Bedsores can develop quickly, progress rapidly and are often difficult to heal. Yet health experts say many of these wounds don't have to occur. Key preventive measures can maintain the skin's integrity and encourage healing of bedsores.

Standard treatments aren't usually effective and do little to alleviate the suffering to the patient. Until now.

From Tel Aviv University's Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology comes this breakthrough:

Researchers at Tel Aviv University have developed a unique device, called Dermastream, which could heal bedsores and chronic ulcers
in bedridden elderly and infirm.

"The problem is chronic," said Prof. Amihay Freeman of TAU's Department of Molecular Microbiology and Biotechnology.

And thus, he developed Dermastream, that uses a solution to whisk away dead tissue, bathing the wound while keeping dangerous bacteria away.

The device provides an enzyme-based solution that flows continuously over the wound, offering an alternative treatment to combat a problem for which current treatments are costly and labour-intensive.

Freeman said that Dermastream has already passed clinical trials in Israeli hospitals and may be available in the U.S. within the next year.

Dermastream employs a special solution developed at Freeman's TAU laboratory, thus offering a new approach to chronic wound care- a specialty known as "continuous streaming therapy."

"Our basic idea is simple. We treat the wound by streaming a solution in a continuous manner. Traditional methods require wound scraping to remove necrotic tissue. That is expensive, painful and extremely uncomfortable to the patient. And while active ingredients applied with bandages on a wound may work for a couple of hours, after that the wound fights back. The bacteria build up again, creating a tedious and long battle," said Freeman.

Dermastream "flows" under a plastic cover that seals the wound, providing negative pressure that promotes faster healing.

The active biological ingredient, delivered in a hypertonic medium, works to heal hard-to-shake chronic wounds.

Freeman said that while traditional bandaging methods may take months to become fully effective, Dermastream can heal chronic wounds in weeks.

Dermastream is intended for use in hospitals, nursing homes, outpatient clinics and homecare.

Freeman has founded a company that is currently collaborating with a Veterans Association hospital in Tucson, AZ, to bring the technology to the U.S. market.

Another useful Medical Advance from the 100th smallest nation on the planet.

Israeli Pioneers Method to Detect Alzheimer’s: Track Memory

Earlier this week I posted about a new treatment for Type I Diabetes from a researcher at Tel Aviv University.

Today another bright researcher at Tel Aviv University just might have found an early detection method for still another disease: Alzheimer's.

When we absorb new information, the human brain reshapes itself to store this newfound knowledge. But where exactly is the new knowledge kept, and how does that capacity to adapt reflect our risk for Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of senile dementia later in our lives?

Dr. Yaniv Assaf of Tel Aviv University’s Department of Neurobiology is pioneering a new way to track the effect of memory on brain structure. “With a specific MRI methodology called ‘Diffusion Imaging MRI,’ we can investigate the microstructure of the tissue without actually cutting into it,” he explains. “We can measure how much capacity our brain has to change structurally, what our memory reserve is and where that happens.”

His study, presented at the Annual Meeting of the Human Brain Mapping Organization in San Francisco, has been pivotal to the way scientists view the effect of memory on the brain. Scientists used to believe that the brain took days or weeks to change its microstructure. Dr. Assaf’s new observations demonstrate that the microstructure can change in mere hours.

“It gives us a quantifiable measure of the plasticity of each individual brain,” he says. “It’s possible that before a person experiences any memory loss, the plasticity is affected –– that is, the ability of one’s brain to adapt to change. A lack of ability for change in the brain could mean susceptibility to dementia. Now, we have the means to monitor this ability.”

Read the full story here.

2 scientific breakthroughs in one week while the Saudis are still working on their camel urine formulas or dipping the wings of flies into their tea.

I really should start a count of Israeli Medical Advances. Perhaps after the Jewish New Year.

New Hope For Type I Diabetes!

Diabetes is the term used to describe the condition in which the body is not able to produce enough or absorb the protein insulin.

Type 1 Diabetes, also known as Juvenile Diabetes is first diagnosed in children and young adults. Treatment for Type 1 Diabetes consists of diet, exercise, the monitoring of blood sugar and insulin injections.

Now there is hope that insulin injections just might be a thing of the past.

Adi Mor, a student at Tel Aviv University's Department of Neuro-biochemistry, has developed what could be the first tablet-based treatment for children and adults with Type 1 diabetes. Early results show that the compound is effective in restoring insulin production in animal models — which could spell an end to the daily needle injections endured by diabetics.

Found in 30% of all human cancer tumors, the Ras protein literally "drives cells crazy," says Prof. Yoel Kloog, the dean of the Faculty of Life Sciences at Tel Aviv University. Prof. Kloog was the first in the world to develop an effective anti-Ras drug against pancreatic cancer, currently in clinical trials. Now, new research published in the June issue of the European Journal of Pharmacology shows that the drug might be able to slow the progression of diabetes as well.

Prof. Kloog's student Adi Mor modified Prof. Kloog's anti-Ras FTS compound to develop the new product.

"Our anti-Ras compound has shown very positive results in inhibiting diabetes," says Mor. And given the drug's history — FTS has already passed toxicity studies for other diseases and disorders — it has the potential to fast-track through FDA regulatory hurdles, skipping straight to Phase II clinical trials. A new drug for diabetes could be ready in as little as five years' time.

In her recent study, Mor treated pre-diabetic mice for six months. One group was given FTS, another was given no drug at all. The outcome was dramatic. Only 16% of the treated group developed diabetes, while 82% of the untreated group became diabetic. Also, insulin production from beta cells in the treated group of mice increased in comparison to insulin production in the non-treated group, she reports.

"Diabetes is my main concern," Mor concludes, adding that "so many children and adults continue to suffer from the disorder. Since the FTS molecule is very easily absorbed into the blood, it could be the first diabetes treatment in pill form to moderate insulin production in juvenile diabetes, slowing down the progression of the disease. It could help a lot of people.

Read the full story here.

I really should start a count on how many medical inventions Israelis have made this year alone. Not to mention the other non-medical inventions and advancements they have achieved.

Juvenile Diabetes was once a death sentence for children, then came the discovery of insulin, now this. I wonder how long it will be before an actual cure will be discovered. And I have a sneaky suspicion it just might be discovered by an Israeli. Like her:

Adi Mor