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- Written by the Weizmann Institute of Science
The research may help in developing methodologies that could predict diseases years before their onset
The project, led by Prof. Eran Segal and his team of the Computer Science and Applied Mathematics, and Molecular Cell Biology Departments, aims to use state-of-the-art artificial intelligence technologies in order to generate personalized predictions for disease risk factors. The 10K project is a longitudinal study designed to collect lifestyle and clinical data from 10,000 individuals that will be recruited from the Israeli population and is suitable for Hebrew speakers only.
Segal and his team believe that the analysis of the data obtained in this study will help in developing methodologies that will influence public health in the future.
For further information about Project 10K and registration (in Hebrew):
https://www.project10k.org.il/
Prof. Eran Segal's research is supported by the Crown Human Genome Center, which he heads; the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust; the Else Kroener Fresenius Foundation; the Adelis Foundation; Judith Benattar; Aliza Moussaieff; the Fannie Sherr Fund; the Estate of Zvia Zeroni; and the European Research Council.
The Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, is one of the world's top-ranking multidisciplinary research institutions. Noted for its wide-ranging exploration of the natural and exact sciences, the Institute is home to scientists, students, technicians and supporting staff. Institute research efforts include the search for new ways of fighting disease and hunger, examining leading questions in mathematics and computer science, probing the physics of matter and the universe, creating novel materials and developing new strategies for protecting the environment.
Weizmann Institute news releases are posted on the World Wide Web at
http://wis-wander.weizmann.ac.il/
Photo Weizmann Institute
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- Written by Prime Minister's Media Adviser
We will continue to take strong and determined action against Iran's attempts to station forces and advanced weapons systems in Syria. Whoever threatens us with destruction puts himself in similar danger, and in any case will not achieve his goal.
Following is an excerpt from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks today (Wednesday, 29 August 2018), at the renaming ceremony for the Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center:
"Shimon aspired toward peace but he knew that true peace can be achieved only if our hands strongly grasp defensive weaponry. In the Middle East, and in many parts of the world, there is a simple truth: There is no place for the weak. The weak crumble, are slaughtered and are erased from history while the strong, for good or for ill, survive. The strong are respected, and alliances are made with the strong, and in the end peace is made with the strong.
This process, of normalization by leading countries in the Arab world with the strong State of Israel, is happening before our eyes on a scale that would have been impossible to imagine a few years ago. This process bears hope within it that, in the end, the cycle of peace will be completed. But it is impossible to deny the fact that there are yet many enemies in this region and beyond.
But our enemies know very well what Israel is capable of doing. They are familiar with our policy. Whoever tries to hurt us – we hurt them.
I am not spouting slogans. I am describing a persistent, clear and determined policy. This is our policy. It is backed by appropriate deployment, equipment, preparedness and – in the hour of need – appropriate orders.
We are working to prevent Iran from establishing a military presence in Syria. We will not relent in pursuit of this goal just as we did not relent in bringing about the cancellation of the bad nuclear agreement with Iran, a goal which was seen as impossible when I put it on the international agenda for the first time several years ago.
In the diplomatic sphere, we will continue to apply pressure on the dangerous, extremist regime in Iran. Just yesterday we saw the fruit of this pressure in remarks by the Iranian President who said that many among the Iranian people have lost hope in the future and strength of Iran due to the resumption of economic sanctions. In the military sphere, the IDF will continue to take strong and determined action against Iran's attempts to station forces and advanced weapons systems in Syria. No agreement between Syria and Iran will deter us; neither will any threat deter us.
Whoever threatens us with destruction puts himself in similar danger, and in any case will not achieve his goal."
PM Netanyahu at the renaming ceremony for the Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center
PM Netanyahu at the renaming ceremony for the Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center .
Photo: GPO/Kobi Gideon
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- Written by Office of the President
President Peres met his Avatar on the Xbox One and visited the Ilumiroom which was presented for the first time in Israel
During the visit President Peres experimented with an application to explore space on an interactive table, met with young people who presented newly developed applications and met with employees of the company
The President of the State of Israel, Shimon Peres, visited Microsoft Israel earlier today (Tuesday) and during the visit he was presented with new technologies developed in Israel. President Peres was shown the new Microsoft entertainment console – Xbox One, which has been a great success across the world. While being shown the console, President Peres came face to face with his avatar, a surprise created for him by the employees of the company. Among the initiatives presented to President Peres was a kinetics camera which recognizes voice and movement and the new Microsoft development, Ilumiroom. The Ilumiroom projects expands and enriches the surroundings of the television set and changes the gaming and television watching experience. The Ilumiroom uses the kinetics camera to learn the lay out of the room and enhance the experience, the technology was shown in Israel for the first time.
During the rest of the visit President Peres experimented with the PixelSense table with touch technology which includes an interactive application to navigate through galaxies and stars. The application allows for study and research into space. Alongside the table President Peres was presented with technological applications developed by youngsters taking part in the Innovate for Good project.
President Peres congratulated the employees of Microsoft Israel during a meeting with them and said, "I am extremely proud of you and the work that you do. Greatness is to contribute to society and think in terms of generosity. I see you not only as an advanced technological company but a community organization based on technology. Israel's technological potential is vast. Within Israel we have talented people and we must find the ways to continue developments here."
President Peres was accompanied throughout the visit by the CEO of Microsoft Israel, Mr. Danny Yamin.
Photos Silvia G Golan
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- Written by Israel Innovation Authority
Six winning Israeli startups will take part in the “Israel-India Bridge to Innovation” program and will soon launch pilot programs in India. The program was initiated in meetings between the prime ministers of India and Israel.
Six Israeli startups with innovative technologies in the fields of healthcare, agriculture, and water management have made it to the final stage of the Israel Innovation Authority’s “Israel-India Bridge to Innovation” program, launched over the past year during bilateral meetings between the prime ministers of both countries. The 18 companies that were initially selected to participate in this program presented their technologies to CEOs and investors from Israel and India in a Demo Day held last week at the Urban Place complex in Tel Aviv. Six companies were chosen to continue to the final stage where they will pilot their solutions in India.
Among the notable participants taking part in the Demo Day were representatives of India’s Invest India agency. The keynote speaker was Rohtash Mal, Chairman of EM3 Agriservices, renowned in India as the “Uber of farmers.” The company rents out equipment to farmers based on time or acres farmed, doing away with the need for farmers to purchase expensive equipment and giving them access to advanced technology at low costs.
The six winning companies selected to continue to the pilot stage of the program are:
In Agriculture:
Amaizz, a company that has developed a portable drying device enabling dry storage of agricultural produce – of immense significance in the Indian market, where it is difficult to ship fresh produce.
Biofeed, a company that has developed a device to combat fruit flies, a pest destructive to India’s yield of mango and other fruit. India is one of the world’s key mango exporters.
In Healthcare:
Zebra Medical, a company developing medical imaging technologies.
MobileODT, a company that has developed devices to diagnose cervical cancer.
In Water Management:
Aquallence, a company that has developed a device to treat water with Ozone.
AMS Technologies, a company that has developed a system to filter industrial water.
The 18 companies initially selected were reviewed by a panel of judges from Israel and India who looked at over 150 applications. The companies took part in a six-month process that included training and workshops, including information regarding Indian markets, together with professional visits, networking events, mentoring and meetings with senior executives and officials, including investors, senior management and experts and entrepreneurs in the fields of water management, agriculture and healthcare.
The Demo Day judges included members of Indian and Israeli companies, including entrepreneur Ofir Shalvi; Adi Vagman, Managing Partner of the AgriNation venture capital fund; Sigalit Berenson, Sales and Service Manager of the Indian-owned Decco SafePack company; Deeksha Vats, Joint President of Sustainability at the Indian corporation, Aditya Birla Group; Rajit Mehta, CEO of the Max Healthcare Institute; and Avi Luvton, Executive Director of the Asia Pacific and Latin America desk at the Israel Innovation Authority.
Eli Cohen, Israeli Minister of Economy and Industry, said: “Following the government decision a year ago to invest 240 million shekels by the year 2020 to promote relations with India in the fields of innovation and technology, the “Israel-India Bridge to Innovation” program is a golden opportunity for Israeli companies in the fields of healthcare, water management and agritech to achieve prominence and to enter such a significant and developing global market – India.”
Dr. Ami Appelbaum, Chief Scientist at the Israeli Ministry of Economy and Industry and Chairman of the Israel Innovation Authority, said: “The Israel-India Bridge to Innovation is a springboard for cooperation between Israeli innovators and Indian corporations. The collaboration between India, a massive economy with the largest growth rate in the world, and Israel, the “Startup Nation,” to develop technological solutions to various challenges, is synergistic and unique. There is a real mutual desire, backed by substantial investment, to pilot these cooperative ventures in India in order to solve pressing global challenges specifically in India but all over the world as well.”
Avi Luvton, Executive Director of the Asia Pacific Desk at the Israel Innovation Authority, emphasized that the “Bridge to Innovation” program comes at a peak in Israeli-Indian relations that began more than a year ago and which has been strengthened by bilateral visits by both prime ministers, reflecting an era in which many new opportunities are opening up within the Indian economy.
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- Written by Trendlines
Yair Shamir (Minister of Agriculture) and Todd Dollinger (Chairman and CEO of The Trendlines Group
On December 4, more than 250 professionals gathered at Eretz Yisrael Museum in Tel Aviv on Tuesday for an international conference exploring the state of agriculture technology and investment, specifically focusing on how Israel’s R&D advantage, the country’s unique multidisciplinary approach, and more than 100 years of experience tackling “food security” may indeed solve current global challenges. Distinguished panelists included members of the Israeli government, executives from leading international agrochemical and food companies, as well as venture capitalists from international agritech-focused firms.
Avi Hasson (Chief Scientist of the Israeli Ministry of Economy) and Steve Rhodes (Chairman and CEO of The Trendlines Group)
Margaret Dohnalek, global head of technology scouting in corporate R&D for PepsiCo, remarked that she understands “we don’t know what we need to know about Israel,” underscoring a sentiment across the panel of corporate executives, that technology currently being developed in Israel may be the next game-changer. The conference was part a 4-day Agrivest Tour of Israel organized by The Trendlines Group (www.trendlines.com), which included visits to Israel’s top agricultural research organizations, as well as agritech start-up success stories, such as Evogene and Bio-Bee.
At the conference, Dohnalek, along with corporate leads from Syngenta, Bayer, and Monsanto spoke on a panel (“Profiling Tomorrow’s Ag Solutions”) offering insights into why companies are looking to Israel for the next addition to their pipelines, and discussed their “dream technologies.” Precision agriculture, with a focus on gaging weather patterns, was the most popular response. Virginia Ursin, Technology Prospecting Lead at Monsanto added that this sector -- “smart farming” -- is growing rapidly.
Ofra Strauss (Chairperson of the Board, Strauss Group) and Dr. Nitza Kardish (CEO of Trendlines Agtech)
Prof. Avi Perl, chief scientist, Israeli Ministry of Agriculture agreed and emphasized the formal funding structure the government gives to agritech start-ups as a sign of the government’s commitment to the sector’s growth and success. Dohnalek of PepsiCo said the formal support makes it more feasible for Israel entrepreneurs to successfully come up with ideas that address multiple challenges. She acknowledged this as a reason why large corporations seek collaborations and acquisitions in Israel. Ron Meeusen, managing partner of Cultivian Sandbox Ventures, said that what sets the Israeli start-up ecosystem apart is a culture of serial entrepreneurs who are willing to start over again and again.
Photos : Moshe Amar Liran Shemesh
