{"id":3989,"date":"2023-06-26T11:28:09","date_gmt":"2023-06-26T11:28:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/innovationisrael.org.il\/en\/?post_type=report&p=3413"},"modified":"2023-12-06T08:28:15","modified_gmt":"2023-12-06T08:28:15","slug":"diagnostics-and-sensing","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/innovationisrael.org.il\/en\/article\/diagnostics-and-sensing\/","title":{"rendered":"Diagnostics and Sensing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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“Multi-disciplinary applications that combine biological and medical knowledge, together with engineering capabilities of data processing and the development of algorithmics, enable a diverse range of innovative (disease) diagnostic and treatment solutions for different ailments. Medical solutions do not always offer a complete cure but thanks to early diagnosis, patients can enjoy a better life”, says Prof. Zeev Zalevsky, Dean of the Engineering Faculty at Bar Ilan University <\/strong>and one of the leading Israeli figures in the field of nano-technology. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “We are currently working on monitoring the development of Alzheimer. In the advanced stages of the disease, a change occurs in the relation of concentration between 2 proteins \u2013 Amyloid beta and Tau \u2013 secreted to the spinal fluid. The most common test today is complex, invasive and requires hospitalization. A lumbar puncture (spinal tap) procedure takes place in order to assess the Alzheimer’s progress, in which the proteins are extracted from the spinal cord with a needle and examined in a lab to assess their concentration. This allows doctors to see whether a new experimental drug improves the patient’s condition and if a change in lifestyle delays or expedites the disease. Lumbar puncture is an expensive, lengthy, and unpleasant procedure that is performed at a medical center. As a result, it is generally performed only once every six months at most. This low frequency does not always help in locating the reason for the deterioration in the Alzheimer patient’s condition”, Zalevsky explains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Prof. Zalevsky has developed two different technologies in the lab, combining them both to help solve the problem. One of the technologies enables optical sampling behind a scattering medium (behind the tissue during lumbar puncture) while the second technology allows the identification and measurement of chemicals and other substances inside the area under examination. “The concept we developed combines both technologies”, he explains. “The non-invasive treatment takes place in the clinic and without extracting spinal fluid. The patient sits on a chair and the light from the device behind him scans the relevant area inside the spinal fluid behind the tissue. The information received from the light’s distribution is analyzed with a Raman spectroscope \u2013 a sensitive device with enhanced resolution that is capable of checking for the existence of the relevant proteins. This technology is in its initial phases of commercial development and we are presently in the final stages prior to finalizing an investment in the incentive Incubator. We have been fortunate to receive support from the Israel Innovation Authority on this project”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prof. Zalevsky is already responsible for dozens of innovative ideas and revolutionary studies leading to unique technological developments which have been commercialized into useful products in the fields of electro-optics and bio-medical applications. Today, he is focusing on research in the fields of bio-medical sensing, super-resolution, and nano-photonics. “My goal is not just to conduct research but also to bring to fruition technologies that will benefit the end user and I am happy to collaborate with the Innovation Authority to achieve this goal. The Authority offers special programs for initiatives in their early phases, exactly at the complex stage at which they need to recruit investors in order to evolve into a startup with a mature product. In certain cases, some of the mature technologies I took part in developing have already progressed to the Authority’s advanced programs such as the startup incubators and commercialization”, he elaborates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Innovation Authority supported another of Prof. Zalevsky’s unique initiatives \u2013 an addition to the CT system that can supply a CT image with enhanced resolution and less radiation. This technology was commercialized to a startup company called LensFree. The main beneficiaries are the doctors who are exposed to radiation throughout the day, despite the protective lead vests they wear. As he explains “Behind this CT system is a special hardware that, combined together with a smart algorithm, enhance the resolution of the picture and allows to take a picture with less radiation. The system is also being currently checked by doctors who perform mammography”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another project combining algorithmics and hardware in bio-medical applications is a development connected to the field of micro-endoscopy. Sometimes, a need arises for internal medical treatment that necessitates a close-up look at the area to be treated. The two most common endoscopic technologies are ‘chip-on-the-tip’ \u2013 a camera that enters the body, sees an image and transmits it via electric cables; and fiber endoscope \u2013 an optic fiber inserted into the body with a sensor (or camera) that remains outside the patient’s body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These technologies have several significant drawbacks. First, the need for sterilization after each treatment; second, the small diameter of the optic fiber or camera that prevents a higher-resolution picture; third, the amount of blood in the body that may distort the transmitted picture. “The endoscope that we developed addresses these problems. It is very thin with a small diameter but its algorithmics enable a resolution-enhanced image despite the blood. The part of the endoscope entering the patient’s body is disposable so there is no problem of sterilization. This technology was commercialized seven years ago from my lab and the startup company Zsquare is currently in advanced stages. The product is subject to medical regulation procedures and I hope that it will be released soon”, Prof. Zalevsky says.<\/p>\n\n\n\nA Thin Endoscope with Unique Algorithmics<\/h3>\n\n\n\n