Israel’s Top 5 Health Innovations In 2014

Israel is a global hub in the development of cutting-edge technology and research that makes us all healthier. The country’s scientists, doctors, and health entrepreneurs continue to revolutionize the prevention, detection, care and treatment of a range of diseases -- from cancer to Alzheimer’s to heart disease, . Here is a recap of five of Israel’s greatest medical innovations during 2014:

1. First Blood Test to Detect Cancer

Via s3-ec.buzzfed.com

In 2014, the Israeli company Eventus Diagnostics made history, becoming the first company in the world to produce a blood test, Octava Pink, for the early detection of breast cancer.

2. Hyginex: Monitoring the Quality of your Handwashing

Via israel21c.org

Ineffective sanitation is one of the chief reasons that disease and infections spread. The Israeli hand washing system Hygenix is a wristband device that monitors handwashing compliance and quality among care providers in hospitals.

3. At-Home Heart Attack Detection Device

Via israel21c.org

Israeli diagnostic company Novamed created SensAheart, which is a device that can be used at home or in the hospital to detect a heart attack in progress -- and even before it takes place.

4. Cheetah Medical’s Non-invasive Hemodynamic Monitoring

Via israel21c.org

1 in 4 hospital deaths are caused by the development of sepsis, a life-threatening blood infection. Israel’s Cheetah Medical created NICOM, non-invasive cardiac output monitor, which tracks the movement of blood to different organs in the body, allowing doctors to better evaluate, diagnose, and treat patients.

5. Stem Cell Therapy to treat ALS patients

Via israel21c.org

BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics -- an Israeli company -- has created NurOwn, a type of enhanced adult stem cells that seem to halt the progression of incurable neurodegenerative diseases, like ALS.