K(NOW) 7 Ways Israel Is A World Leader In HIV/AIDS Treatment

For years, countries all over the world have worked in unison to help fight and prevent AIDS. In honor of December 1st being World AIDS Day, check out 7 ways Israel is combatting the spread of HIV and the onset of AIDS.

1. SMARTube: Closing the Window Period to Reveal Faster Detection

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SMARTube technology enables a faster and more accurate form of HIV detection. It allows for antibody production in a small blood sample within days from the start of the infection; it does not require the body to produce antibodies weeks or months later.

2. Ron Diskin: Promising Young Investigator

weizmann-usa.org

Ron Diskin has been labeled as a promising young investigator by The Collaboration for AIDS Vaccine Discovery Network. His team identified the antibodies some patients develop after a few years of infection. Then, they synthesized the same antibodies into a more potent formulation, which have been proven effective against more aggressive strains present in Africa and Asia.

3. PrePrex: Saving the world, One Circumcision at a Time

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One way to reduce infection rates according the the Center for Disease Control and Prevention is through circumcision. The Israeli device PrePrex allows for the procedure to be down with no incisions, anesthesia, or bleeding.

4. Sperm Washing: Allowing HIV carriers to Father

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Developed by a joint Israeli-European Medical team, “sperm washing” is a treatment allowing men infected with the HIV virus to father children without risking the health of their babies or partners.

5. First HIV/AIDS Joint Task Force between Israel and the US

jewishjournal.com

The first ever joint task force between Israel and the United States took place in Los Angeles, bringing non-profit HIV/AIDS organizations and innovative research institutions together to collaborate and hopefully improve the lives of those suffering from the disease.

6. HIV Peptide Discovered to Make Cancer Treatments More Successful

israel21c.org

Hebrew U. medical researchers found a tiny peptide encoded by the HIV virus that could hold the key to making cancer therapies more successful. A peptide derived from the HIV “Vif” protein increases the vulnerability of cancer cells to radiation and chemotherapy. The Kotler and Nowarski lab published this article with their findings and hope to move their theory into practical use very soon.

7. New Direct Therapy Targeting HIV-Infected Cells

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A new treatment that destroys HIV-infected human cells without damaging adjacent healthy ones has been developed by a team of Israeli researchers. Researchers at Hebrew University of Jerusalem may have made a major step forward in the race against AIDS by causing HIV-infected cells to self-destruct.