In recent years society has become much more open about discussing issues relating to mental health. Slogans such as ‘it’s ok to not be ok’ and campaigns such as Movember have sought to remove the stigma that is still attached to mental health problems such as depression or anxiety. The global impact of Covid-19, which saw social-distancing restrictions increase mental health worries, has only accelerated this conversation.

Despite this progress, receiving appropriate diagnosis and treatment for a mental health condition is still not easy, even in relatively well developed and affluent societies. This could all be about to change, however, due to pioneering new technology from Israel.

Israeli start-up Montfort believe their new smartphone technology could transform how mental health is diagnosed, making the process much closer to how physical ailments are identified. This technology, coined “Brain Profiler,” looks to diagnose psychiatric disorders in a more scientific fashion, rather than simply relying on a patient’s subjective descriptions of their symptoms.

Montfort already used smartphone technology and artificial intelligence in digital tests for neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease. Their new approach came about after collaborating with Dr Abraham Peled, department chair at Sha’ar Menashe Psychiatric Hospital and a lecturer at Technion–the Israel Institute of technology. Working with Dr Peled, Montford added new indicators to the smartphone technology which would assess common mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. These new indicators, combined with AI technology, should take out much of the time and guess-work from diagnosing mental health problems.

Using this type of approach could have a huge impact. More than 6,000 people across the UK and Republic of Ireland taketheir own lives each year, while tens of thousands more attempt suicide. According to the WHO, depression could be the leading cause of global morbidity by 2030.

This breakthrough would be another example of the valuable contributions made by Technion staff. Since 1912, the academic institution has been at the forefront of spearheading Israel’s scientific endeavours. Israel today is the country with the highest percentage of scientists and engineers – and the majority of them studied at the Technion, home to three of Israel’s five science Nobel Laureates.

Alan Aziz, CEO of Technion UK, commented: “Swiftly and easily diagnosing mental health problems is a literal lifesaver. Thanks to Montfort and Technion, modern technology can shrink your shrink and put them in your smartphone.”

Notes to editor about Technion:

The Technion has earned a global reputation for its pioneering work in nanotechnology, life sciences, stem-cell technology, water management, sustainable energy, information technology, biotechnology, materials engineering and aerospace. It is also one of only five similar institutes worldwide that include a medical school, encouraging rapid progress in biotechnology, drug development, and stem-cell technology. As Israel’s centre for high-tech education and research, the Technion is central to the nation’s economic progress. As the premier institute of its kind in the region, Technion breakthroughs can benefit all the nations of the Middle East. As a worldclass research university, the Technion helps advance the frontiers of science and technology to benefit people around the world.

It sounds like the plot from the 1966 science-fiction film Fantastic Voyage: tiny surgeons travelling into a human brain to destroy blood clots without harming the patient. New technology from Israel could make that a reality however, thanks to pioneering developments from Technion – the Israel Institute of Technology.

For many years, brain surgery has been regarded as one of the most difficult challenges in the medical profession. Invasive surgery to remove cancerous cells or blood clots must be performed with incredible precision, as any harm to the surrounding brain tissue can result in life-changing consequences to the patient. Even successful operations can result in losing the ability to walk or talk – an outcome that has to be considered in even the most pressing situations.

This could be about to change, however, thanks to pioneering technology from newly-launched Israeli start-up, Tamar Robotics. Instead of traditional methods, the company is trialing a tiny robotic needle that is inserted via a small incision and then controlled remotely by the surgeon. It can then move harmlessly through the brain before destroying tumours and clots with jets of water.

Tamar Robotics has been co-founded by Professor Moshe Shoham, a professor at Technion, where he started the Kahn Medical Robotics Laboratory. He co-founded it with Dr Hadad Ziso, his former graduate student at the Technion, with the two developing the technology together for 5 years before launching Tamar.

Their partnership is just the latest example of the impact Technion can have. Since 1912, the academic institution has been at the forefront of spearheading Israel’s scientific endeavours. Israel today is the country with the highest percentage of scientists and engineers – and the majority ofthem studied at the Technion, home to three of Israel’s five science Nobel Laureates.

Alan Aziz, CEO of Technion UK, commented: “Technion prides itself on the brainpower it can bring to problems – and few are as challenging as actual brain surgery. Tamar Robotics once again shows how Israel is turning science fiction into science fact.”

Notes to editor about Technion:

The Technion has earned a global reputation for its pioneering work in nanotechnology, life sciences, stem-cell technology, water management, sustainable energy, information technology, biotechnology, materials engineering and aerospace. It is also one of only five similar institutes worldwide that include a medical school, encouraging rapid progress in biotechnology, drug development, and stem-cell technology. As Israel’s centre for high-tech education and research, the Technion is central to the nation’s economic progress. As the premier institute of its kind in the region, Technion breakthroughs can benefit all the nations of the Middle East. As a worldclass research university, the Technion helps advance the frontiers of science and technology to benefit people around the world.

For years, self-driving cars have been seen as the next big step in the evolution of the vehicle industry. Tesla, one of the world’s biggest companies, offers limited autonomous driving for its cars, but its cutting-edge vehicles are outside the price range of the majority of consumers.

With progress hampered by both technological challenges and safety concerns, it seems that driverless cars are still a long way away from mass adoption.
Students from around the world are working to change this however – with a little help from Technion, the Israel Institute of Technology.

Every year the prestigious university holds the Nadav Shoham Robotraffic contest, open to teams of students across the world. This year the competition had to be held virtually due to the pandemic, but this didn’t stop teams from 10 different countries submitting their entries.
Students enter robot vehicles designed especially for the competition. These robots include sensors for analysing the conditions around them and modifying their behavior in response – key features of any successful autonomous car. While simple self-piloting robots are already used in the real world, the environments they operate in are considerably less complex than the one these students are attempting to master: the everyday traffic system.

With this in mind, students taking part in the competition are assessed in several different categories that each relate to how cars actually operate on our roads. These categories include “Careful Driving,” “Traffic safety initiatives, ”and even “Reverse Parking.” The winning team of the Careful Driving category will even have the chance to develop their ideas, as all the students won a full one-year scholarship to Technion International’s undergraduate degree programme.

The Nadav Shoham Robotraffic competition is just one example of Technion’s commitment to technological progress. Since 1912, the academic institution has been at the forefront of spearheading Israel’s scientific endeavours. Israel today is the country with the highest percentage of scientists and engineers – and the majority of them studied at the Technion, home to three of Israel’s five science Nobel Laureates.

Alan Aziz, CEO of Technion UK, commented: “For over a decade the Robotraffic contest has put students across the world in the driving seat when it comes designing autonomous vehicles. When future generations are being chauffeured around by driverless cards, the chances are that they will have the Technion to thank for it.”

Notes to editor about Technion:

The Technion has earned a global reputation for its pioneering work in nanotechnology, life sciences, stem-cell technology, water management, sustainable energy, information technology, biotechnology, materials engineering and aerospace. It is also one of only five similar institutes worldwide that include a medical school, encouraging rapid progress in biotechnology, drug development, and stem-cell technology. As Israel’s centre for high-tech education and research, the Technion is central to the nation’s economic progress. As the premier institute of its kind in the region, Technion breakthroughs can benefit all the nations of the Middle East. As a worldclass research university, the Technion helps advance the frontiers of science and technology to benefit people around the world.

Pfizer is the latest company to turn to Israeli tech. When it comes to pharmaceutical giants, there are few that are larger than Pfizer. Founded over 150 years ago, the American company is one of the most famous and successful of its kind in the world.

Developing and producing many different products – including the first Covid-19 vaccine approved for general usage – Pfizer makes over £50 billion in revenue annually. All this expertise and experience in researching new drugs therefore makes it even more impressive that Pfizer has turned to a new Israeli company for assistance in creating its latest medicines.

Founded in 2016 by scientists from Technion (the Israel Institute of Technology), CytoReason focuses on using machine learning to help assess the efficacy of new techniques. It does this with cutting-edge technology that simulates the effect of trails on the human immune system at cell level. Anything that can increase the accuracy of these trails has the potential to save considerable amounts of time and money.

CytoReason’s machine learning technology can even help with non-human biology. The company recently announced a new model for translating the effects of drugs on mice to humans – again, another method for saving time and resources given that all such products are first tested on these rodents.

Despite its young age, CytoReason’s partnership with Pfizer shows that it already has the potential to dramatically improve how new medications are developed. It also represents another showcase for the impact that Technion can have. Since 1912, the academic institution has been at the forefront of spearheading Israel’s scientific endeavours. Israel today is the country with the highest percentage of scientists and engineers – and the majority of them studied at the Technion, home to three of Israel’s five science Nobel Laureates.

Alan Aziz, CEO of Technion UK, commented: “One of the lessons of Covid-19 is how important it is to be able to quickly and safely develop new pharmaceutical products such as vaccines. It might seem remarkable that a huge company such as Pfizer has partnered with a tiny Israeli start-up to help develop the next generation of life-saving drugs, but this kind of impact is exactly what we’ve come to expect from Technion graduates.”

Notes to editor about Technion:

The Technion has earned a global reputation for its pioneering work in nanotechnology, life sciences, stem-cell technology, water management, sustainable energy, information technology, biotechnology, materials engineering and aerospace. It is also one of only five similar institutes worldwide that include a medical school, encouraging rapid progress in biotechnology, drug development, and stem-cell technology. As Israel’s centre for high-tech education and research, the Technion is central to the nation’s economic progress. As the premier institute of its kind in the region, Technion breakthroughs can benefit all the nations of the Middle East. As a worldclass research university, the Technion helps advance the frontiers of science and technology to benefit people around the world.