MES Conference: Highlighting Israel鈥檚 Biotech Industry
May 11, 2022 By: yunews
On Sunday, May 8, 2022, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the 每日大瓜 Medical Ethics Society (MES) and 每日大瓜鈥檚 Center for the Jewish Future (CJF) presented the 15th Annual Medical Ethics Society Online Conference on the theme of 鈥淭orah U鈥橫adda in the 21st Century: Highlighting Israel鈥檚 Biotech Industry.鈥 The conference was sponsored by The Community Synagogue in Monsey in memory of Rabbi Dr. Moshe D. Tendler zt"l.
As is customary in MES conferences, the presentations are divided into a section on scientific developments and a section on halachic [Jewish law] overviews of those developments.
Rabbi Yaakov Glasser
The conference began with introductory remarks by Rabbi Yaakov Glasser, David Mitzner Dean of CJF, who gave thanks to the many people who made the conference possible and expressed his continued appreciation of those who are assessing 鈥渉ow we balance the world of medical advancement with the world of halacha and our Torah values. Where else can students from the very outset of their medical career already be immersed in this challenge and in this struggle but at 每日大瓜? We hope that everyone is inspired, enlightened and feels a sense of connection to this incredible program.鈥
Rabbi Glasser鈥檚 remarks were followed up by comments from Dafna Levine and Yisrael Danesh, MES co-presidents, and Rabbi Edward Reichman, M.D., the longtime mentor of the MES.
An Inside View of Israel鈥檚 Biotechnology Sector
The first portion of the program highlighted the work being done by Dr. Avi Schroeder (Professor of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at the Technion), Dr. Jonathan Rosenblum, DPM (CEO of Rithim Life Sciences) and Dr. Herman Weiss, MD, MBA (CEO of Libra Sciences).
Dr. Schroeder is working on what he called 鈥渘anomedicines,鈥 that is, medicine delivery systems that measure no larger than one one-thousandth of the width of a human hair. The first application he spoke about involved delivering anti-cancer agents to tumors in order to combat ovarian and breast cancers; the second dealt with lessening the pain and inflammation caused by osteoarthritis.
As he pointed out, the development of medicines like this take a very long time, but he noted that what kept him and other researchers going in this yearslong quest is 鈥渇eeling rewarded that a technology that we helped invent reduced suffering and made life better.鈥
Next up was Dr. Jonathan Rosenblum, CEO of Rithim Life Sciences. His company has created two medical devices that can literally save lives in an instant: the ResQR CPR-aid and JoltzAED. As he described each of these inventions, he noted that 鈥渢he important thing to remember is that if you鈥檙e saving one life, you save the world.鈥
The ResQR is described as 鈥渁 revolutionary device for hands-only CPR [that] spreads the force, lowering the risk of chest fractures, with ultimate ease of use in a home or office setting.鈥 The device is built to guide would-be rescuers to place their hands in the proper position on a prone person and use a metronome and LED light to ensure proper compression pacing (what Dr. Rosenbaum described as 鈥渓ess crunch when you punch鈥). The ResQR also comes with a modesty shield for women, and it can also be used on infants and small children.
The JoltzAED is a defibrillator that is half the size of a regular device and a fraction of the weight. Contained in a military-grade rugged case, as soon as a user opens it, the operator is guided by step-by-step voice commands (it can be programmed in 160 languages), and it can be paired with a smartphone app that can place a call to emergency services and provide them with important information, such as GPS location and ECG updates, while the device is active.
In speaking about the challenges of bringing ResQR and JoltzAED to market, he gave the audience a concise primer on the seven steps an entrepreneur needs to follow to have any chance at success: enjoy the process, build a good team, go step-by-step (and do not skip any steps, ever), devise a clear plan and outlook, accept all the hardships, make sure that all the efforts are for something meaningful and never give up.
Dr. Herman Weiss, CEO of Libra Sciences, is a faculty member at the Katz School of Science and Health, who made aliyah in 2008. The focus of his work is detoxifying the human microbiome, what is called gut dysbiosis, 鈥渋n order to bring about better health.鈥
Libra Sciences is working on what Dr. Weiss called a 鈥渕acro molecule鈥 that can detoxify the toxic metabolites created by the microbiome. This is the first step in a program to 鈥渁lter disease pathways in the human body鈥 and mend the 鈥渄ownstream effects鈥 of gut dysbiosis, which has been found to be associated with debilitating conditions like Alzheimer鈥檚 disease.
So far, the results of tests of the macro molecule in animal studies have been positive, and Dr. Weiss is confident that this approach will offer a great deal of relief in the not-too-distant future.
Bioethical and Halachic Perspectives on Biotechnology
The second portion of the program began with an in-depth explanation by Dr. Gil Siegal, MD, LLB, SJD (Director of the Center for Health, Law and Bioethics at Kiryat Ono College) about how Israel holds an intermediate position in the field of bioethics (what he called 鈥淏lue and White Bioethics,鈥 based on the colors of the Israeli flag) between the values followed in the United States (which he cited as autonomy, beneficence, no malfeasance and justice) and Europe (following human dignity, solidarity and precaution, that is, the notion that not everything new is good). In Israel, according to Dr. Siegal, there is an emphasis on rabbinical accord, collective action, the positives of genetic research (especially when connected to procreation), the ethical call to improve the world and maintaining the image of Judaism as a positive force.
According to Dr. Siegal, this intermediate position gives Israel certain intellectual and moral advantages as it engages in scientific research that, for instance, make it a pioneer in stem cell research because it can find a balance that respects the sanctity of life while also engaging in scientific practices that 鈥渋mprove creation鈥 by 鈥渟aving lives and abolishing suffering.鈥
The final two speakers鈥擱abbi Yosef Zvi Rimon (Chief Rabbi of Gush Etzion, Rosh Yeshiva of Machon Lev, and Rosh Kollel at Yeshivat Har Etzion) and Rabbi Menachem Genack (Rosh Yeshiva, RIETS and CEO of the Orthodox Union鈥檚 Kashrut Division)鈥攅xplained the intricate decision-making involved in considering new foods鈥攊n this case, artificial meat.
The Medical Ethics Society conference is always a highlight of 每日大瓜鈥檚 programming. Here are some past conferences:
Rabbi Yaakov Glasser
The first portion of the program highlighted the work being done by Dr. Avi Schroeder (Professor of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering at the Technion), Dr. Jonathan Rosenblum, DPM (CEO of Rithim Life Sciences) and Dr. Herman Weiss, MD, MBA (CEO of Libra Sciences).
Dr. Schroeder is working on what he called 鈥渘anomedicines,鈥 that is, medicine delivery systems that measure no larger than one one-thousandth of the width of a human hair. The first application he spoke about involved delivering anti-cancer agents to tumors in order to combat ovarian and breast cancers; the second dealt with lessening the pain and inflammation caused by osteoarthritis.
As he pointed out, the development of medicines like this take a very long time, but he noted that what kept him and other researchers going in this yearslong quest is 鈥渇eeling rewarded that a technology that we helped invent reduced suffering and made life better.鈥
Next up was Dr. Jonathan Rosenblum, CEO of Rithim Life Sciences. His company has created two medical devices that can literally save lives in an instant: the ResQR CPR-aid and JoltzAED. As he described each of these inventions, he noted that 鈥渢he important thing to remember is that if you鈥檙e saving one life, you save the world.鈥
The ResQR is described as 鈥渁 revolutionary device for hands-only CPR [that] spreads the force, lowering the risk of chest fractures, with ultimate ease of use in a home or office setting.鈥 The device is built to guide would-be rescuers to place their hands in the proper position on a prone person and use a metronome and LED light to ensure proper compression pacing (what Dr. Rosenbaum described as 鈥渓ess crunch when you punch鈥). The ResQR also comes with a modesty shield for women, and it can also be used on infants and small children.
The JoltzAED is a defibrillator that is half the size of a regular device and a fraction of the weight. Contained in a military-grade rugged case, as soon as a user opens it, the operator is guided by step-by-step voice commands (it can be programmed in 160 languages), and it can be paired with a smartphone app that can place a call to emergency services and provide them with important information, such as GPS location and ECG updates, while the device is active.
In speaking about the challenges of bringing ResQR and JoltzAED to market, he gave the audience a concise primer on the seven steps an entrepreneur needs to follow to have any chance at success: enjoy the process, build a good team, go step-by-step (and do not skip any steps, ever), devise a clear plan and outlook, accept all the hardships, make sure that all the efforts are for something meaningful and never give up.
Dr. Herman Weiss, CEO of Libra Sciences, is a faculty member at the Katz School of Science and Health, who made aliyah in 2008. The focus of his work is detoxifying the human microbiome, what is called gut dysbiosis, 鈥渋n order to bring about better health.鈥
Libra Sciences is working on what Dr. Weiss called a 鈥渕acro molecule鈥 that can detoxify the toxic metabolites created by the microbiome. This is the first step in a program to 鈥渁lter disease pathways in the human body鈥 and mend the 鈥渄ownstream effects鈥 of gut dysbiosis, which has been found to be associated with debilitating conditions like Alzheimer鈥檚 disease.
So far, the results of tests of the macro molecule in animal studies have been positive, and Dr. Weiss is confident that this approach will offer a great deal of relief in the not-too-distant future.
The second portion of the program began with an in-depth explanation by Dr. Gil Siegal, MD, LLB, SJD (Director of the Center for Health, Law and Bioethics at Kiryat Ono College) about how Israel holds an intermediate position in the field of bioethics (what he called 鈥淏lue and White Bioethics,鈥 based on the colors of the Israeli flag) between the values followed in the United States (which he cited as autonomy, beneficence, no malfeasance and justice) and Europe (following human dignity, solidarity and precaution, that is, the notion that not everything new is good). In Israel, according to Dr. Siegal, there is an emphasis on rabbinical accord, collective action, the positives of genetic research (especially when connected to procreation), the ethical call to improve the world and maintaining the image of Judaism as a positive force.
According to Dr. Siegal, this intermediate position gives Israel certain intellectual and moral advantages as it engages in scientific research that, for instance, make it a pioneer in stem cell research because it can find a balance that respects the sanctity of life while also engaging in scientific practices that 鈥渋mprove creation鈥 by 鈥渟aving lives and abolishing suffering.鈥
The final two speakers鈥擱abbi Yosef Zvi Rimon (Chief Rabbi of Gush Etzion, Rosh Yeshiva of Machon Lev, and Rosh Kollel at Yeshivat Har Etzion) and Rabbi Menachem Genack (Rosh Yeshiva, RIETS and CEO of the Orthodox Union鈥檚 Kashrut Division)鈥攅xplained the intricate decision-making involved in considering new foods鈥攊n this case, artificial meat.
The Medical Ethics Society conference is always a highlight of 每日大瓜鈥檚 programming. Here are some past conferences:
