62 innovations from Bar-Ilan University, available for licensing, co-investment, or spin-out through BIRAD.
Margel Shlomo
The invention relates generally to the field of adhesive thin coatings comprising essential oils, hydrogen peroxide & ethanol and their use via a controlled release process.
Ayal Hendel
The invention utilizes CRISPR-Cas9 editing and rAAV6 vectors for transgene delivery to correct the RAG1 and RAG2 coding exon. The novelty is in the construct we use for the correction which replaces the entire open reading from of the gene as oposed to standard practice which is to insert the transgene.
Cohen Cyrille
In this project, we have developed novel chimeric receptors by fusing the extracellular domain of the murine 14G2a antibody with various signaling domains and expressing them in primary human T-cells. Through our work, we identified several mutants exhibiting enhanced biological activity against breast cancer, neuroblastoma, melanoma, and other cancer types. Additionally, we demonstrated that these receptors can upregulate the activation marker 41BB. Overall, we propose that the engineering of T-cells with improved anti-GD2 chimeric receptors holds significant implications for enhancing T cell-based immunotherapy. These mutants also serve as a potential foundation for the development of antibodies or bispecific T-cell engagers (BiTEs)
Gerber Doron
We have a designed a new version of our cancer screening device. In this new version, we modified the device to work with a limited set panel of drugs (8-16). The idea is that we can take a panel of drugs the physician needs to choose from and test these drugs against cancer cells from a patient. We can then provide the physician with information on which drugs the patient's cancer cells are sensitive or resistant too. In turn the physician can now choose a more personalized therapy. The main difference from the former design is that it is not meant for hundreds of drug combinations and that it is designed with point of care diagnostics in mind.
Ayal Hendel
We have developed a machine learning based approach for analysing treatment vs control multiplexing-PCR and Next-generation sequencing data to infer and quantify CRISPR genome editing off-target activity. Our methods are now well developed and we are in the final stages of writing a full manuscript. The main contributions of this project are the tool and the statistical modelling approach behind it, which lead to improved performance as we demonstrate. Moreover - we observed that using this type of data also allows us to infer translocation/fusion adverse events. These are not addressed by any of the existing approaches (e.g CRISPResso (1 and 2) and ampliCan). We apply our inference methods to experimental data (5 different on-target loci, in different technical configurations and with a total of 230 off-target sites examined) and demonstrate unique findings that also shed a light on translocation mechanisms related to CRISPR genome editing.
Mandel Yossi
A device and system for storing and maintaining the viability of an enucleated eye globe ex vivo. The device includes a part-spherical eye bed designed to support the globe and integrate with a perfusion system for nutrient and oxygen delivery. Retinal functionality is monitored using electrophysiology by recording electroretinogram (ERG) signals, providing a robust measure of tissue viability and preservation quality for preclinical testing or potential transplantation.
Gonen, Nitzan
We have generated testis organoids from embryonic and neonatal mouse testicular cells. We use transwell inserts and well defined media for this. The organoids can be maintained for 9 weeks in vitro and preserve all main testicular cell types. They also display gene expression profiles that are highly similar to the real testis as well as spatial organisation that resemble the testis. We also developed 2 defined media compositions that enable to support the immature versus mature testis states.
Mandel Yossi
The invention is a new device and method that enables a better interface between electrodes and patients’ (or other) neural tissue, such as the retina. The invention is based on high-density electrode array integrated with glutamatergic (or other) cells. Upon implantation of the device into the subretinal space of patients suffering from retinal degeneration (e.g.; age-related macular degeneration) the neurons synapse with the host retina. Activation of individual neurons by electric field elicits activation of the host retina with natural characteristics and restores vision at resolution and quality near normal vision.
Qvit Nir
Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) play a key role in a variety of critical processes and in many human diseases including cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and are therefore highly relevant potential therapeutic targets. Peptides have emerged as a promising approach to targeting PPIs, as they demonstrate more rapid clearance than antibodies and higher specificity than small molecules. Recently, mitochondrial dysfunction has emerged as one of the main pathogenic mechanisms underlying an increasing number of diseases, including CVDs. Dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1), a mitochondrial GTPase plays a crucial role in mitochondrial homeostasis. Drp1 was demonstrated to interact with Fission protein 1 (Fis1) leading to excessive fission, resulting in mitochondrial damage. To further determine the significance of Drp1/Fis1 PPI significant in mitochondrial quality and function, we: (1) Developed a library of peptides and macrocycles, and identified CVP-350 and CVP-354, that target Drp1/Fis1 PPI; (2) Demonstrated that the peptides are specific to Drp1/Fis1 PPI; and (3) Shown that CVP-350 and CVP-354, are cardioprotective in cardiomyocytes. Taken together, our findings suggest that CVP-350 and CVP-354 might be promising leads for the treatment of diseases with mitochondrial dysfunction.
Ozana, Nisan
In this patent, we present a novel new method to optically measure blood flow changes and acoustic signals using a rolling shutter camera combined with either an interferometric system or a coded mask. The interferometric system generates a fringe pattern. By calculating the correlation between rows captured by the rolling shutter camera, we are able to extract blood flow signals from deep tissue as well as acoustic vibrations at a high sampling rate, enabled by the rolling shutter mechanism. Furthermore, the interferometric system significantly enhances the signal-to-noise ratio, allowing us to measure the autocorrelation function, g₁, using a camera instead of single-photon detectors. The coded Barker-based mask allows us to further increase the SNR of the cross-correlation between rows by applying a spatial code and utilizing the entire camera field of view.
Garini Yuval
Analyzing stained tissue sections is of major importance for pathological diagnostics, and it forms a bottleneck in various clinical procedures, including cancer detection. Although there are now systems that can scan whole biopsies, they only measure color (RGB data) that provides limited information for reliable and accurate analysis. We invented a new modality for cancer analysis that is based on rapid spectral imaging measurement of whole biopsy, followed by adequate analysis. The spectral information at each pixel of the image is valuable and it allows to perform accurate analysis by using adequate algorithms. Using the system, we also identified the spectra of normal and cancerous cells from a lymph node sample of breast cancer biopsy. Using this information, we developed an algorithm that allows to identify cancer cells with high sensitivity and specificity. The method combines hardware for rapid scan of biopsies followed by specific way for detecting cancer from the measured spectral images.
Ilouz Ronit
The invention relates to a novel method and associated means for detecting and classifying prostate cancer based on an imbalance between the subunits of the enzyme Protein Kinase A (PKA) in MRI-targeted biopsy tissues. Based on experimental findings, we present an innovative biomarker system that enables precise distinction between benign tissue, low-grade (Grade Group 1), and high-grade (Grade Group 4 and above) lesions through spatial and quantitative measurement of the ratio between the regulatory subunit RIβ and the catalytic subunit PKA-C. The method is founded on the biochemical and spatial principle of structural integrity between PKA subunits. In healthy prostate tissue, RIβ and PKA-C co-localize along the basal cell layer, maintaining balanced holoenzyme architecture. In malignant lesions, however, RIβ is selectively lost while PKA-C becomes overexpressed and mislocalized within proliferating epithelial tumor cells. To quantify these differences, the invention comprises: Quantitative Immunofluorescence Imaging (IF) – enabling automated measurement of fluorescence intensity for each marker (RIβ, PKA-C, and basal cell markers) using a dedicated image analysis algorithm. Expression Ratio Analysis – computation of the quantitative RIβ:PKA-C ratio in defined regions of interest (ROIs) within each biopsy section, serving as a biological indicator of holoenzyme balance or imbalance. Biochemical Validation via Western Blot – confirming that the observed decrease in RIβ and increase in PKA-C are reflected at the total protein level in the same MRI-targeted biopsy samples. Future Development of Quantitative Thresholds and Decision Algorithms – the invention enables, in subsequent stages, the establishment of defined numerical thresholds for the RIβ:PKA-C ratio that may serve to automatically identify malignant or aggressive lesions and support diagnostic decision-making. By integrating spatial profiling with precise molecular quantification, the invention defines a unique biological signature that differentiates suspicious lesions from benign or indolent regions, independently of conventional histopathology. The invention further provides a basis for the development of a clinical diagnostic platform or laboratory kit designed to quantitatively assess PKA subunit imbalance in prostate biopsy specimens.
