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companies targeted specific investment efforts on Israel.
Of these, nine are focused solely on life sciences.
Israeli Life Science by the Numbers
The life science industry represents a significant growth
engine for Israel’s economy. Life science exports nearly
tripled from $2.4 billion in 2004 to $6.5 billion in 2008, with
72% of the exports to North America and 21% to Europe.
An estimated 70 to 80 new life science start-ups emerge
each year. The number of Israeli life science companies
grew from 186 in 1996 to over 1,000 in 2008, an increase
of almost 600%. More than one-third of these companies
now produce revenues. Israel ranks fourth in the world
in the per capita number of registered patents of new
molecules (small and large) and first in medical device
patents per capita.
Israeli Life Science Companies by Sector (2008)
Over 1,000 companies
Key Segments
Medical Devices
Israeli ingenuity leads the way in a field that brings together
scientific knowledge and inventive engineering. The
country has made its mark in developing breakthrough
technologies from lasers to surgical equipment.Therapeutic
devices–both implantable and disposable–comprise the
largest subsector in medical devices.
• InSightec’s noninvasive surgical procedures of MR-
guided, focused ultrasound technology represent an
important step in the move from inpatient to outpatient
treatment.
• The "implantable miniature telescope” for vision loss
due to age-related macular degeneration from young
company VisionCare is currently in clinical trials.
• Novel laparoscopic tools from Virtual Ports improve
maneuverability and visibility for surgeons.
• Vibration Response Imaging developed by DeepBreeze
provides physicians with a dynamic functional image of
the lungs.
• Sialo Technology presents an advanced endoscope
system and tools for root canal “direct vision” and for the
treatment of salivary gland diseases.
Healthcare IT
Israel ranks as a leader in the use of IT for healthcare. An
astonishing 100% of primary care physicians in Israel use
computerized patient records. Extensive development
of communication technologies gives a strong base for
developing and testing healthcare IT and telemedicine
solutions. More than 70 companies are developing
products for healthcare IT.
• System integrator and software provider eWave has
produced strategic Web- based solutions for electronic
health record applications, electronic diagnostic
and monitoring devices, patient portals, and disease
management.
• dbMotion provides clinicians access to real-
time, integrated clinical information. The health
interoperability and intelligence solution enables
healthcare organizations and HIEs to meaningfully
integrate and leverage their information assets.
• The Clicks® application generator from Roshtov, a
leader in enterprise- wide medical information systems,
manages patient-file-oriented software solutions for
managed care and large-scale healthcare providers.
• Clinical information systems developed by iMDsoft–
Global automate hospital intensive care units and
operating rooms.
Drug Delivery
The collaboration between scientists from research centers
and pharmaceutical companies has fueled growth in the
number of companies developing new drug delivery and
drug targeting platforms. More than 70 Israeli companies
are developing technologies to meet the growing market
demand for new, more effective drug delivery platforms.
• TransPharma develops and commercializes drug
products utilizing a proprietary transdermal drug
delivery technology (ViaDerm).
• BioSight develops targeted chemotherapy drugs using
its proprietary S2DOTTM platform.
• The unique “natural injection system” from NanoCyte
utilizes microscopic needles to transport and deliver
target compounds.
• Intecpharma’s Accordion Pill improves drug absorption
through controlled release of the medication.
• Diagnostics
• There are more than 120 Israeli companies developing
diagnostic kits for testing diseases, birth defects,
microorganisms, and legal and illegal substances. Israeli
researchers and companies are active contributors
in developing advanced diagnostic tests utilizing
biomarkers and genomics.
• InCure develops a simple blood test for early detection
and monitoring of tumor malignancies.
• The platform technology from MND-Diagnostics
diagnoses diseases and pathogens in just three to five
minutes.