Biomedical Excellence

The annual meeting of the Israeli Society for Medical and Biological Engineering was held on March 7th, 2017. Two doctoral students from the Faculty of Engineering received awards as outstanding doctoral students.

Oshra Betzer won a prize for her work combining nanotechnology and brain research. "We are developing nanoparticle-based technologies to advance the field of treatments for neuropsychiatric disorders. Our goal is to improve imaging, drug delivery through the blood-brain barrier, and stem cell monitoring, for the treatment of brain pathologies," she explained. "Our technology can help diagnose and treat neuropsychiatric disorders, such as depression and addiction, but it is also relevant for the treatment of Alzheimer's, autism and other brain diseases."

Inbar Yariv was awarded for her work examining light-tissue interactions. "We are developing a non-invasive optical method for identifying various substances, including nanoparticles, within physiological mediums," she explained. "The motivation for this study was to promote topical medication, that is, a medication administered through the skin. Our method allows us to identify the penetration depth of nanoparticles into the tissue," she explained. "We have already started working with cosmetic companies. We have created nanoparticles with anti-aging materials that penetrate more effectively than existing products in the market. This method can also help treat acne, as well as skin and nail fungi. I hope that our technique will eventually lead to early diagnosis of skin diseases and cancerous tumors. "