Israeli studies Archives - Amazing Health Advances

Breakthrough Prenatal Test Detects 250 Diseases at 9 Weeks

The AHA! Team — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 06:36:28 +0000

Abigail Klein Leichman via Israel21c – Israeli startup Identifai develops first maternal blood test to identify risk of 250 genetic diseases as early as 9th week of pregnancy, matching the results of riskier and later amniocentesis. Of the 140 million babies born worldwide each year, 6-8% are at risk for hereditary genetic diseases. Amniocentesis is considered the gold standard for detecting fetal genetic risks with high accuracy, but it is invasive, has some risks for mother and baby, and cannot be done until at least 15 weeks into the pregnancy. The only alternative until now has been non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT), but it can assess risk for only about 10 percent of known genetic disorders, including Tay-Sachs, cystic fibrosis and spinal muscular atrophy. A breakthrough blood test developed in Israel is poised to make prenatal genetic testing available earlier, noninvasively and comprehensively: It can detect the risk of 250 diseases with high accuracy. Identifai was founded in 2021 based on the research of Tel Aviv University Prof. Noam Shomron, a world expert in genetics and bioinformatics. Using artificial intelligence and machine learning, Identifai’s technology requires nothing more than a maternal blood sample. After isolating fetal DNA from maternal DNA, it does a full, rapid fetal genetic sequencing starting from just nine weeks’ gestation. The technology can detect mutations even in a single DNA base among billions, making it capable of identifying a wide range of hereditary genetic conditions. “This is a tremendous step forward,” Identifai CEO Eyal Miller tells ISRAEL21c. “If the mother is a carrier [of a genetic disease], we can do the whole genome sequencing for the fetus and provide a clinical report with a negative predictive value of more than 99%,” he explains. “This means that if results are negative, the likelihood of the fetus having [a genetic disease] is close to zero. And that gives immediate relief to the parents. On the other hand, if the results are positive, the parents know exactly what they’re dealing with,” Miller adds. “That dramatically changes the whole ecosystem from the point of view of parents, clinicians and genetic counselors. This is why we shine.” Gamechanger The Israeli technology, expected to be commercialized in the second half of 2025 following additional clinical trials in Israel and the United States, has already gained international recognition through the publication of a study conducted at Israel’s Beilinson and Meir hospitals. Chosen as the cover story of the global journal Prenatal Diagnosis last August, the study involved 18 cases where both parents were carriers of genetic diseases. Identifai’s system analyzed the mothers’ blood samples and predicted fetal risks with 100% accuracy, matching the results from amniocentesis. Identifai will soon release results from a larger study at Columbia University Medical Center in New York. “At Columbia, we came across parents who carry a rare genetic disease and they were amazed that we can provide a very simple solution very early in the process in order to give them certainty about the status of the fetus as soon as possible,” Miller says. The couple wrote to Identifai: “Our reproductive journey has been hugely impacted by the knowledge of being carriers and we hope that this kind of non-invasive testing becomes available one day in the future for families like us.” The benefits of knowing Identifai generates a report for parents and their healthcare provider, detailing the probability of the fetus carrying or developing specific genetic conditions and how they might manifest if the pregnancy continues. “Couples are aware very early if the fetus has some type of disease, which means they can make a decision about what lies ahead,” says Miller. “If you’ve decided to maintain the pregnancy, there are specific hospitals in the United States that can treat the newborn immediately once a clear diagnosis is in place.” Furthermore, Identifai needs only maternal blood for analysis, which is helpful in the many cases where the father is unavailable or unknown. “If the mother is a carrier and you can’t find the father, the only thing to do until now has been to keep your fingers crossed and pray and then do invasive amnio,” says Miller. In addition to the medical advantages of the test, Miller adds, there’s an emotional and psychological advantage because amniocentesis “causes enormous anxiety and stress” and many expectant couples don’t want it. A $6 billion market Miller says the prenatal testing market is currently valued at $6 billion annually, with NIPT tests making up half of that amount. This market is expected to grow to $19 billion by 2030. “Our ability to detect fetal risk for hundreds of genetic conditions will expand this market to hundreds of billions, including early in-utero surgeries and detection of late-stage conditions where amniocentesis is no longer an option,” he says. “Furthermore, this solution, which does not require FDA approval, will be accessible, convenient, and effective for populations worldwide who avoid amniocentesis for cultural reasons, for millions of pregnancies where the father’s identity is unknown, and in response to new US legislation limiting abortions and amniocentesis tests that might justify terminations.” Identifai has received grants from the Israel Innovation Authority and raised $6.5 million from investors including Shizim as well as eHealth Ventures, which supports early-stage digital health companies from the initial stages of R&D through capital raising, business development, commercialization, and market entry. Identifai employs 15 people in its Tel Aviv offices. Miller says a US office will be established to support clinical, marketing and operational activities in that target market. For more information, click here. To read the original article click here.

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Pfizer Admits Israel Is the Great COVID-19 Vaccine Experiment

AHA Publisher — Thu, 23 Sep 2021 07:00:13 +0000

Dr. Joseph Mercola STORY AT-A-GLANCE Pfizer admits it’s treating Israel as a unique “laboratory” to assess COVID jab effects. Whatever happens in Israel can reliably be expected to happen elsewhere, months later Pfizer entered into an exclusivity agreement with the Israeli Ministry of Health, so the only COVID shot available is Pfizer’s. The Pfizer shot has a higher risk for heart inflammation among young men than some of the other COVID shots, but Israeli youth have no option but to get the most dangerous one Pfizer’s shot went from a 95% effectiveness in December 2020 to 39% by late July when the Delta strain became predominant in Israel. In response to obvious vaccine failure, Israel started giving out third boosters at the end of July 2021 Vaccine failure is also evident in Israeli data showing fully vaccinated are at higher risk of severe illness when infected with SARS-CoV-2 or any of its variants than unvaccinated, and now make up the bulk of COVID-related hospitalizations and deaths Natural immunity is far superior to the protection you get from the COVID shot, because when you recover from the infection, your body makes antibodies against all five proteins of the virus, plus memory T cells that remain even once antibody levels diminish According to a recent Israeli news report, which I posted on Twitter1 September 13, 2021, Pfizer admits it’s treating Israel as a unique “laboratory” to assess COVID jab effects. Whatever happens in Israel can reliably be expected to happen everywhere else as well, some months later. In other words, the Israeli population is one giant test group — without a control group, unfortunately — and as noted by the news anchors, the people really should have been informed that they were part of one of the biggest medical experiments in human history. Pfizer entered into an exclusivity agreement with the Israeli Ministry of Health at the outset, so the only COVID shot available is Pfizer’s. As noted by the news anchor, we now realize that the Pfizer shot has a higher risk for heart inflammation among young men than some of the other COVID shots, but Israeli youth have no option but to get the most dangerous one. Israel Rolls Out Booster Shots Israel was one of the first countries to implement draconian vaccination mandates, even though the Pfizer shot was completely experimental. Israelis were told they could not enter certain venues without a vaccination card, such as restaurants, gyms, swimming pools and hotels. As a result, they now have one of the highest vaccination rates in the world. As of mid-September 2021, nearly 14.6 million doses had been administered.2 At two doses, that would give them a vaccination rate of 80.5%. It’s probably a bit less than that, because Israel started giving out third boosters at the end of July 2021.3 The first group to qualify for a third shot were seniors over the age of 60. Less than three weeks later, eligibility expanded to include people over the age of 40, as well as pregnant women, teachers and health care workers, even if they’re younger than 40. By the end of August 2021, boosters were offered to all previously vaccinated individuals, all the way down to the age of 12.4 By the second week of September 2021, when an estimated 2.8 million Israelis had received a third dose, a possible fourth dose was already being prepared.5 Health Ministry director general Nachman Ash told Radio 103FM they still don’t know when a fourth dose might be needed,6 but clearly, there’s no indication that the boosters won’t continue. And each time that happens, the people will forfeit their freedoms all over again, until they get the next shot. Israeli Data Considered the Best Around If there’s a silver lining to this experiment, it’s that Israel at least appears to be far more diligent and transparent in its data collection than the U.S. The data coming out of Israel is considered by many to be the best in the world because of their commitment to transparency. As explained by Science magazine:7 “The nation of 9.3 million … has a robust public health infrastructure and a population wholly enrolled in HMOs that track them closely, allowing it to produce high-quality, real-world data on how well vaccines are working … Israel’s HMOs … track demographics, comorbidities, and a trove of coronavirus metrics on infections, illnesses, and deaths. ‘We have rich individual-level data that allows us to provide real-world evidence in near–real time,’ [Clalit Health Services chief innovation officer, Ran] Balicer says … Now, the effects of waning immunity may be beginning to show in Israelis vaccinated in early winter; a preprint8 published last month … found that protection from COVID-19 infection during June and July dropped in proportion to the length of time since an individual was vaccinated. People vaccinated in January had a 2.26 times greater risk for a breakthrough infection than those vaccinated in April.” Unfortunately, we cannot rely on U.S. data to get a clear idea of how the COVID shots are working, as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has chosen not to track all breakthrough cases. As reported by ProPublica,9 the CDC stopped tracking and reporting all breakthrough cases May 1, 2021, opting to log only those that result in hospitalization and/or death. As noted in the article, this irrational decision has “left the nation with a muddled understanding of COVID-19’s impact on the vaccinated.” It also prevents us from understanding how variants are spreading and whether those who have received the jab can still develop so-called “long-haul syndrome.” Individual states are also setting their own criteria for how they collect data on breakthrough cases, and this patchwork muddies the waters even further. Video may not work on all browsers September 10, 2021, National File posted a shocking video10 on Twitter featuring senior doctors and a North Carolina marketing director discussing how they would count recovered COVID patients as active COVID hospitalization cases in an effort to inflate hospitalization rates. Why? For no other reason than to scare people into getting the jab. It’s a marketing ploy. Additionally, a study showed nearly half of those hospitalized with COVID-19 have only mild symptoms or are asymptomatic. They were hospitalized for some other reason and just happened to test positive.11 These and other data manipulations discussed in “CDC Caught Cooking the Books on COVID Vaccines” make U.S. data on infection, hospitalization and mortality rates near useless. Clear Evidence of Vaccine Failure The boosters in Israel were rolled out in response to obvious vaccine failure. Pfizer’s shot went from a 95% effectiveness in December 2020, to 64% in early July 2021 and 39% by late July, when the Delta strain became predominant.12,13 While the country boasts one of the highest fully vaccinated rates in the world, they now also have one of the highest daily infection rates.14 So much for the hallowed concept of vaccine-induced herd immunity. August 1, 2021, the director of Israel’s Public Health Services, Dr. Sharon Alroy-Preis, announced half of all COVID-19 infections were among the fully vaccinated.15 The vaccinated are not only susceptible to testing positive, though: They’re also increasingly likely to experience serious disease when infected. Double-jabbed Israelis started making up the bulk of serious COVID-19 infections in July 2021, and by mid-August, 59% of serious cases were among those who had received two COVID injections.16 Others have cited even higher numbers. August 5, 2021, Dr. Kobi Haviv, director of the Herzog Hospital in Jerusalem, appeared on Channel 13 News, reporting that 95% of severely ill COVID-19 patients were fully vaccinated, and that they made up 85% to 90% of COVID-related hospitalizations overall.17 August 20, 2021, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director Dr. Rochelle Walensky admitted that the Israeli data “suggest increased risk of severe disease amongst those vaccinated early,”18 and just like the Israeli Ministry of Health, the CDC’s answer to this dilemma is simply more shots, as if that’s going to solve anything. Mass Vaccination Actually Drives Mutations Natural immunity is far superior to the protection you get from the COVID shot. Why? Largely because it works on more levels to provide a far more comprehensive and robust immune response. When you recover from the infection, your body makes antibodies against all five proteins of the virus, plus memory T cells that remain even once antibody levels diminish. This provides lifelong protection, unless you have impaired immune function. The immunity you receive from the COVID jab is in the form of just one type of antibody — the antibody against the original SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. If that spike protein sufficiently mutates, those antibodies become useless. As warned by Dr. Geert Vanden Bossche,19 those specific antibodies are also more robust than the nonspecific antibodies you get from natural infection, so they overtake any natural antibodies you may have. Aside from that, mass vaccination also creates evolutionary pressure that drives the production of mutations. While most mutations result in milder versions of greater infectivity, it could also result in more deadly variations. This is particularly true when a vaccine is “leaky,” meaning it doesn’t fully prevent infection (which none of the COVID shots does). Just like when you overuse an antibiotic that fails to eradicate the bacteria, which allows antibiotic-resistant bacteria to flourish, overuse of a leaky vaccine can pressure a virus to become more lethal.20,21 In an open letter22 to the World Health Organization dated March 6, 2021, Bossche warned that implementing a global mass vaccination campaign during the height of the pandemic could create an “uncontrollable monster” where evolutionary pressure will force the emergence of new and potentially more dangerous mutations. “There can be no doubt that continued mass vaccination campaigns will enable new, more infectious viral variants to become increasingly dominant and ultimately result in a dramatic incline in new cases despite enhanced vaccine coverage rates. There can be no doubt either that this situation will soon lead to complete resistance of circulating variants to the current vaccines,” Bossche wrote.23 Israeli Data Confirm COVID Jab Increases Infection Risk Real-world data from Israel seem to confirm Bossche’s fears, showing those who have received the COVID jab are 6.72 times more likely to get infected than people with natural immunity.24,25,26 Knowing what we already know about the risks of these shots and their tendency to encourage mutations, it seems reasonable to suspect that all we’re doing is digging ourselves an ever-deeper, ever-wider hole that’s going to be increasingly difficult to get out of. Disturbingly, a study27 posted August 23, 2021, on the preprint server bioRxiv warns the Delta variant “is posed to acquire complete resistance to wild-type spike vaccines.” The researchers found that, if four common mutations were to occur simultaneously in the receptor binding domain of the Delta variant, the resulting virus would not only be immune to the neutralizing antibodies produced in response to Pfizer’s injection, but it would also enhance the infectivity of the virus. This could essentially turn into a worst-case scenario that sets up those who have received the Pfizer shots for more severe illness when exposed to the virus than they would have experienced had they not gotten the shots. Will Boosters Fail? Initial reports from Israel suggest the third Pfizer dose has improved protection in the over-60 group, compared to those who only got two doses of Pfizer.28 According to Reuters:29 “Breaking down statistics from Israel’s Gertner Institute and KI Institute, ministry officials said that among people aged 60 and over, the protection against infection provided from 10 days after a third dose was four times higher than after two doses. A third jab for over 60-year-olds offered five to six times greater protection after 10 days with regard to serious illness and hospitalization.” However, anyone who thinks one or more booster shots are the answer to SARS-CoV-2 is likely fooling themselves. Time will tell if the third booster will rein in hospitalization and death rates, but I’m not optimistic. Knowing what we already know about...

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