BGU Works With Ram Group to Detect Cancer Earlier
BGU Works With Ram Group to Detect Cancer Earlier
October 2, 2017
Nanotechnology, Press Releases
BGN, the technology-transfer company of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU), is collaborating with Singapore-based Ram Group to develop a minimally invasive diagnostic sensor for earlier detection and treatment of cancer and other diseases than is possible today.
Prof. Gabby Sarusi
The goal is to develop a sensor that will detect specific antibodies that are known to be signs of emerging diseases in the blood at very low and previously undetectable concentrations.
The research project is being led by Prof. Gabby Sarousi in the BGU Unit of Electro-Optical Engineering and the Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology.
“We are adapting existing sensor technologies to be able to detect very small amounts of chemical and biological components in fluids and in gas, in concentrations that are much lower than PPB (parts-per-billion),” says Prof. Sarusi.
“The results will render any potential treatment, including chemotherapy, much more effective than today, since it will be conducted on cancer at such an early stage that it has yet to manifest itself as a visible tumor.”
The sensor will be comprised of a miniature light waveguide ring with a diameter of a few hundred micrometers fabricated on a semiconductor chip and coated with chemical or biological receptors. When a tiny amount of liquid such as blood is placed on the ring, the receptors identify and attract the chemical component, i.e. antibodies, which are then identified using optical wavelength analysis.
“The sensor we are developing for RAM Group can be used in two different ways: 100 percent optical sensing or one that combines optical sensing with an electronic sensor,” Prof. Sarusi says.
“We welcome the strong collaboration with RAM Group, which has R&D facilities in Israel,” says Zafrir Levi, vice president of business development at BGN. “This technology is another example of the state-of-the-art applied science created here in BGU’s labs.”
About Ram Group
Founded in 2010, Ram Group aims to revolutionize sensors and analytics technology across the Internet-of-Things and healthcare industries. Headquartered in Singapore, the firm has R&D facilities in Germany and Israel. The company’s research has been protected by a wide range of patents, and its staff has been published in over 60 respected medical and scientific journals worldwide. In 2016, RAM Group won the “High-Technology Innovation Competition” for 2016, awarded by the German Federal Ministry of Research for the validation of the company’s non-invasive continuous hemodynamic and vital-signs monitoring healthcare platform. This prestigious award is annually sought by some 100 of the top biotech companies in Germany. Visit the company website at www.ram.group.
About BGN Technologies
BGN Technologies is the business and technology-transfer company of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) in Israel. Located in the heart of the University’s Advanced Technologies Park, BGN Technologies is the driving force behind industry-academia collaborations, and supports the University’s mission of cultivating a high-tech eco-system within the Negev region. With a track record of over 100 startup companies, as well as partnerships in technology incubators and accelerators, BGN Technologies brings inventions from the labs to the market by fostering research collaborations and entrepreneurship among researchers and students. During the past decade, BGN Technologies focused on creating long-term partnerships with dozens of companies, including multinationals such as: Deutsche Telekom, Dell-EMC, Lockheed Martin, and PayPal, securing value and growth to a diverse ecosystem that surrounds BGU. For more information, visit the BGN Technologies website.
ABOUT AMERICANS FOR BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY
By supporting a world-class academic institution that not only nurtures the Negev, but also shares its expertise locally and globally, Americans for Ben-Gurion University engages a community of Americans who are committed to improving the world. David Ben-Gurion envisioned that Israel’s future would be forged in the Negev. The cutting-edge research carried out at Ben-Gurion University drives that vision by sustaining a desert Silicon Valley, with the “Stanford of the Negev” at its center. The Americans for Ben-Gurion University movement supports a 21st century unifying vision for Israel by rallying around BGU’s remarkable work and role as an apolitical beacon of light in the Negev desert.
About Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev embraces the endless potential we have as individuals and as a commonality to adapt and to thrive in changing environments. Inspired by our location in the desert, we aim to discover, to create, and to develop solutions to dynamic challenges, to pose questions that have yet to be asked, and to push beyond the boundaries of the commonly accepted and possible.
We are proud to be a central force for inclusion, diversity and innovation in Israel, and we strive to extend the Negev’s potential and our entrepreneurial spirit throughout the world. For example, the multi-disciplinary School for Sustainability and Climate Change at BGU leverages over 50 years of expertise on living and thriving in the desert into scalable solutions for people everywhere.
BGU at a glance:
20,000 students | 800 senior faculty | 3 campuses | 6 faculties: humanities & social sciences, health sciences, engineering sciences, natural sciences, business & management, and desert research.
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