Newsletters

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

I am pleased to share with you that 2022 was a year of growth and advancement at Hadasit as we continued to transform cutting-edge research into marketable medical technologies that can improve healthcare.

This year we teamed with a number of international partners in the development of novel therapies and technologies. The first made-in-Israel CART therapy was licensed to Immix Biopharma. Also, the first Israeli Center for Psychedelics Research was established at Hadassah, funded by the US-based incubator Negev Labs.

By bringing together science, medicine, academia, and business, Hadasit is positively impacting the healthcare industry. I want to extend a warm welcome to our newly-established start-up companies and to our new team members that joined us this year.

Yours,
Dr. Tamar Raz, CEO

Hadassah CAR-T Cells Licensed to IMMIX Biopharma

Anti-BCMA CAR-T cells technology targeting plasma cells for the treatment of Multiple Myeloma has been licensed to Immix BioPharma. The technology was developed by Prof. Polina Stepensky, Dr. Shlomit Kfir-Erenfeld, and Dr. Nathalie Asherie of the Bone Marrow Transplantation Department of Hadassah, in collaboration with Prof. Cyrille J. Cohen of Bar-Ilan University. Immix BioPharma is a US-based biotech company that develops and commercializes novel tissue specific therapeutics.

According to the terms this successful commercialization deal, Immix will pay license fees and milestone payments totaling more than $20 million, as well as royalties from future sales. They will also sponsor ongoing clinical research and development at Hadassah at a cost of more than $12 million over the next four years.

First Israeli Center for Psychedelics Research Established at Hadassah

The first Israeli Center for Psychedelics Research for accelerating drug discovery and development has been established at Hadassah in collaboration with Negev Labs.

This unique collaboration is based upon research by Prof. Bernard Lerer and Dr. Amit Lotan on the use of psychedelic drugs for the treatment of psychiatric disorders. Negev Labs, a US-based psychedelic early-stage research incubator, funded by Negev Capital, the leading venture firm in psychedelic industry, will provide $1.5 million for the establishment of the Center.

Kostia Adamsky, CEO of Negev Labs, said: “We are delighted to partner with Prof. Lerer and his team at Hadassah to inaugurate a world-class psychedelic medicine center in Israel. Initially, the focus will be on psychedelic psychobiology, including the development of medications, clinical applications, and understanding of mechanisms of action. Ultimately, we hope the Center will also become the address in Israel for the practice of psychedelic medicine, including education, training, and clinical research. “

Jerusalem Data Alliance: A Gamechanger in Patient Data

Three major Jerusalem health organizations - Hadassah University Hospital, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, and Meuhedet Health Services - have established an unprecedented Clinical-Patient Data Alliance.
The alliance will provide academic, clinical and industry experts with access to the full flow of diverse patient clinical data from community clinics to the hospital through one consolidated digital platform.
The project, which will connect data lakes containing millions of patient records, is supported by a grant from the Israel Innovation Authority. In just a few months, companies, researchers, and clinicians will be able to access de-identified clinical patient data through a single dashboard.

Startup News

Sakura Bio

Hadasit spun off Sakura Bio, a new cell therapy company, in partnership with VLX Ventures. The company is developing SAK (super activated killer) T-cells based on proprietary technology invented by Prof. Amnon Peled, Head of the Hadassah Gene Therapy Institute.
This is an off the shelf, allogenic T-cell therapy produced via a simple, relatively short manipulation of naïve PBMC, applicable to a variety of cancers and particularly effective in acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

DioTree

DioTree is a Hadasit portfolio pharmaceutical company, established with the VC fund NGT HealthCare. DioTree will develop first-in-class small molecule for the treatment of ovarian cancer. The technology is based on inhibition of the enzyme DIO3, a major driver in many types of cancer, specifically, ovarian cancer. The molecule was developed by: Prof. Bernard Lerer, Founder of Hadassah’s Biological Psychiatry Laboratory and Hadassah BrainLabs;
Dr. Tzuri Lifschytz of the Biological Psychiatry Laboratory;
and Prof. Govindasamy Mugesh from the National Institute of Science in India.
Prof. Lerer joined forces with Prof. Osnat Ashur-Fabian, Director of the Laboratory for Applied Oncology Research at the Hematology Institute at Meir Hospital, who led the preclinical study. This unique collaboration led to the establishment of DioTree.

Fifth Cohort Graduates Hadassah Accelerator

Five promising startups recently graduated from the fifth cohort of the Hadassah Accelerator powered by IBM Alpha Zone:

	Cloud platform for medical device manufacturers www.biot-med.com
	Prevention of strokes and chronic complications using voice-based markers app www.cardiokol.com
	Platform that analyzes literature and experimental data facilitating the R&D process www.pomicell.com
	AI-based offloading treatment for foot ulcers www.finder.startupnationcentral.org/ company_page/gd-stride
	Personalized app accompanying fertility treatments www.embieapp.com

We are now recruiting startups for the sixth cohort of the Hadassah Accelerator. To read more and to apply, click here

ZOOM IN

We are pleased to welcome our newest staff members who recently joined Hadasit’s professional team.

Tamir Levital, B.Sc, M.Sc.
VP BD, Medical Devices & Digital Health

Tamir brings 20 years of healthcare and cleantech management and business development experience, including over a decade as CEO of a medical device start-up. His experience spans healthcare and cleantech business development, fundraising, academic technology licensing, commercial strategy development, R&D management, clinical trials, medical regulation, legal aspects, and patents. Tamir holds an M.Sc. in Animal Science from McGill University in Montreal, Canada and a B.Sc. in Biology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Reach out via tamirl@hadassah.org.il

Nadav Askari, PhD
VP BD, Pharmaceuticals & Diagnostics

For over a decade, Nadav has held various leadership positions in the life science industry, most recently as the CTO of Genetika+ Ltd., a precision medicine biotech startup. From 2012-2021 he headed the proteins and kits R&D in Merck KGaA. Nadav also served as an advisor to tech transfer and innovation teams at the Weizmann Institute. Dr. Askari received his M.Sc. and Ph.D. in biochemistry and cell biology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and performed his postdoctoral training in La Jolla, California.

Reach out via nadavask@hadassah.org.il