Ilya Glants and Tsafrir Ozer are the first prize winners in the Project Competition held by the Technion Faculty of Biomedical Engineering. The prize was awarded for their final project conducted in collaboration with Check-Cap Ltd –\u00a0an innovative method for accurately pinpointing the entrance to the colon.<\/p>\n
\u201cSuch pinpointing is necessary in the use of ultra low dose x-ray imaging capsule that is designed to create reconstructed 2D and 3D images of the colon, used for cancer detection purpose,\u201d Ozer explains. \u201cThe capsule has limited energy, and therefore\u00a0there is a need\u00a0to trigger the imaging mechanism in it only when it passes from the small intestine to the colon, thus consuming energy.\u201d<\/p>\n
The students studied the environmental properties of the colon and detected criteria to distinguish the colon from the rest of the digestive system. They isolated two criteria that are sufficient for such pinpointing: (1) the release of specific enzymes from the flora, and (2) the emission of hydrogen and methane. The use of specific sensors to detect these indices enables the\u00a0accurate delivery of the capsule, which\u00a0is activated\u00a0at the right time and location inside the digestive system.<\/p>\n
The competition was held as part of the Faculty\u2019s annual Projects Conference,\u00a0with prizes were awarded by Cbyond Ltd.<\/p>\n
Second prize went to the students Ilia Gelfat and Adi Sandelson. They developed a device for Hanita Lenses Ltd that measures flow velocity through the Company\u2019s implant. This implant is used for the treatment of open-angle glaucoma, a disease characterized by the accumulation of aqueous fluid in the eye`s anterior chamber, causing damage to the optic nerve.<\/p>\n
The third prize went to three teams: Vered Azar and Adi Raz, who carried out their project at the laboratory of Prof. Dan Adam in the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, developed a dictionary learning-based software for the purpose of automatic classification of various echocardiogram views. Gilan Grimberg and Uri Merdler, who carried out their project at the laboratory of Prof. Shulamit Levenberg in the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, developed a software that investigates and characterizes the morphology of various neural-vascular 3D constructs. Shahar Rawski, who carried out his project at IDOS Ltd, studied and analyzed the various mechanical properties of the shoulder\u2019s humeral shell component, as part of an implant designed by the company.<\/p>\n
Faculty Dean Prof. Amir Landesberg said, \u201cThe Project Conference is held in order to encourage initiative and creativity among students and strengthen the relationship between the faculty and relevant companies in the industry and medical institutions. These entities take part in many of the projects and thus come in contact with students who are the scientists and engineers of the future in the field of biomedical engineering.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Alex Vilensky, who is in charge of the project course, said: \u201cThe projects, which express the knowledge and tools acquired by students in the fields of engineering, science and medicine, are the highlight of the degree program. In many cases the project is taken forward to its first stage of patent registration and eventually to the establishment of a start-up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other projects presented at the Conference are: a system for measuring body temperature during plastic surgery (in partnership with Lumenis Ltd), semi-automatic image processing for mapping anatomical structures during MR imaging of malignant tumors in the breast (in partnership with InSightec Ltd), a polymeric adhesive patch for measuring the oxygen in the skin, and imaging of opto-genetic excitation of the cortical neurons.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"