Angelina Jolie’s ‘Jewish genetic mutation’: The “faulty” gene that Angelina Jolie credited with her decision to have a preventive double mastectomy is one of three genetic mutations which are common among Jews of Eastern European descent and increase their carriers’ risk of developing breast cancer. Nevertheless, relatively few Israeli women choose to undergo the same preventive surgery. Read more.
Israel has a long list of diseases for which treatment with medical marijuana is permitted and 9,300 patients currently hold permits for it. One American expert says this system should be a model for the practice internationally. Read more.
It took a full hour and a half for Morflora’s Dotan Peleg and Miri Lapidot, who were giving lengthy explanations about genetic sequences, proteins and chromosomes, to manage to convey just why they believe their company is on course to change the face of global agriculture - and earn untold profits.
“In this day and age, when you get a flu shot, it is thanks to the field of immunology that was developed 100 years ago,” explains Peleg, Morflora’s CEO. Immunization, he says, “is founded on the idea of using a weakened or dead virus. There is a distant parallel to this in the plant world, but the vulnerability of plants to pests is much greater. To make them resistant to disease, their DNA has to be modified, either by way of the classical breeding tools of cultivation or by genetic engineering. We are apparently the first company in history to succeed in applying the immunization revolution in plants. There’s no equivalent to our technology anywhere in the world.” Read more.
A selection of features, analyses, photos, and interesting articles on Israel, the Middle East, and the Jewish world from Haaretz.com
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