The grant is intended to prove the programming and promote the translation of academic research into application and commercialization, including the establishment of the start-up company
Three researchers at the Technion won advanced grants from the European Research Commission (ERC). These are PoC grants in the amount of 150 thousand euros per researcher, which are intended to prove feasibility and promote the translation of academic research into application and commercialization, including the establishment of start-up companies. They are only given to researchers who have already won ERC grants in the past.
Prof. Shahar Kotinsky from the Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering - The grant will be used to build computers that speed up calculations on databases. Using an innovative computer architecture, the calculations are performed in the computer's memory and not in the processor itself. These computers will be significantly faster than existing computers and will accelerate software that handles huge databases in various fields including banking, medicine and social networks.
Prof. Yoav Shechtman from the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering – The grant will be used to develop a sensitive measurement of protein concentration using computational microscopy. The researchers developed a simple and fast method for measuring the concentration of proteins from blood samples and other body fluids. The method is based on a microscope with the addition of an optical component designed in Prof. Shechtman's laboratory. This system follows fluorescent (phosphor) particles that attach to the protein being studied using antibodies. The filmed videos are processed on a computer, and the protein concentration is algorithmically extracted. The method is in the testing stages for monitoring proteins of the immune system in cancer patients undergoing treatment, for the purpose of early detection of side effects, with the aim of enabling preventive treatment. The study was conducted in collaboration with the Rambam Medical College.
Prof. Nathaniel Korin from the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering - The grant will be used to develop a solution for the formation of blood clots in artificial heart valves, a problem mainly related to the flow characteristics in the valve. The researchers got the inspiration for the development from a passive flow control phenomenon that exists in nature and is applied in the aerodynamics industry. In accordance with this principle, a small change in the physical structure of a fish fin, bird wing or airplane wing may cause a substantial change in the flow characteristics and provide significant advantages in swimming and flight. Similarly, the researchers propose to develop a new artificial valve, which uses passive flow control and diverts part of the blood flow for the purpose of "washing" the areas where blood clots may accumulate. The research in Korin's laboratory is led by Yevgeny Krainin as part of his doctoral thesis.
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