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MUSC personnel
representing research faculty and business
development were part of a statewide
delegation that traveled to Israel as part
of a South Carolina-Israel program to
promote the state and encourage
collaboration.
Participants included
researchers, economic developers and
technology experts who show an interest in
advancing collaborative efforts.
 MUSC's
Dr. Coty Fishburne, from left, Dr. Ray
Turner, Dr. Sunil Patel, Robert Donato
and Dr. Joe Helpern visit Hadassah
Medical Center in Jerusalem as well as
other Israeli hospitals and research
institutions during the December 2012
tour.
Joining the contingent
from MUSC were Sunil Patel, M.D., Ray
Turner, M.D., and Stephanie Willingham,
all from the Department of Neurosciences;
Joseph Helpern, Ph.D., Center for
Biomedical Imaging and the Department of
Radiology & Radiological Science; and
Robert Donato and Coty P. Fishburne Jr.,
DDS, from the MUSC Foundation for Research
Development.
Fishburne, who also
serves on the MUSC board of trustees, was
impressed with Israel's collaborative
spirit and progress in research and
development.
The group toured
hospitals, universities and the country's
major technology business centers.
Participants spoke to scientists, Israeli
business leaders and government officials
about potential business and
commercialization activities.
"Israel is known as a leader in research,
especially in biomedicine. I feel South
Carolina and Israel have a lot to offer in
joint-collaborative projects," said
Fishburne.
According to the South
Carolina-Israel Collaboration, exports
from South Carolina to Israel in 2011
totaled almost $70 million and imports
from Israel account for $44 million.
Israeli company NeuroQuest, a Tel Aviv
firm that focuses on developing
blood-based immune biomarkers for the
diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, had been
collaborating with MUSC's Jacobo Mintzer,
M.D., geriatric psychiatrist and
Alzheimer's disease researcher in the
Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral
Sciences. The group announced in December
its interests in establishing a U.S.
headquarters in South Carolina.
The collaboration's
goal is to drive Israeli companies to
investors, partners and customers in South
Carolina and to offer incentives in much
the same way that BMW, Boeing and other
corporations have established operations
in the state. S.C.'s research universities
and centers of economic excellence are
attractive for potential business
partners, and Israel can serve as a bridge
to the European market for South Carolina
companies. Additionally, both countries
offer grant support to encourage joint
venture research and development through
U.S.-Israel binational foundation grants.
The collaboration is built on six
identified clusters of strength in S.C.
and Israel where there is potential for
synergy and relevance biomedical, advanced
materials, sustainable systems,
transportation, defense and security.
A program of work was
developed for this visit to showcase
companies and institutions on both sides
and encourage introduction that may lead
to meaningful interaction and
collaboration.
Helpern, who is
director of the Center for Biomedical
Imaging and the SmartState endowed chair
in Brain Imaging, felt the visit was
everything he'd hoped it would be.
"We visited
universities and research-based hospitals
around the country, and every host took
the time to earnestly thank us for coming,
which showed us Israel's sincerity for
South Carolina's presence in this
venture," said Helpern, who'd like to see
a post-doctoral exchange program between
both countries. "Israel is a vibrant,
progressive country with so much to give
in regards to technology collaborations,
biomedicine and academia. Who wouldn't
want to move forward in this opportunity?"
The delegation visit
was organized by the American Israel
Chamber of Commerce Southeast Region and
supported through a grant from The
InterTech Group, a holding investment
company based in Charleston.
Friday, Jan.
11, 2013
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