Nathan Jeffay

Nathan Jeffay is The Times of Israel's health and science correspondent

Illustrative: Laboratory mice. (toeytoey2530/Istock via Getty Images)

December 3, 2021, 8:49 am

Israeli lab raises hyperactive mutant mice for developing ADHD medications

Peer-reviewed research invites scholars worldwide to breed mice with a single ADHD mutation discovered in Bedouin family, as they give ‘unprecedented insight’ into brain function

By Nathan Jeffay

Illustrative image: A photographer takes a photo of a projector image showing immunofluorescence staining of Omicro- infected Vero E6 cells in Hong Kong, December 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

December 2, 2021, 2:29 pm

‘Overwhelming’: Israeli virus sleuth researchers work flat-out on Omicron puzzle

Quantity and location of mutations are ‘big surprise,’ says Prof. Adi Stern, as her team works to build a picture of variant’s origins

By Nathan Jeffay

Air China flight crew members in hazmat suits walk through the arrivals area at Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, Nov. 30, 2021 (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

December 1, 2021, 11:02 am

Gov’t adviser: ‘Truly don’t know’ if travel ban will end in time for winter tourism

Ran Balicer suggests government will set high bar before skies open, while head of travel agency says industry in tatters and Israel ‘lost whatever goodwill we had from tourists’

By Nathan Jeffay

A young man who has difficulty getting up in the morning (iStock via Getty Images)

December 1, 2021, 8:01 am

Gut tweak can make anyone a ‘morning person,’ Israeli poop analysis suggests

Scientists examine mailed-in samples and find that early risers share gut bacteria pattern, hope to replicate it to help others get up with the larks

By Nathan Jeffay

A petrol attendant stands next to a newspaper headline in Pretoria, South Africa, November 27, 2021. (AP Photo/ Denis Farrell)

November 28, 2021, 8:12 pm

Omicron may be unstoppable, but Israel’s moves to slow the spread may save lives

More gradual spread means more time to get kids immunized and to source special supplies if necessary, like vaccines adapted for Omicron and antibody cocktails for treatment

By Nathan Jeffay

Professor Cyrille Cohen (courtesy of Professor Cyrille Cohen)

November 25, 2021, 4:56 pm

‘Bad omens’: Optimism over Israel’s child vaccine marred by COVID spike — expert

Top immunologist Cyrille Cohen reflects on the dosage, efficacy and timing of the shots being rolled out for kids

By Nathan Jeffay

Critical care treat a COVID-19 patient in London (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, Pool)

November 24, 2021, 8:34 pm

Israeli drug cuts COVID deaths by 70% in small study, company says

Phase II trial of MesenCure among 30 patients with serious coronavirus cases shows almost all lived and had shorter hospital stays than controls, but expert says more data needed

By Nathan Jeffay

A melanoma cell, like the ones that have been treated using technology developed at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology (Dr_Microbe via iStock by Getty Images)

November 23, 2021, 3:42 pm

Immunotherapy drug now works with a millionth of a dose — thanks to Israeli tech

Medicine fell foul of regulators despite helping patients, as it required large dose. Now, Technion’s pinpoint delivery system cuts quantity needed, allowing revival of drug

By Nathan Jeffay

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks with reporters at the White House, in Washington, January 21, 2021 (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

November 22, 2021, 6:46 pm

Fauci says Israel is ‘where you wanted to be’ for COVID vaccines

‘I refer people to how successful the Israelis have been in getting virtually every age group boostered,’ says US government’s chief medical adviser

By Nathan Jeffay

Illustrative image: An aggressively protective mom with her newborn (nicoletaionescu via iStock by Getty)

November 22, 2021, 11:46 am

Babies emit smell to get aggressively loyal moms and mellow dads, Israeli study says

Scientists astounded that chemical on newborns’ heads has opposite effect on men and women, but say it’s logical because kids are safest with protective mother, unaggressive father

By Nathan Jeffay

Illustrative image: an isolated child. (iStock via Getty Images)

November 19, 2021, 11:57 am

Israeli study finds early autism diagnosis dramatically boosts child’s prospects

Two-thirds of children diagnosed by age 2.5 improve by two or more points on autism severity scale; after this age, fewer than a quarter make similar improvement

By Nathan Jeffay

Bacteria just emerging from the newly discovered 'chaotic' state, in a Hebrew University lab. (Hebrew University/Orit Gefen/Yoav Kaplan)

November 17, 2021, 6:22 pm

Israeli lab finds out why some germs dodge drugs, opening door to life-saving fix

Bacteria are safe from antibiotics when they’re in a chaotic state, says Hebrew University team, hoping drug-makers will respond with a new class of antibiotics

By Nathan Jeffay

A man in pointing at himself looking at shadow with long nose of a liar (iStock via Getty Images)

November 17, 2021, 1:00 pm

Liar, liar! ‘Reading’ faces, Israeli tech spots fibbers with 73% accuracy

Breakthrough paves the way for spotting liars from a distance via cameras, though it currently requires electrodes on face; works by tracking micro-movements

By Nathan Jeffay

A diabetic man injecting himself with insulin (iStock by Getty Images)

November 17, 2021, 6:20 am

University launches major $75 million project to combat diabetes, as cases climb

Bar Ilan University initiative will focus on Galilee region, where cases are 3 times higher than national average; 1 million Israelis expected to be diabetic by 2040

By Nathan Jeffay

A doctor consults with a patient in order to prescribe her antibiotics (iStock via Getty Images)

November 15, 2021, 9:17 am

35% fewer UTI patients given wrong medicine, thanks to Israeli AI tool

Technion algorithm, designed to battle antibiotic resistance, massively boosts accurate prescribing for patients with urinary tract infection

By Nathan Jeffay