Where Behavior and Brain Intersect

TAU Inside
Research findings made at TAU
have helped in the development of
the revolutionary X4 technologies
that are incorporated into some of
the largest-capacity 64 gigabit flash
chips. Mass production of the product,
which is manufactured by global
leader SanDisk Corporation, began
in the second half of 2009.
Key elements of the product
are based on advanced flash signal
processing technology utilizing contributions
by Prof. Simon Litsyn of
TAU’s Iby and Aladar Fleischman
Faculty of Engineering, which are
exclusively licensed to SanDisk by
Ramot. The innovative technology
holds four bits of data in each memory
cell, up to twice as much as the cells
in conventional multi-level cell memory
chips. The product contains two
Technology Transfer
Improved flash
memory and a
potential cure for
cancer are two
recent successful
commercial ventures
being brought to
the marketplace
by Ramot, TAU’s
technology transfer
company
components: larger flash memory
together with a new controller that
makes use of Litsyn’s innovation to
help prevent errors in data output.
“As demand grows for mobile devices
that handle bigger graphic files,
the challenge is to produce lower-cost
chips with a larger memory capacity,”
says Litsyn. He envisions flash
memory as replacing hard discs in
laptop computers within the next
few years. This will make the laptops
faster, more reliable and more energy
efficient, he predicts.
Dr. Ze’ev Weinfeld, CEO of
Ramot, notes that the technology
took more than five years of development
at SanDisk, and the finished
product is “a testament to the hard
work and collaboration of the parties
involved. This project highlights the
benefit commercial companies may
gain from cooperation with TAU,
building on our pool of talent and
expertise.”
Championing cancer
treatments
A potential cure for cancer being
developed in the laboratory of Prof.
Beka Solomon of the Department of
Biotechnology at TAU’s George S.
Wise Faculty of Life Sciences has been
licensed by Ramot to Champions
Biotechnology, a US oncology drug
company. The agreement encompasses
the development and commercialization
of TAR-1, a single-chain
antibody fragment in preclinical development
that may have an advantage
in treating cancer.
Prof. Solomon, incumbent of
the Chair of Biotechnology of
Neurodegenerative Diseases, has
identified that the TAR-1 antibody
binds with and reproduces the normal
activity of mutant p53, a highly
frequent protein in cancer, leading to
in vivo inhibition of tumor growth.
Given the high frequency of mutant
p53 in cancer, TAR-1 has the potential
to treat a broad range of tumors
in humans.
Using its proprietary BioMerk
Tumorgraft preclinical platform,
Champions will evaluate the activity
of TAR-1 and determine the best path
forward for the compound in regards
to indication, patient population and
potential drug combinations. Ramot
will receive an upfront payment and
will be eligible to receive milestone
payments and royalties if Champions
chooses to continue the license terms.
“We are excited to be working with
Champions Biotechnology,” said Dr.
Weinfeld. “They are an ideal candidate
to move TAR-1 forward into the
clinic and on the path to commercialization.”
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