Tel-Hai Magazine 2022

Student Entrepreneurs

Student tests herbal remedies for Alzheimer’s Meet Balkees Katesh, a graduate of Tel-Hai’s Pre-med track, Department of Biotechnology. Balkees was born in the pre dominantly Druze town of Maghar, in the Upper Galilee

At school, she excelled in all subjects but took a particular interest in science. On be ginning her studies at Tel-Hai, and having seen her grandmother suffering from Alz heimer’s, Balkees decided to look for a nat ural, herbal treatment that could inhibit the progress of the disease. Under the guidance of Dr. Daphna Mi chaeli, who specializes in plant genetics, Balkees began intensive study dedicated to learning about Alzheimer’s disease, possi ble treatments, and how to test the efficacy of potential herbal remedies. At the same time, Balkees joined Tel-Hai’s Entrepre neurship Workshop intent on learning how to transform her ideas into a financially viable startup. Together, Dr. Michaeli and Balkees applied for an entrepreneurism grant and won initial funding for a feasibil ity study, however, the COVID-19 pandem ic and its recurrent lockdowns made it hard

to find laboratories that could conduct the tests for the feasibility study. Undeterred, Balkees focused her efforts on deepening her theoretical knowledge and fine-tuning her research design, until it was possible to perform the tests. Today, while continuing the feasibility study for her startup, Balkees is already testing the efficacy of certain plant extracts at the MIGAL institute, and writing her thesis on Alzheimer’s in brain stem cells, as part of her M.Sc. in Neurobi ology at Haifa University. On the way to a sustainable solution for a devastating disease Balkees’ valuable research also goes hand in hand with Tel-Hai’s vision of sustainabil ity; all the plant extracts she is testing are generated from food industry wastage. We wish Balkees every success in her studies and with this important project.

Tel-Hai Magazaine | 2022 34