In the early 1990s Imad and Reem Younis, a married Arab couple from Nazareth who are graduates of Israel's premier engineering school, the Technion, began to develop proprietary tools to aid in locating the exact point in the brain to target, a problem that had been incredibly challenging. Given the obstacles the couple had to overcome – from breaking societal norms to being Arab Christians in a predominantly Jewish country – the company's rise is every bit as remarkable as its innovation.

Imad and Reem pursued neuroscience after graduating from the Technion, and in large part as a result of their interaction with Hagai Bergman and his research on the brain. In 1993, Bergman introduced the couple to Benabid, the godfather of deep brain stimulation. Eventually, the four began to collaborate. Imad got hooked because it's so rewarding. "Every time I see our devices," he says, "I am struck and say, 'Wow, this device really helps patients.'" As for Reem, helping those with Parkinson's is personal. Her father had the disease, and while he wasn't able to benefit from Alpha Omega's devices, Reem is thankful she's able to help others.

Alpha Omega devices act as a GPS inside the brain that guides doctors to the correct location for implanting a permanent electrode. Today, the devices are used in more than a hundred hospitals and 500 labs around the world. The company's sophisticated machinery is manufactured in Nazareth but marketed by its offices in the United States, Germany and Israel, as well as by representatives in China, Japan and Latin America.

The Younises attribute their success in large part to their very diverse group of engineers: Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox Christians, Muslims and Jews. "Imad and Reem Younis represent the rich diversity of the country's high-tech and start-up culture," says Israel's president, Reuven Rivlin. "They bring together all the communities in Israel with a shared vision for the future." Says Imad: "When we employ people from different cultures, we can go even farther because each one thinks differently," and this, he says, "can create innovation. We have the same father [Abraham]. We can work together to achieve common goals."

As the medical community discovers how to successfully treat various neurological diseases, Bergman and the Younises are now collaborating on what might be one of the biggest leaps in the history of deep brain stimulation. In 2015, they created a tool that places electrodes in the brain without human intervention. "You push the button and the system goes," says Bergman, who likens it to a driverless car. He dreams of creating devices that will replace humans for most surgery-related functions.

Being in the vanguard of their field is rewarding for Imad and Reem Younis. What's more rewarding, however, is knowing that their company has helped tens of thousands of people. As Reem puts it, "We return people back to life." There is no higher reward than that.

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Alpha Omega Engineering received CFDA certificate for Neuro Omega - innovative Microelectrode Recording (MER)  system used for advanced localization of surgical targets in Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) for treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders.

About Neuro Omega System

FDA cleared, Health Canada licensed, CE approved, and now CFDA registered Neuro Omega enables neurosurgeons to locate the optimal target for the implantation of Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) Electrodes. The system can be used for advanced research needs as well.

“Alpha Omega Research and Development continues to set the pace for new and innovative hardware and software in the field of DBS navigation technologies which enhances the expansion of the procedure and widens its accessibility to all patients to improve their quality of life." - Imad Younis, President of Alpha Omega.

About Alpha Omega

Founded in 1993, Alpha Omega is a world-leading medical device company, specializing in neurosurgery and neuroscience. The company offers solutions for enhancing and simplifying Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), by implementing sophisticated software and hardware for brain mapping and navigation.

Alpha Omega in China

Obtaining the CFDA Certificate for NeuroOmega is another significant milestone for Alpha Omega, that has already entered the Chinese market with NeuroNav (Compact MER solution) and established a genuine connection with Neurosurgeons and Neuroscientist communities. This is a colossal step towards Alpha Omega's growth in the China market.

Every year the Ministry for Economy and Industry, in cooperation with the Manufacturers Association and the Israel Export Institute, holds a ceremony at the President’s Residence to present awards to industrialists based on their achievements in the previous year.

The event took place last Sunday (8/7/18) at the President’s Residence, where ten navigators of Israeli Industry were honored with leadership awards within the framework of Israel’s 70th-anniversary celebrations.

This year Nazareth-born Technion graduates Reem and Imad Younis, co-founders of Alpha Omega, a global technological leader in Neuroscience and Functional Neurosurgery equipment were between the honorees.
President Reuven Rivlin said that new immigrants, native Israelis, Jews and Arabs imbued with blessed Israeli audacity and "chutzpah" have turned tiny Israel into an industrial, technological and innovative powerhouse.
Despite their diversity, he observed, the industries are linked by a thick cord of responsibility that the industrialists took upon themselves – to create places of employment and to integrate people from all strains of society, to provide for coming generations. “Industry builds a nation,” he said, “not only through profitable companies and innovative products but first and foremost through people.”

read more on Ministry of Economy and Industry website (Hebrew)
read more - The Jerusalem Post (English)