Technion Mourns the Loss of Alfred E. Mann

The Technion mourns the loss of Mr. Alfred E. Mann, of Beverly Hills, CA. A noted scientist, and entrepreneur, Mr. Mann was a loyal supporter who established the Alfred Mann Institute for Biomedical Development at Technion (AMIT), focused on enabling commercialization of innovative biomedical technologies that improve human health.

Together with his wife, Claude, Mr. Mann was a Technion Guardian, a designation reserved for those who have reached the highest level of commitment.

Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel (left) with Alfred Mann and former Technion President Yitzhak Apeloig

Al Mann was awarded a Technion Honorary Doctorate in 2005 “in acknowledgement of your innovation as a scientist and technology entrepreneur, and your phenomenal success in launching companies that manufacture medical devices and processes benefiting millions; in recognition of your industrious research efforts aimed at searching for new technologies to improve the health of people the world over; in tribute to your boundless philanthropy; and in appreciation for your belief in the ability and potential of the Technion and your overwhelming generosity demonstrated by your commitment to establish the Alfred E. Mann Institute for Biomedical Engineering at the Technion.”

Alfred E. Mann was a biomedical industry pioneer, an innovative scientist, and a noted philanthropist. The son of parents who immigrated to the US from Russia, he received a BSc and MSc from the University of California, Los Angeles. His entrepreneurial spirit emerged quickly and his career took off in 1960 when he founded and served as president of Heliotek, a company that developed solar cells and semiconductor devices, but his real interest was captured by the vast possibilities of designing and manufacturing medical devices.

In 1969, along with a research team at Johns Hopkins University, Al Mann developed the first rechargeable cardiac pacemaker which led to his establishing Pacesetter Systems for the development, manufacture, and distribution of cardiac pacemakers.

Mann’s creativity in the medical device field was unbounded and he went on to found several other companies. Citing two from an impressive listing: Minimed, a manufacturer of microinfusion systems and continuous glucose monitoring systems; and Medical Research Group Inc, a manufacturer of implantable medication infusion systems and developer of a long-term glucose monitoring system and prosthetic artificial pancreas. Alfred Mann served as Chairman of the Board and CEO of MannKind Corporation, a diversified biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapeutics and drug delivery technologies for treatment of diabetes, cancer, autoimmune, and inflammatory diseases.

Mr. Mann, together with his wife Claude, was committed to philanthropy. As the creator of the Alfred Mann Foundation and benefactor of the Alfred E. Mann Institute for Biomedical Engineering at the University of Southern California, he helped ensure that  biomedical research produced lasting and important discoveries. His commitment to helping others through research and philanthropy was extended to the Technion via the establishment of AMIT, a decision recommended and supported by Claude following their first visit to Israel and the Technion in 1998. The Technion honored Claude by dedicating the Claude Mann Laboratories Complex in 2007.

The late Mr. Alfred Mann was a dedicated philanthropist and a visionary Technion Guardian