They have thereby added a crucial addition to Gibb’s theory of 1878, which partially explained what happens when different materials come into contact; the discovery has far-ranging implications for improving the bonding of different materials

“In the 1980s scientists showed that there is a very thin layer between crystals, so thin that it could not be defined as liquid or solid,” explains Professor Wayne D. Kaplan, Dean of the Department of Materials Engineering at the Technion. “Researchers around the world had been unable to understand why this layer exists and if it is a temporary state or in a state of equilibrium so that, therefore, it is permanent. Researchers knew that it exists at the interface between ceramic crystals, as well as on the surface of ice (water-like layer which allows us to ice-skate), but there was still a big argument about the cause of this phenomenon and its properties.”

In her doctoral work carried out under the supervision of Prof. Kaplan and in cooperation with Dr. Dominique Chatain from the French research institute CNRS, Dr. Mor Baram proved, through a long series of experiments, that a layer exists at the interface between metals and ceramic materials, and apparently also at the interface between metals and semi-conductors. “This phenomenon enables us to ice-skate, reduces the mechanical properties of ceramic materials at high temperatures, but seemingly contributes to the stability of innovative micro-electronic devices,” says Prof. Kaplan.

The Technion researchers conducted experiments never done before, using the new “Titan” electron microscope and FIB, the latter being kind of a workshop on the nanometer scale. They plated sapphire with a thin film of gold, 0.6 microns thick (for comparison, a single strand of hair is 80-100 microns thick). The researchers heated the samples until they reached equilibrium; that is, until the gold films broke-up into billions of tiny gold crystals atop the sapphire. In parallel, there was a source of elements on top of the sapphire that the researchers already knew played a role in the layer between different materials (in their experiment – silicon and calcium). As the samples equilibrated, the calcium and silicon moved to the interface between the gold and sapphire and a thin layer, 0.0012 microns thick (1.2 nanometers), was created naturally, just 4-5 atoms wide.

 “We successfully measured the energy stored between the gold and sapphire in the presence of the thin layer and proved by this that its presence layer decreases the energy of the interface, and therefore improves its stability,” explains Prof. Kaplan.

This scientific discovery by Technion researchers has technological implications, because this understanding will enable scientists to improve the resilience of the bond between ceramic materials and metals, two types of materials that “do not like” to come into contact. Examples include the join of missile domes to the missle body, the connection between metal conducting wires and chips in computers, and the protective ceramic coating on blades of jet engines.

Above: Professor Wayne D. Kaplan

As part of Technion’s traditional “Technbrain” competition, students will compete against each other by releasing the world’s longest yo-yo from a 30 meter high crane. The yo-yo will have to run back up a 20 meter long rope, to its maximum height and then drop down again and run up a number of times to a minimum of over 5 meters. A team of judges will measure the maximum height the yo-yo reaches on its first ascent after release from the crane and the number of times it loops up and down.

The crane will have a compartment in which the yo-yo will be placed. The compartment’s floor will open and the yo-yo will be released downward. Competitors are not allowed to use an external energy source and the dynamic rope will be supplied to them by the competition organizers. Winners will receive 10,000 ₪, 5,000 ₪, and 3,000 ₪ (1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd places, respectively).

The “Technbrain” competition is held at the Technion in memory of Neev-Ya Durban, who first envisioned and thereafter established the competition, and was a student and outstanding Technion graduate. Neev-Ya was an officer in the IDF when he was murdered during a mugging on a quiet street in Tel Aviv in March 2003. The competition and the prizes are funded by Dr. Robert Shillman (who everyone knows as “Dr. Bob”), who did his graduate work at the Technion.

Technion President, Prof. Peretz Lavie: “The Technion has lost a beloved friend, a visionary technology pioneer – a giant of his generation. My profound condolences to Marilyn and the family.”

The worldwide Technion family deeply mourns the loss of Henry Taub, who passed away in New Jersey on March 31, 2011, at the age of 83.View Post

Henry Taub was one of the Technion’s greatest and most revered friends. His four decades of devoted service included numerous key leadership roles, including President of the American Technion Society (1974 – 1976) and Chairman of the International Board of Governors (1990 – 2003). The Technion honored him with it highest tributes: Honorary Doctor (1983) and the Technion Medal (1998).

A man of great vision and generosity, Henry Taub left his imprint on every aspect of life at the Technion and on the development of the campus. Among the projects he and his wife Marilyn promoted were the Henry and Marilyn Taub and Family Science and Technology Center, a Technion campus landmark and home to its Faculty of Computer Science, considered one of the best in the world; the Leaders in Science and Technology Faculty Recruitment Program; and the Henry and Marilyn Taub Fund for the Future.

Chairman of the Technion Board of Governors, Lawrence S. Jackier, and Chairman of the Technion Council, Yoram Alster, said “the State of Israel has lost a true friend, who understood that the future of Israel depends on the quality of its higher education and advanced technology, and strongly supported young scientists.”

Henry Taub was a visionary businessman and technology pioneer. In 1949, at the age of 22, he founded Automatic Payrolls Inc., now known as Automatic Data Processing, the leading provider of computerized payroll and benefits management services to employers in the U.S.

In addition to his decades of devoted service to the Technion, Henry Taub held active leadership roles in a variety of charitable, educational and cultural organizations such as the American Joint Distribution Committee, the United Israel Appeal, New York and Columbia universities, Interfaith Hunger Appeal and the New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theater.

The Technion sends its most heartfelt condolences to his beloved wife Marilyn Taub, his children Ira Taub, Judith Gold and Steven Taub, his grandchildren and the entire Taub family.

Above: Henry Taub

So warns Professor Amos Nur of Stanford University’s Department of Geophysics, who gave a lecture at the Technion as part of the Nancy and Stephen Grand Technion Energy Program: “China and the U.S. compete in developing Middle East oil resources.” This issue has sparked eight wars in the last twenty years, from the Gulf War up to Libya, and according to Nur, the situation will worsen.

In a lecture he gave in the framework of the Nancy and Stephen Grand Technion Energy Program, Prof. Nur said that many wars have been sparked because of oil shortages, and just in the last twenty years there have been eight such wars. According to him, the objective of the First Gulf War had been to change the regime in Iraq the country with the second largest oil reserves in the world (Saudi Arabia is the largest), and privatize its oil sector. The September 11 attacks stemmed from Bin Laden’s disgust with the American support of the Saudi royal family, which controls the oil resources, and his demand for a more equal division of the Saudi royal family’s money.

The Egyptian crisis, which has led to a change in government, is also connected to oil. The population increase, on the one hand, and the dwindling of oil wells, on the other, changed Egypt in the last few years from an oil exporter into an oil importer, which means not enough revenue from oil sales for food subsidies. As a result, the prices of food doubled and gas prices went up tens of percent, fueling the masses’ anger with Mubarak. The fact that Libya is an oil exporter to the West has also been a reason for intervening in the present crisis. The West hopes to ensure that a democracy replaces Qaddafi, so that one madman does not control all of Libya’s oil reserves.

Energy in general and oil in particular are the largest economic sector in the world generating about 10 trillion dollars. Notwithstanding, oil resources are limited and the tendency is, with their discovery, to consume them rapidly. As a result, many countries are already producing as much as they can and the amounts being produced are decreasing. The U.S. reached its peak in 1971, and after its rising population curve and declining oil production curve met, the U.S. became an oil importing nation. Today the U.S. imports about two-thirds of its oil needs and in another decade this will reach 80%.

China, too, became an oil importer following the huge rise in its living standard. If in the beginning, China looked for and developed oil resources in relatively remote areas such as Darfur in Sudan, today it is competing with the U.S. in everything related to influence on oil resources especially in the Middle East. Hence, for example, China opposes sanctions on Iran in order to ensure itself oil.

 “In the end, if the crisis is not handled prudently, it is likely to lead to a conflict between the two superpowers,” warms Prof. Nur. “Whoever thinks that this is unrealistic should remember that the U.S. and Japan were not enemies prior to World War II, but the Japanese decided to destroy the entire U.S. navy stationed in the Pacific Ocean in the Pearl Harbor attack and risk war just to guarantee itself access to Sumatra’s oil wells. Rommel also did not just race to destroy the Jews in Eretz Yisrael but to get control of the Middle East oil wells, especially those in Iraq that had already been discovered in the 1920s.”

Prof. Nur added that oil and gas production all over the world is close to reaching its peak, with the net amount being pumped larger than the amount being discovered in new wells. And yet, in contrast to 1971when the U.S. started importing oil from the rest of the world, and especially from the Middle East, which sold its oil as a low price, today the world does not have surplus oil as it did in the 1970s, and as a result, the competition will increase.

Prof. Nur also related to the subject of alternative energy by saying that even if we exploit alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, bio-mass and even nuclear energy on a scale equal to our use of oil, gas and coal today, in 50 years we will still need the same amount of oil and gas we need today because demand will by 2.5 times larger than today.

In relating to the discovery of natural gas in Israel, Nur said that one can compare Israel today to Norway of the 1950s and its discovery of oil in the North Sea, and because of its democratic foundation, the gas revenues will, in the end, reach the public and not remain in the pockets of one family, as in Saudi Arabia. Nevertheless, Israel should keep its gas for itself and resist the temptation to export it and get a fast return on its investment, for two reasons to ensure that it has a stable energy source for many years and to create high value-added products and export them, which is a lot more worthwhile that gas that is sold at a relatively low price.

As far as regards the Technion’s energy program, said Prof. Nur, it is vital, given that one of the problems is that “Israel barely has enough people who are familiar with the subject and now with the discovery of gas reserves in the sea, suddenly we do not have the necessary technical labor force to develop these resources properly.”

Above: Head of the Energy Program at the Technion, Prof. Gideon Grader (right), introducing Professor Amos Nur before his lecture. Photo by: Yossi Shrem, Technion Spokesman’s Office

The immediate application is development of innovative technology for treatment of worm parasites

The ability of two or more cells to fuse into one cell is essential for the initial development of an embryo (fusion of sperm and ovum) and for the development of body organs such as the skeleton, muscles and placenta. Despite the importance of the fusion process for human health and reproduction, the cell fusion mechanism is still unknown. Yet, certain enveloped viruses employ similar strategies, which have been deciphered in detail, to fuse and infect body cells of their host (e.g., flu and HIV).

In the laboratory of Professor Benjamin Podbilewicz, of the Technion’s Department of Biology, these processes are being unraveled. Critical proteins mediating the process in animals have now been identified for the first time, and their operating mechanism characterized at the molecular level.

In the research now being published, Ori Avinoam, a doctoral student with Prof. Podbilewicz, discovered that this fusion family (“FF”) of genes, initially discovered by their lab in C. elegans worms, also exists in other organisms and that when transferred to mammalian cells, they are sufficient to force any two cells to fuse. “In the beginning we thought that we had discovered a gene family that exists only in nematodes (worms),” says Prof. Podbilewicz. “We were surprised when we discovered that these genes also exist in other organisms, which makes them, or others similar to them, the leading candidates for being responsible for the fusion process between cells in all kingdoms of life.”

This discovery, in the future, will enable scientists to understand how cells in the human body fuse and then help treat diseases stemming from defects in the fusion process that are liable to cause serious problems in fertility and the musculoskeletal system.

Furthermore, the Technion researchers succeeded in expressing the worm proteins onto the virus-like envelope from Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (“pseudovirus”), which can enter only a single cell, once, but cannot multiply.  Normally, these enveloped viruses penetrate cells using proteins located on their envelopes. The Technion researchers switched their natural protein with an FF protein from a worm, and thus engineered a virus-like particle that can infect new types of cells. “In order for the fusion to take place,” explains Avinoam, “this protein must also be on the target cell. Since the nematode parasites have this protein, new pseudo-viruses should recognize and infect them. We can target treatment to each specific parasite.”

The researchers used electron microscopy and tomography to photograph the protein on the surface of the “pseudovirus” and saw that it creates flower-like structures (see the photograph). Graduate student, Karen Fridman, and researcher, Clari Valansi, also participated in the study, which was conducted in cooperation with Professor Judith White of the University of Virginia in the U.S., Professor Kay Grünewald of Oxford University in England, and Professor Dganit Danino of the Faculty of Biotechnology at the Technion.

Above: The virus-like VSV presenting the AFF-1 protein of the FF family from C. elegans on top of the pseudovirus envelope (left and in the enlargement). Top view (right), shows proteins forming a large complex having the shape of a flower (enlarged – bottom right). The photographs were taken by Dr. Tzvia Zeev Ben-Mordechai from Oxford University and Dr. Ulrike Maurer from the Max-Planck Institute of Biochemistry.

Exhibition of the Founding of the Technion and the War of the Languages that was part of it has opened at the Haifa City Museum

The founding of the Technion was a defining cultural event for the Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel at that time, hugely important for the city of Haifa and later on – made an inestimable contribution to the state of Israel in all fields, and especially in the area of infrastructure, defense and economics.

The exhibition’s curator, Sventlana Reingold, said that she is coming to tell the story of the Technion’s founding, which took more than fifteen years, from 1908-1924. During this period, a battle over the teaching language in the institution, dubbed the “War of the Languages,” raged.

The “war” finished with the victory of the Hebrew language. This was a “war” of the people that shaped the national identity of the Hebrew settlement and was one of the milestones in the process of creating a new Hebrew culture.

The exhibition presents an important and significant part of the process of building Israeli culture, by showing the different positions driving the processes that produced the victory of the Hebrew language: formulization of the idea for establishing a technological-scientific institution in the land of Israel by the “Aid Association of German Jews” in Berlin; the Zionist educational perspective; selecting the site of the “Technikum”; the viewpoint of Alexander Baerwald – the architect who translated the vision into architectural language and designed the magnificent building on the slopes of the Carmel; the “War of the Languages” and its implications for the teaching language of the Reali School and of the “Technikum”; the move of the “Technikum” to nearby the Zionist Agency and the opening of its doors in 1924.

The exhibition has hundreds of photographs, films, books, models, documents, letters and rare collection items that are being shown to the public for the first time.

At the opening ceremony Nisim Tal, general manager of the Haifa museums, said that the exhibition was also inaugurating a new hall in the Templar school, which had been added to the Templar Assembly Hall, as part of the Haifa City Museums. He stressed that in all of the Ottoman Empire of that period, when the Technion was founded, there was not even one technological university worthy of its name.

Ms. Hedva Almog said that the exhibition brings to light a fundamental and valuable subject of concern for us in Israel – the subject of the Hebrew language. “Happily for us, the ‘battle’ about the Technion’s teaching language was decided a hundred years ago, but the war of the Hebrew language continues to this very day,” she added. “The language of today sounds like gibberish – a mixture of sounds that sometimes, for someone listening from the side, seems to be sounds that have no connection to each other.”

Technion president, Prof. Peretz Lavie, said that even the giants that envisioned the founding of the Technion more than a hundred years ago, did not dare dream that the Technion would be a world leading technological-scientific university, from which two Noble prize winners for chemistry, Professors Avraham Hershko and Aaron Ciechanower, would emerge, in which the anti-Parkinson drug Azilect would be developed by Professors Moussa Youdim and John Fineberg, whose researchers would make decisive contributions to such important fields and whose graduates would contribute so much to the defense and economic resilience of the state of Israel.

Above (from right to left): The curator, Svetlana Reingold, Hedva Almog, Prof. Peretz Lavie and Nisim Tal. Photograph: Yossi Carasso.

Technion Researchers  Develop a Model that Provides a Unique Explanation for the Way in Which Ultrasound Influences Living Cells

Cell membranes absorb energy from the ultrasound, expanding and contracting during its operation

Ultrasound is widely used in imaging devices. In the last decades, its use has increased also for treatment and therapy because it is non-invasive and can be pinpointed. But in most uses (at medium or low intensity) it is unclear how ultrasound heals and interacts with living cells. Over the past year, Technion researchers have developed a unique model that explains how ultrasound waves affect the living cell.

The researchers claim that the cell membranes absorb mechanical energy from the ultrasound pressure wave, expanding and contracting during its operation. The model was published in the American journal “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences” (PNAS).

“The model we developed predicts that the lipid bilayer membranes of the cell are capable of absorbing mechanical energy from the ultrasound field and translating it into expansion and contraction of the membrane’s internal space,” explains Prof. Eitan Kimmel of the Technion’s Faculty of Biomedical Engineering. “We have developed a unique model that is able to explain the interaction mechanism between ultrasound and biological tissue. The model integrates physics and bubble dynamics with the biomechanics of the cell and enables estimating the dynamic behavior of the bilayer membrane, which is made up of two layers of lipid molecules.”

Fifteen years ago, Prof. Kimmel exposed anesthetized goldfish to low intensities of ultrasound together with Dr. Victor Frenkel (during his doctoral research) and then showed under an electronic microscope the spread of cell membranes in the fish skin. But only now he has succeeded in understanding the meaning, using a model he developed together with Prof. Shy Shoham and Dr. Boris Krasovitski. In their collaborated studies Kimmel and Shoham stimulate neuron cells using ultrasound, giving special attention to the cell membrane.

“In the world of ultrasound, the common explanation is that during operation of the ultrasound machine tiny gas bubbles are produced (cavitation) which explode against the surface and are responsible for changes in the cells and tissue,” says Prof. Kimmel. “The FDA [US Federal Drug Administration] has determined a pressure amplitude limit under which bubbles are not anticipated and therefore, the assumption is that no damage is caused. Up until now, it was not known where the bubbles seen during high intensity ultrasound operation are produced in the body. We found the source of the bubbles. Where there are cells that are not entirely enclosed by dense tissue, there will be bubbles. If bubbles are seen in the blood vessels, we know that these are blood cells and their membranes have reacted to the ultrasound. Cell membranes under ultrasound look like layers of ‘bubble wrap.’ But this is a dynamic layer whose ‘bubble wrap’ expands and contracts with ultrasound operation.”

The Technion researchers have identified a wide range of medical uses such as drug introduction through the blood-brain barrier, stimulating nerves, pain suppression and facilitating blood vessel growth and shortening the healing times in wounds and fractured bones. On the other hand, it could be that it will be necessary to reevaluate the criteria for safe operation in order to reduce the risks of ultrasound. “When the membrane is opened and stretched – forces operate on the cell inside of it, on the cell skeleton and on the proteins found in the membrane,” states Prof. Kimmel. “Ultrasound interferes with their operations, which are vital for the life of the cell. At certain intensity, this can cause positive changes in the cell and at other intensities it could cause damage. Therefore, we recommend continuing investigation of the subject using the model we developed.”

The Leona M. and Harry B Helmsley Charitable Trust has given a $5 million grant to the Technion’s energy program.

The grant was attained through the American Technion Society (ATS) and the Grand Technion Energy Program (GTEP) and will be used for setting up the Helmsley Charitable Trust Energy Storage Complex and for supporting the “Leaders in Energy Science” program.

“The Helmsley Charitable Trust is proud to be associated with the Technion in this important project,” said Sandor Frankel, trustee of the Trust.

The Technion energy program aims to attract new and talented faculty members in the field of energy. The “Leaders in Energy Science” program will pay the salaries of and finance equipment for two new researchers for three years. Through a package of competitive research grants and excellent research infrastructure, the Technion can bring home talented potential faculty members that are currently working or studying abroad. “This is one of the main goals of the energy program, and we plan to recruit six new faculty members in the next six years,” said GTEP head Prof. Gideon Grader.

In light of the rapid dwindling of low-cost hydrocarbon energy sources and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the development of clean energy is more pressing than ever. “The Helmsley Charitable Trust grant arrives just at the right time,” said Prof. Grader. “Part of the grant will be used to set up a laboratory complex at the Technion that will deal with the development and study of energy rich batteries. The Energy Storage Complex to be established at the Faculty of Materials Engineering will consist of three separate labs. In light of great interest in silicon-air batteries – a new battery developed by Prof. Yair Ein-Eli of the Faculty of Materials Engineering and the GTEP – there is a real and urgent need for further research and to develop the battery for commercial production.”

The battery is based on a reaction between silicon and atmospheric oxygen and promises significant environmental advantages due to its tiny size, long shelf life and, most important of all, a clean return of the silicon to its original state – sand. This research has future ramifications for the fields of transportation, health and electronics.

Technion researchers believe that within a year or two they will succeed in significantly increasing battery power. “We are trying to create a battery that will last months before it has to be replaced,” said Prof. Ein-Eli. “The dream is that they will also be rechargeable. We are in a race towards the battery of the future – will this be a metal-air battery of the lithium-air kind or aluminum-air or a silicon-air battery? I believe that silicon has significant advantages with respect to environment, cost and safety.”

Above: Prof. Gideon Grader

The Israel Chemical Society Medal is awarded this year to two individuals whose contribution to the global chemical industry is huge by any standard. The ceremony will take place in the Knesset on January 4, in the presence of ministers, MKs, leaders of the academic system and chemical industry, guests from abroad and hundreds of faculty and students from all universities and technological colleges.

Eli Hurvitz is an industrialist who transformed Teva, to Israel’s largest company, the flagship of the Israeli industry the world leader in producing generic drugs. Teva currently employs about 40 thousand employees in dozens of factories and subsidiaries around the world, yet it retains its core management and development in Israel by about 6000 employees.

Professor Meir Wilchek is the father of the technology, known as affinity chromatography, which is used to separate and purify proteins in any biochemical laboratory and pharmaceutical industry worldwide. This technology led to the establishment of more than 75 high-tech companies worldwide, with sales of over 70 billion dollars this year.

The Israel Chemical Society Medal is the highest honor, which is awarded by this association, founded in 1933 by Jewish scientists from Germany, and is considered the oldest scientific organization in Israel. The ICS main objectives are the promotion of research and teaching in chemistry at universities, colleges and schools, and promotion of the chemical industry in Israel.

President of the Israel Chemical Society, Professor Ehud Keinan of the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry in the Technion, said that the UN proclaimed 2011 the International Year of Chemistry, and all national and international organizations are preparing accordingly. The goal is to promote the image of chemistry and chemical industry, emphasizing their great contribution to health, agriculture, economy and solving the hardships of the human race, like water problems, food, energy, environment and raw materials.

“Even before the establishment of the State of Israel and to this day, chemistry has been one of the most prominent areas of scientific excellence in this country,” stressed Professor Keinan. “Chemistry is the basis and the core of all experimental sciences, and the basis for all knowledge-based industries. The chemical industry has contributed prominently to the national economy, as chemical products constitute 25% of total exports of the State of Israel. Israel has now over 7000 chemists, 5000 chemical engineers, 1000 chemistry teachers and a large number of other professionals, working as chemists, such as biochemists, Biotechnologists, food engineers, minerals and energy engineers.”

CEO of the Israel Chemical Society, Hanna Attali, said that the festive event in the Knesset will include the exposure of two new stamps issued by the Philatelic Service to commemorate the occasion. Also, the green chemical industry prize will be awarded to a chemical enterprise. She added that the international year of chemistry also marks the 100 years to the Chemistry Nobel Prize awarded to Marie Curie, and to the contribution of women to science.

Eli Hurvitz

Although not educated as a chemist, his contributions to the chemical industry have been extraordinary- not only on the national level, but also by global standards. He led the Teva group for 35 years and brought it from a small, unknown pharmaceutical company to its standing today as a world leader in generic pharmaceuticals. These great achievements were attained by implementing a culture of excellence and strategic management based on a long-term vision of the future leadership of the company.

Eli Hurvitz was born in Jerusalem in 1932. In 1953, after graduating from the Hebrew University economics school in Tel Aviv, Eli began his career as a junior employee in the drug company “Asia.” In 1976 he was appointed to the position of CEO. With his long-term strategic vision, he orchestrated the merger of several pharmaceutical companies into the company named “Teva” which he then headed for many years as CEO (1976-2002) and later as chairman of the board until 2009.

In addition to his great responsibilities at Teva, Eli was also recruited for the support of many social, cultural, and scientific activities in Israel. He was involved in a long list of public positions, such as the President of the Manufacturers Association, Chairman of the Federation of Economic Organizations, Chairman of the Israel Export Institute, Chairman of the Board of Bank Leumi, Chairman of the Israeli Task Force, Chairman of the Jerusalem Development Authority, member of the Advisory Committee of the Bank of Israel, member of the Board of Governors of the Weizmann Institute and Tel Aviv University, and many more.

He was awarded many and varied awards from academic and public institutions for his public and industry activities, including honorary doctorates from the Technion, Weizmann Institute, Ben Gurion University, Tel Aviv University, and Bar Ilan University. He is the recipient of the Industry Prize, and the State of Israel Jubilee Award for lifetime achievement and special contributions to the state.

Professor Meir Wilchek

Professor Wilchek was born in Warsaw, Poland in 1935. During World War II he was taken to Siberia from the Soviet Union. His father, the rabbi of Warsaw, was killed along with most of his family. In 1949, he immigrated to Israel with his mother and sister where they settled in Rehovot. After completing his military service in the Air Force, he studied chemistry and physics at Bar Ilan University, receiving his first degree in 1960 and his Ph.D. in 1965 from the Weizmann Institute of Science in the Department of Biophysics. During his studies he worked as a chemist mainly in the company “Yeda,” afterwards joining the faculty of biophysics at the Weizmann Institute. He filled various senior positions at the Weizmann Institute such as Department Head of Biophysics, Head of the Professors’ Council, and Dean of the Faculty of biochemistry and biophysics. He was a visiting scientist at the U.S. National Institutes of Health, served as an advisor to biotechnology companies, and served in many professional committees, amongst them the Shamgar Commission.

Professor Wilchek has published more than 400 scientific papers. He is known mainly for the development of the modern concept of affinity between biological molecules, resulting in the implementation of this concept in various fields of life sciences. In 1968 he and his colleagues developed the method of affinity chromatography, which revolutionized the isolation of biochemical materials and opened the door to new opportunities in biology, biotechnology, chemistry, nanotechnology, physics, and many other fields. This method has contributed to many developments in life sciences, such as DNA and protein chips. It has had an especially profound impact on the field of medicine, for example it has accelerated the development of protein-based drugs. This technology led to the creation of dozens of tech companies worldwide, with sales growing from $ 40 billion in 2008 to 70 billion this year. Moreover, Professor Wilchek developed the Avidin-Biotin system which is used to diagnose diseases, isolate biological materials for biotechnological or nano-technological purposes, and for biomedical research. This system has enabled many laboratories to give up their need for radioactive materials.

Professor Wilchek has gained much recognition for his research- he was awarded honorary doctorate degrees from the University of Waterloo, Canada, Bar Ilan University, University of Jyvaskyla, Finland, and Ben Gurion University. He is the recipient of the Wolf Prize for medicine, the Israeli Prize for Biotechnology, the Outstanding Clinical Chemist Prize from the International Federation of Clinical Chemists, the Christian B. Abfinsen Prize of the Protein Society, the Willheim Exner Medal from Austria, and the Emet Prize in Chemistry. He is a member of the Israel Academy of Sciences, honorary member of the American Society of Biological Chemists, and a foreign member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences. At the Weizmann Institute he holds the Marc Gutwirth Chair of Molecular Biology.

Technion researchers have succeeded in demonstrating that the movement of krill and jellyfish in the water greatly assists ocean mixing – a process important for the ocean’s ecological system. The mixing transfers non-organic food components from the lower layers of the water to the upper layers and enables the transfer of gases between the atmosphere and deep waters.

Dr. Alexander Leshansky and Prof. Leonid Pismen of the Technion’s Faculty of Chemical Engineering succeeded in demonstrating that the currents caused by movement of creatures such as shrimp and jellyfish substantially contributes to the process of mixing. They examined the movement from the perspective of hydrodynamics. Their work continued the research of Kakani Katija and John Dabiri, which was published in the scientific journal “Nature” and emphasized that the currents induced by movement of these creatures has more effect than vortices whose source is in movement of larger marine creatures. The Technion researchers verified this hypothesis by examining the hydrodynamics of currents created by creatures moving by their own force as opposed to passively carried bodies. “The large number of floating swimmers compensates for their tiny size,” the Technion researchers say. “This increase in carrying time in dense groups increases even more the efficiency of the bio-mixing. We compare analysis of the hydrodynamics of non-continuous swimming with mixing characteristics of the environment.”

Their research, which was published in the scientific journal “Physical Review”, was highlighted in “Nature Physics.”

The future of cancer diagnosis may lie in just a few milliliters of blood, according to a research team led by Professor Arie Admon of the Technion.

In a study released this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the scientists report on a new source of blood-derived biomarkers that could soon help doctors determine whether a recovering cancer patient has relapsed, and may someday aid in the early detection of a variety of cancers. The technique may also “provide a large enough source of information to enable personalized treatment for the disease,” Admon said.

The biomarkers consist of immune molecules called HLA and their cargo of peptides, which are degraded bits of protein that they haul to the surface of tumor cells. Since cancer cells release larger amounts of the HLA molecules, “we may be able to diagnose different disease, including cancer, by analyzing the repertoires of peptides carried by these soluble HLA,” said Admon.

Most of the time, the HLA ferry these peptides to the cell surface for inspection by immune T cells and small amounts of these HLA molecules are also released by the cells to the blood. Admon and his colleagues now show that the HLA molecules that are released to the blood continue to carry their peptide cargo.

So far, the method has been tested in blood from patients with multiple myeloma and leukemia, as well as healthy people and cancer cells grown in the lab. If their process holds up under further intensive testing, the researchers say, it could form “a foundation for development of a simple and universal blood-based cancer diagnosis”.

“We aim at early detection, leading to a better prognosis, relapse detection, and better information for personalized treatment,” said Admon. “All of these are long term goals. We think that relapse detection may be the first achievable goal”.

Some researchers have suggested that the flood of HLA-peptide complexes released by tumor cells helps the cancer evade immune detection, by “blocking and confusing the anti-cancer T cells,” Admon said.

There are only a handful of peptides known to be associated with particular types of cancer, so the new technique could not be used yet to determine whether a person has a certain type of cancer, Admon explained. But researchers could study the soluble HLA-peptide repertoires to learn more about the proteins that each kind of tumor produces.

HLA come in a wide variety of their own, and differ between individuals. The different subtypes of HLA differ from each other in the repertoires of peptides they carry and present. By analyzing these differences in “many people of diverse ethnic origin,” Admon said, “we will be able to come up with better diagnoses for larger parts of the human population”.

Someday, a person’s “healthy” HLA profile may join blood pressure and cholesterol readings as part of the person’s medical record, the researchers suggest in their PNAS report. Any changes in the HLA profile, they note, could be used for “detecting the telltale changes associated with the onset of diseases”.

Prof. Michael Karin and Prof. Alexander Polyakov are the winners of the Technion’s 2010 Harvey Prize.

Prof. Karin, from the University of California, San Diego, will receive the prize in the field of human health. He discovered the strong link between obesity, inflammation and cancer. The judges decided to award the prize to Prof. Karin for “his pioneering contribution that led to deciphering the molecular mechanism through which mammalian cells react to cytokines which cause inflammation, to adverse environmental conditions and also to various pathogens. His research laid the foundations for our understanding of the control mechanisms of transcription factor activities influenced by external stimulations, especially the transcription factors of the AP-1 family and NF-B. These discoveries led to the identification of new target protein cells that have recently been used to develop new medications for preventing and treating various malignant tumors.”

Prof. Polyakov, from Princeton University, will receive the prize in the field of science and technology. “He developed revolutionary theories that shaped our contemporary understanding of elementary particles in nature. In addition, he significantly contributed to condensed matter physics, statistical mechanics and mathematics. Among the ideas credited to him are topological structures (such as magnetic monopoles) in gauge field theories, which are important in understanding the confinement of quarks in the nucleus.
Polyakov also contributed to the foundations of string theory, the unification of quantum mechanics and gravity, and to the idea of duality between string theory and gauge field theory.”

The Technion’s prestigious Harvey Prize foresaw the winning of the Nobel Prize for two of the latest Nobel laureates – Elizabeth Blackburn (Medicine) and Ada Yonath of the Weizmann Institute of Science (Chemistry). To date, 13 Harvey Prize winners have gone on to win the Nobel Prize.

The Harvey Prize was first awarded in 1972 from a fund established by the late Leo M. Harvey of Los Angeles in order to recognize those who have made great contributions to advancing humanity in science and technology and in human health, as well as advancing peace in the Middle East. Every year, prizes totaling $75,000 per winner are awarded from the fund’s income.

Among the winners of the prestigious Harvey Prize are scientists from the US, Great Britain, Russia, Sweden, France and Israel. These include Nobel Prize laureate Mikhail Gorbachev, former leader of the USSR, who was awarded the prize for his activities aimed at reducing regional tensions; Prof. Bert Sakmann who won the Nobel Prize in Medicine; Prof. Pierre-Gilles de Gennes who won the Nobel Prize in Physics; Prof. Edward Teller for his discoveries in solid state physics, atomic physics and nuclear physics; and Prof. William J. Kolff for his invention of the artificial kidney.

Proposals for candidates for the Harvey Prize are received from leading scientists and personalities in Israel and the world. The prize laureates are chosen by the Harvey Prize committee in a stringent process at the Technion.

Below: Prof. Michael Karin (left) and Prof. Alexander Polyakov (right).