Pinchas Zuckerman, PhD in the Department of Cancer Research at the Faculty of Medicine of the Hebrew University, developed an innovative immunotherapy treatment that activates the immune system to destroy existing cancerous tumors
The importance of the immune system in protecting against the formation of cancerous tumors has been known for a long time. Indeed, despite having a normal immune system, people develop cancerous tumors, in part because of "evasion" of the tumor or induction of immune suppression by the tumor.
In recent years, research has shown that even after the formation of the tumor, the immune system can be mobilized in order to destroy it.
Activating the cells of the immune system against the tumor is carried out in several ways, where the general name for these treatments is immunotherapy. One of the promising immunotherapy methods is monoclonal antibodies that neutralize the tumor's immunosuppressive abilities.
Pinchas Zuckerman, from the Department of Immunology and Cancer Research at the Israel-Canada Medical Research Institute (IMRIC) at the Faculty of Medicine of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, focused his research on the interaction between a subset of immune system cells that destroys a variety of factors that are dangerous to the body, known as Natural Killer (NK) cells and cells Cancerous.
He developed his discovery in the laboratory of Prof. Ofer Mendelboim, winner of the Kay Prize for 2015, in collaboration with the laboratory of Prof. Stefan Younik from the University of Rijeka in Croatia.
Zuckerman developed two antibodies: one antibody that is able to activate the immune system against the tumor by binding to the cells of the immune system that have penetrated the tumor; and the second antibody which is able to recruit the cells of the immune system by binding to a molecule on the cancer cells.
Application, the Hebrew University's technology commercialization company, holds patent applications that protect Zuckerman's development and is working on commercializing them to external companies for further development and production.
"Because of the different target cells of the two antibodies, it will be possible in the future to combine them with other immune therapies," Zuckerman said.
Zuckerman was born in the former USSR and immigrated with his family to Israel at the age of 10. After his studies at the Horev Yeshiva and his military service in the Aguz unit, he completed his first academic degree in biotechnology at Hadassah Academic College. He then joined the direct program for doctoral studies, and worked in Prof. Ofer Mendelboim's laboratory. He won the Rector's Outstanding Award in his first year of studies at the Hebrew University, and the Bester Award and the IMRIC Award for Excellence in Cancer Research.
The Kay Award was given to Zuckerman as part of the events of the Board of Trustees of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The Kay Awards ceremony has been held every year at the Hebrew University since 1994, and is awarded by Isaac Kay from England to students and academic, administrative and technical staff members of the university to encourage product inventions and innovative developments.
