The winners of the 2016 Rapaport Award in the field of biomedical research: Prof. Yanon Ben-Naria, from the Faculty of Medicine at the Hebrew University and Dr. Ido Amit, from the Weizmann Institute

Prof. Ben-Naria's research contributed, among other things, to the understanding of the relationship between chronic inflammation and cancer and the fight against acute leukemia treatment. Dr. Amit's research contributes to the development of innovative treatments in the field of autoimmune diseases, degenerative brain diseases and cancer

The winners of the 2016 Rapaport Awards for Excellence in Biomedical Research are Prof. Yanon Ben-Naria, from the Faculty of Medicine at the Hebrew University ("Senior Researcher") and Dr. Ido Amit, from the Weizmann Institute of Science ("Young Researcher"). The prizes will be awarded by the Baruch and Ruth Rapaport Foundation at a ceremony held this week at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art.

Winner of the 2016 Rapport Prize for Senior Biomedical Researcher Prof. Yanon Ben-Naria, Faculty of Medicine at the Hebrew University. The biological basis for the link between chronic inflammation and cancer was unclear to scientists for many years. Prof. Yanon Ben-Naria and his colleagues from the Faculty of Medicine at the Hebrew University are investigating the relationship between inflammation and cancer in animals that carry types of cancer that are common in humans. They identified the first key to understanding the relationship, which was first observed already 150 years ago, and found that it is activated in inflammation, and in response produces proteins that protect young cancer cells from death and thus enable their culture.

Later, Ben-Naria's team identified inflammatory reactions of a new type that are common in cancerous tumors, including latent inflammation, which is only detected by special means, and helps the development of cancer. They found that aspirin-like anti-inflammatory drugs suppress the latent inflammation in cancer-bearing mice and speculate that this is the explanation for the impressive anti-cancer effect of long-term aspirin treatment in humans. Diagnosing hidden and unusual inflammations may be of great importance in the success of the follow-up and treatment of many types of cancer and in Ben-Naria's laboratory they are working on developing tools for classifying the types of inflammation and understanding their development.

In addition to the achievements in basic biomedical research, Prof. Ben-Naria made significant contributions in the field of translational medicine: Prof. Ben-Naria and Prof. Alex Levitsky developed the first effective inhibitors of the Bcr-Abl protein that destroy chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) cells. Ultimately, these studies paved the way for the development of the flagship drug to treat this disease, Gleevec. In addition, in his laboratory at the Faculty of Medicine at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, a new type of inhibitor that focuses on the protein phosphorylating enzyme CKI is currently being developed, as a new type of chemotherapy that is particularly effective in the treatment of acute leukemia.

2016 Rapport Prize Winner for a Young Biomedical Researcher Dr. Ido Amit, Weizmann Institute of Science
The sequencing of the human genome was completed more than a decade ago and raised expectations for accurate prediction of diseases and their causes. The important question, why when the entire genome is sequenced is so difficult to anticipate and cure the emergence of complex diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and of course cancer, remains open. The research of Dr. Ido Amit from the Weizmann Institute of Science deals with the discovery of the basic principles of function and regulation in the human genome and how they affect health and illness, with an emphasis on the creation of blood cells and the operation of the immune system.

The research concerns basic questions in biology, and these will later be translated into modern treatments in the field of autoimmune diseases, degenerative brain diseases and cancer. Dr. Amit is known among the scientific community as a leader in the important research field "Immune Genomics", whose goal is to locate and engineer sequences in the genome that are important in the functioning of the blood system (mature blood cells) and the functioning of the immune system. In addition, he has developed innovative models that assist in studies in the field of gene regulation and immune responses.

The new methods for mapping the "genetic control program", developed by Dr. Amit, open new avenues for measuring and understanding biological processes and should help in the future to understand disruptions in the control switches that manifest in diseases. The activity of the control system has a direct effect on many diseases, and understanding it may lead to the creation of new drugs. Deciphering the principles of how the switches work will make it possible to predict a person's chances of getting sick, or having unique features, sensitivity to medications, and more.

In a future situation, in which the regulation of gene control and their function will explode, control of mutations (changes in the genetic code) that cause diseases in the genes themselves will be achieved, far-reaching applications in the field of medical diagnosis will be possible, and of course in "personalized medicine" - precise drug treatment adapted to each patient according to his genetic structure and his disease .

Dr. Amit's groundbreaking research in the field of genomics of a single cell in the blood cell production system and the immune system has immediate implications in the treatment of many diseases, with the potential to define markers, target cells and new signal transmission pathways whose normal function is impaired by the various hematological disorders. His research creates new approaches to immunotherapy (activation of the immune system), which are the drugs of the future to eradicate cancer and degenerative brain diseases. Dr. Amit's many findings were published in leading journals around the world.

Rapaport Award

The Rapaport Prizes for Excellence in Biomedical Research, amounting to $60,000 for the senior researcher and $40,000 for the junior researcher, are awarded in collaboration with the Rapaport Institute, at the same time as the Rapaport Award for Art, awarded by the Baruch and Ruth Rapaport Foundation in collaboration with the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and the Prize for Breakthrough Female Action A path and generator of change in Israeli society, awarded by the foundation in collaboration with Lasha magazine.
The Baruch and Ruth Rappaport Foundation has been investing in ventures in the field of research and medical treatment for decades: the Baruch Rappaport Faculty of Medicine at the Technion in Haifa, the Ruth Rappaport Children's Hospital at the Rambam Hospital in Haifa, the Rappaport Institute for Research, and more, showing the courageous connection and striving to improve human health wherever He is, according to the vision of the late Baruch and Ruth Rapaport.
In 2010, the foundation began awarding the Rapaport Awards for excellence in the field of biomedical research. The awards are given annually to scientists for medical or biomedical research that has excellence, breakthrough or innovation, when in addition, the research must have actual and practical therapeutic implications for the benefit of humanity.