Two researchers from the Hebrew University won the Wolf Prize in Medicine

According to the international jury, the award was given to two "for their fundamental contributions to understanding the role of methylation (chemical modification of the DNA molecule) of DNA in the control of gene expression"

The Minister of Education and Chairwoman of the Wolf Foundation Board, Yuli Tamir, announced today that the Wolf Prize in Medicine for the year 100,000 will be awarded jointly to Prof. Haim Sider and Prof. Aharon Razin from the School of Medicine of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. The two researchers will receive the award, in the amount of 25 dollars, from the President of the State in a state ceremony to be held in the Knesset on May 2008, XNUMX.

According to the international jury, the award was given to two "for their fundamental contributions to understanding the role of DNA methylation in the control of gene expression". The "methylation" is a chemical change of the DNA molecule. This mechanism is of critical importance in the control of embryonic development and in determining the expression of genes in specific tissues. Also, it enables rapid adaptation of the organism to changes in the environment, without changing the DNA sequence. Another area where the DNA methylation mechanism is of great importance is cancer research, because poor control of the mechanism results in suppression of the expression of genes whose role is to prevent cancer development.

The Wolf Foundation was founded by Ricardo Wolf (1887–1981), a German-born Jew, inventor, philanthropist and diplomat, who lived for many years in Cuba and served as ambassador to Israel. The Wolf Prizes, in the amount of 100 thousand dollars in each field, have been awarded every year since 1978 to scientists and artists from all over the world "for a unique contribution to humanity and to friendly relations between peoples, without differences of citizenship, race, color, religion, sex or political view". So far, 241 scientists and artists from 22 countries have received the prestigious award, including 16 winners from Israel. The Wolf Foundation also awards scholarships to outstanding Israeli students studying at universities and colleges in Israel.

Professor Haim Sider (born in the USA, 1943) received a doctorate in 1970 from New York University. In the years 1971-1973 he served as a research fellow at the National Institute of Health, USA. Prof. Sider has been active at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem since 1973, first as a lecturer and senior lecturer, as an associate professor and then as a professor in the Department of Cell Biochemistry and Human Genetics, in the School of Medicine. In 1999 he received the Israel Prize in Biology and is a member of the Israel National Academy of Sciences.

Professor Aharon Razin (born in Israel, 1935) received his doctorate in 1967 from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and has been active there since 1971. He served as the head of the Department of Cell Biochemistry between 1980-1984, from 1988 Professor Aharon Razin is in charge of the Chair of Medical Sciences Jacob Greenbaum at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Professor Razin is a member of the Human Molecular Genetics Organization (HUGO) and the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO). He is the recipient of the Israel Prize in Biology for 2004 and a member of the Israel National Academy of Sciences.