Manchester and Israel partnership to boost stem cell and cancer research

A new partnership approach, which will also see combined studies into heart disease, stem cell and genetic research, was agreed by the two world-leading research Centres this week.

Professor Eliezer Shalev, Dean of The Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine at the Technion- Israel Institute of Technology visited The University of Manchester and Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to sign a Memorandum of Understanding – committing to joint-research.

The Memorandum was also signed by Professors Ian Jacobs, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Human Science, and Professor Martin Humphries, Dean of the Faculty of Life Sciences at The University of Manchester to strengthen collaboration.

The Memorandum sets out an agreement for funding joint research projects especially in genetic medicine, cardiovascular medicine around stem cell research and cancer studies. It will allow students and researchers to travel between the two Centres to work on joint research projects and share ideas and allow research to progress rapidly. The agreement builds on successful collaborations established with Technion Professors Stavit Shalev and Lior Gepstein and colleagues in Manchester.

Professor Shalev, Dean of The Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine at the Technion- Israel Institute of Technology, said: “This is an exciting opportunity for The Technion to strengthen our links with The University of Manchester. I have been impressed with the close working relationship between the University and hospitals. Our researchers in Israel will benefit greatly from working closely with our friends in Manchester to deliver world-class medical research.”
 
Professor Jacobs, Dean of the Faculty of Medical and Human Science, said: "The Technion is a world-leading medical research centre. This agreement will allow some of our brightest students and researchers to travel to Israel and share research ideas and work with other leaders in biomedicine research. We hope this collaboration will lead to important new ideas and developments which have an impact on health worldwide."

Professor Humphries, Dean of the Faculty of Life Sciences, was enthusiastic about the potential to work with scientists at the Technion. He said: “We have close links with researchers in Israel and are delighted to develop these further and look forward to a fruitful collaboration.”

Mr Daniel Peltz, Chairman of Technion UK, which raises funds in the UK for research at the Technion, was encouraged by the programme of work and the commitment from the two sides to drive forward their plans. “I am looking forward to supporting this major initiative. We hope to organise a meeting in Israel in early 2014 to take our plans to the next level,” he said.

ENDS

For further information or to interview Professor Davis, please contact:
Alison Barbuti | Media Relations Officer | Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences |The University of Manchester | Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre (MAHSC)
Tel. +44 (0)161 275 8383 | Mobile 07887 561 318 |Email: alison.barbuti@manchester.ac.uk

Notes to editor:

Images available on request.

The University of Manchester

The University of Manchester, a member of the Russell Group, is one of the largest and most popular universities in the UK. It has 20 academic schools and hundreds of specialist research groups undertaking pioneering multi-disciplinary teaching and research of worldwide significance. According to the results of the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, The University of Manchester is one of the country’s major research institutions, rated third in the UK in terms of ‘research power’. The University has an annual income of £807 million and is ranked 40th in the world and fifth in the UK for the quality of its teaching and impact of its research.

Technion – Israel Institute of Technology

The Technion-Israel Institute of Technology is Israel's leading science and technology university. The Technion is home to Israel’s first winners of the Nobel Prize in science, awarded in 2004. In 2011, Professor Dan Shechtman won the Technion’s third Nobel Prize, in chemistry. The Technion commands a worldwide reputation for its pioneering work in nanotechnology, computer science, biotechnology, medical research and robotics.
The University’s faculties include physical sciences, engineering and one of the top medical schools in the world. The Technion, Israel’s oldest university has in recent years pioneered advances in many fields. They include discoveries made in developing the most advanced drug to treat Parkinson’s disease and the Nobel Prize winning discovery of Ubiquitin. Apparatus to improve walking for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients have been developed – and the Technion has one of the only graduate programmes to design, build, and launch satellites. Many breakthrough genetic discoveries have been made at the Technion including creating new heart muscle with its own blood supply using human embryonic stem cells and creating an electronic nose to sniff cancer cells in people.
The Technion University also has a range of outreach programs that promote science and technology to young people in Israel and in less developed countries. The exciting programmes engage gifted youngsters from across the world whilst helping to bridge socio-economic gaps within Israel's society via education.
Due to the ingenuity of Technion alumni, Israel is now home to the greatest concentration of high-tech start up companies anywhere outside of the Silicon Valley. Such is the strength of the Technion’s academia that 74% of managers in Israel's electronic industries hold Technion degrees.