Busy Four Days
The 20 researchers from Technion and
the 10 from Weizmann started arriving
at the U-M campus on Friday before
the symposium. They joined the 10th
anniversary celebration of the Life
Science Institute of U-M.
"On Saturday morning, they par-
ticipated in pre-football game tailgate
parties and thoroughly enjoyed the
whole experience of Big Ten football
when U-M defeated Indiana. Everyone
gathered Saturday evening at the home
of Drs. Renee and David Pinsky," says
Daphna Ruby, Michigan executive
director of the American Committee
for the Weizmann Institute.
Sunday morning, the symposium
officially began with 15 presentations
followed by a trip to Orchestra Hall to
hear the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.
That evening, the deans of Technion
and Weizmann and several U-M direc-
tors enjoyed dinner at Taubman's home.
Symposium presentations started
again Monday morning. Gov. Rick
Snyder addressed the group at the final
dinner gala held at the Maxine and
Stuart Frankel and Family Wing of the
U-M Museum of Art.
"The governor stated that it was very
important for him and for Michigan to
have close ties with Israel" says Dave
Doneson, U-M director of develop-
ment, Cardiovascular Programs.
Working Partnership
"Several of the collaborative projects
are demonstrating significant advances
in medical research" says Joey Selesny,
regional director, American Technion
Society, Bloomfield Hills.
Research by Dr. Jerome Kalifa
of U-M, M.D., PhD, has focused on
improving the understanding and
treatment of cardiac arrhythmias at
large, and in particular atria fibrilla-
tion. A large group of patients with
atria fibrillation are not responsive to
current therapies
and new approaches
are sought.
Technion's
Marcella Machluf,
Ph.D, and Kalifa
have partnered to
find different possi-
Marcella
bilities to reduce the
Machluf
invasiveness of the
current procedures
and lower the cost and time needed for
the procedure.
"We have already tested one
approach in our Israeli lab using ultra-
sound to deliver genes into cells and
tissue on small animals" Machluf says.
"Our next step is to use the lab at U-M
where we can test with larger animals,
getting us closer to clinical studies.
"Our partnership works because we're
both interested in sharing knowledge
and no one lets their egos get in the way"
she continues. "It's nice to know I can
pick up the phone and ask my partner a
question and rely on his answers"
"In addition, Peleg Hasson, Ph.D.
[Technion], and Santhi Ganesh, M.D.
[U-M], plan to perform more genetic
studies to determine how some cel-
lular mechanisms impact vascular
diseases" Selesny says. "And Offer
Binah, Ph.D. [Technion], and Daniel
Michele, Ph.D. [U-M], are working on
treatments for developing therapies for
cardiomyopathy in muscular dystro-
phy patients"
"Also, David Sherman, Ph.D., Hans
Vahlteich Professor of Medicinal
Chemistry [U-M], will be doing much
of his research in Israel, harvesting
natural products for possible medi-
cal use" Doneson says. "He will be
working with Berta Strulovici, direc-
tor, National Center for Personalized
Medicine, Weizmann Institute.
"Ron Ferber, co-founder and
president of HoMedics in Commerce
Township, co-hosted the final break-
out session with Eliezer Shalev of
Technion," Doneson says. "HoMedics
produces self-care and personal health
products. It was an exciting brain-
storming session as questions were
asked and answered about how to
create an idea, produce a product and
take the product to market quickly
and efficiently."
Why Israel?
"Authors Dan Senor and Saul Singer
informed the world about the unique-
ness of Israel's startup economy in the
2009 bestseller, Start Up Nation; says
Professor Boaz Golany, Technion's vice
president of external relations and
resource development.
"Israel has recently emerged as one of
the world's leading technological powers
in industries ranging from biotechnol-
ogy to financial engineering. Faculty and
students from Technion and Weizmann
have held student exchanges with U-M.
We've expanded that collaboration to
medical research that results in concrete
services and products"
Summing up the significance of the
meeting, Saltiel says, "Everyone attend-
ing the symposium was enthusiastic
because it is such a significant and
valuable event. Pairing U-M's expertise
in biomedicine with Israel's advanced
technological, medical innovations and
entrepreneurial spirit benefits both of
us working together. And it's not just
for Jewish scientists in Michigan or
Israel. It's important for the world to
know that through our partnerships we
affirm the importance of collaborative
science that benefits all mankind"
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