JANUARY 26 • 2023 | 47

T

he Michigan-Israel Partnership 
“Frontiers in Biomedical 
Research” Conference, hosted by 
the Technion, recently took place at the 
Elma Arts Complex Hotel in Zikhron 
Yaacov, Israel. The conference was part 
of the D. Dan and Betty Kahn Scientific 
Symposium — a joint initiative of the 
Technion, the Weizmann Institute of 
Science and the University of Michigan. 
The conference focused on new advances 
in biology and technology, aimed at 
improving human health.
The event was sponsored by the D. 
Dan and Betty Kahn Foundation, a major 
Technion donor, and was attended by 
the Kahns’ daughter, Andi Wolfe, and 
her husband Larry Wolfe, who serves as 
the Kahn Foundation’s president. Andi 
is a member of the Technion Board of 
Governors and the National Board of 
the American Technion Society (ATS). 
Besides this partnership, Andi and Larry 
are involved in supporting the Michigan-
Israel Partnership for Research and 
Education, in which the Technion plays a 
central role.
“My father was in love with the 
Technion,” says Andi Wolfe, who, last 
month, together with her husband, 
received the Albert Einstein Award — 
the highest honor awarded by ATS. 
“He later also became involved with the 
University of Michigan, and that’s how 
he came up with the idea of connecting 
the two universities. His dream became 
a reality with the help of Professor 
Michael Aviram of the Technion and 
Professor David Pinsky of the University 
of Michigan. 
“The collaboration sponsors joint 
research projects by researchers from 
both universities and, today, also from 
the Weizmann Institute of Science. 

Meaningful progress is possible only 
through collaboration, and this initiative 
encourages scientific, technological and 
medical exchanges between researchers 
from different institutions, different 
fields and different countries. I come to 
all these conferences, and I am especially 
moved to see the young, brilliant 
researchers who are driving the worlds 
of science and medicine toward a better 
future.”
Conference Chair Professor Peleg 
Hasson of the Rappaport Faculty of 
Medicine at the Technion, said, “In most 
cases, breakthroughs do not come when 
two people doing similar work and 
speaking the same scientific language 
collaborate. Synergism and key advances 
are made when different disciplines are 
united. 
“One of the main objectives of this 

program, apart from creating a bridge 
between universities, is to ignite ideas, 
disseminate the seeds that will enable 
synergistic science to take place. We 
heard in the last three days talks from 
various fields, ranging from environment 
to molecular cellular machineries. While 
I am sure not every detail was understood 
by everybody, we do know now what the 
topics are, what the challenges are and 
what capabilities the researchers have. I 
am sure it will resonate in our minds for 
some time and, even without knowing it, 
we will think about it using the language 
and tools we have in our labs. I would 
thus like to thank all the speakers, chairs 
and poster presenters for doing an 
excellent job.”
The three keynote speakers at the 
conference were Professor Charles Burant 
of the University of Michigan, Professor 
Asaph Aharoni of the Weizmann Institute 
of Science and Professor Lior Gepstein 
of the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine at 
the Technion. The conference was also 
attended by Professor Ada Yonath of the 
Weizmann Institute, 2009 Nobel Laureate 
in Chemistry, who talked about the 
origins of life and the antibiotics of the 
future.
The event included a poster 
competition for students of the three 
institutions, with participation reaching 
a record high, unprecedented in the 
conference’s history. Eleven students 
won the contest, nine of them from the 
Technion. Technion winners are Nadav 
Ben Assa, Lama Awwad, Yassen Gharam, 
Yara Ghnamah, Janan Abd Elkhalik, 
Anna Kaganovsky, Tahani Kadah, Eman 
Knaane and Eva Zanditenas. The winner 
from the University of Michigan is Meera 
Krishnamoorthy, and from the Weizmann 
Institute of Science, Aliza Fedorenko. 

Technion recently hosted Michigan-Israel Partnership 
‘Frontiers in Biomedical Research’ Conference.

Platform for Science and 
Medical Advancement

SUBMITTED BY TECHNION

Group photograph of the conference 
participants from the three universities. In 
front: Andi and Larry Wolfe and Technion 
President Professor Uri Sivan.