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Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences

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Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences
TypeResearch Institute
Established1925
Parent institution
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
ChairpersonProf. Guy Bloch
Academic staff
75
Students900
Undergraduates600
Location
Jerusalem
,
Israel
LanguageHebrew & English
Websitehttps://www.bio.huji.ac.il/en

The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences (AS-ILS) at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is the oldest life sciences research institute in Israel. It is part of the Faculty of Sciences.[1], and is located in the Edmond J. Safra Campus (Givat Ram) in Jerusalem.

History

The origins of the institute date back to 1925, the year that the Hebrew University was founded,[2] when the Department of Botany was formed as part of a research unit called "The Institute for Studying the Natural History of the Land of Israel". Among the founding researchers were Profs. Otto Warburg[3], Alexander Eig,[4] Michael Zohary[5] and Naomi Feinbrun-Dothan.[6] During the first years of the department, several large-scale projects that continue to this day have been started off, including the establishment of the Herbarium Collection,[7] today part of Israel's Natural History Collections,[8] and the establishment of the National Botanic Garden of Israel at Mount Scopus, which was the first of its kind in the Middle East.

In 1928, Prof. Simon Bodenheimer joined the nascent institute and established the Department of Zoology, leading the institute to probe into new scientific fields.[9]

Research activities at both departments (and at the Hebrew University in general) were diminished in 1948 during the War of Independence, and were brought to a complete stop following the Hadassah medical convoy massacre. Activity in both departments was renewed after the war, in April 1949.[10]

The following decades saw the establishment of additional departments, including the Department of Genetics, the Department of Neurobiology, and the Department of Evolution, Systematics and Ecology (today the Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior).

After years that the different departments were scattered throughout the city of Jerusalem, the 1960s saw a structural reorganization, with the different departments grouped together to form the Institute of Life Sciences, which in itself was grouped with other (non-Life Sciences) departments to form the Faculty of Mathematics and Sciences.[1] In 1968, construction of a dedicated building for the Institute had begun in the Edmond J. Safra (Givat Ram) Campus in Jerusalem. In 1976, the Institute was named after Alexander Silberman, founder of the Penn Corporation in Philadelphia. Two years later, in 1978, the building was populated by the various research groups.

Notable Achievements

Throughout the years AS-ILS members have conducted basic research as well as applied science in the fields of biomedicine, biotechnology and agriculture at multiple levels of organization, from molecular mechanism in cells, through processes within the whole organism, and to studies at the population level. AS-ILS members have been associated with several discoveries:

  • Discovery that cholera toxin activates adenylyl cyclase by inhibiting the catecholamine-stimulated GTPase.[11]
  • Revealing the stabilizing role of poly(A) tail on mRNA.[12]
  • Demonstrating that the β-adrenergic receptor acts as a guanine nucleotide exchange factor facilitating GDP/GTP exchange to activate adenylyl cyclase.[13]
  • Plant domestication in the Middle East, especially crops such as cereals, pulses and fruit trees (first published in 1987).[14]
  • Understanding how microbes adapt to changing environments.[15]
  • Identification and isolation of the major positive regulator of meiosis.[16]
  • Identification and characterization of the gene mutated in cystic fibrosis disease and uncovering genetic mechanisms contributing to the disease severity.[17]
  • Mapping of meiotic DNA double-strand breaks on whole yeast chromosomes.[18]
  • First report of the impact of stress on gene expression.[19]
  • First demonstration of spontaneous and direct differentiation of human embryonic stem cells.[20]
  • Genetic manipulation and disease modeling using human pluripotent stem cells.[21][22]
  • Studying how microbes develop resistance mechanisms against antibiotics.[23]
  • First generation of haploid human embryonic stem cells.[24]
  • Discovery that cancer development is promoted by uncoordinated regulation of nucleotide biosynthesis and cell proliferation.[25]
  • Genome-wide screenings in human development and disease.[26][27]
  • First DNA methylation maps of Neanderthals and Denisovans.[28]
  • Anatomical profile of a Denisovan.[29]
  • Re-discovery of transfer RNA fragments’ functions.[30]
  • Immunogenicity and the basis of tumorigenicity of human embryonic stem cells.[31][32]

Awards & Recognition

Researchers in the institute have won numerous accolades:

Israel Prize[33][34]

Prof. Michael Zohary won the 1954 Israel prize in Life Sciences; Prof. Simon Bodenheimer won the 1954 Israel prize in agriculture. (Prof. Bodenheimer founded the department of zoology during the early days of the institute, and years later moved to the Faculty of Agriculture.); Profs. Gad Avigad and Shlomo Hestrin won the 1957 Israel prize in Sciences; Prof. Avraham Fahn won the 1963 Israel prize in Life Sciences; Prof. Michael Evenari won the 1986 Israel prize for life achievements in desert studies; Prof. Alexander Levitzki won the 1990 Israel prize in Life Sciences; Prof. Naomi Feinbrun-Dothan won the 1991 Israel prize for Eretz Israel studies; Prof. Zvi Selinger won the 2007 Israel prize in Biology.

EMET Prize for Arts, Science & Culture[35]

Prof. Zvi Selinger – 2005[36] ; Prof. Batsheva Kerem – 2008[37]; Prof. Marshall Devor – 2012[38]; Prof. Giora Simchen – 2013[39]; Prof. Moshe Soller – 2015[40]; Prof. Alexander Levitzki – 2017[41]; Prof. Hermona Soreq – 2022[42];

Rothschild Prize[43]

Prof. Georg Haas - 1963; Prof. Michael Zohary - 1973; Prof. Alexander Levitzki - 1990; Prof. Zvi Selinger - 2002.

Kaye Innovation Award[44]

Prof. Daphne Atlas - 1997, 2009; Prof. Joseph Hirschberg - 1998; Prof. Sergei Brown - 1998; Prof. Hermona soreq - 1999, 2008; Prof. Eduardo Mitrani - 2001; Dr. William Breuer - 2002; Prof. Abraham Hochberg - 2009; Prof. Nissim Benvenisty - 2010; Prof. Yaakov Nahmias - 2018;

Notable Members

Current members

A partial list includes Prof. Shy Arkin, Daphne Atlas,[45] Shimshon Belkin,[46] Nissim Benvenisty,[47] Guy Bloch, Liran Carmel, Marshall Devor,[48] Ronen Kadmon,[49] Batsheva Kerem, Alexander Levitzki, Michal Linial, Eran Meshorer, Yaakov Nahmias, Ran Nathan, Aharon Oren,[50] Etana Padan,[51] Shimon Schuldiner, Idan Segev,[52] Sagiv Shifman, Hermona Soreq, Ruth Sperling[53] and Ehud Zohary[54]

Former members

Renowned researchers have been part of the institute since its foundation. A partial list includes Shimon Bodenheimer, Ioav Cabantchick,[55] Ariel Darvasi, Alexander Eig, Michael Evenari, Avraham Fahn, Naomi Feinbrun-Dothan, Amatzia Genin,[56] Hagai Ginsburg,[57] Elisabeth Elisheva Goldschmidt, Georg Haas, Clara Heyn, Shaul Hochstein,[58] Aaaron Kaplan,[59] Alexander Keynan, Yehuda Lapidot, Itzhak Ohad,[60] Karl Reich,[61] Tsvi Sachs,[62] Zvi Selinger,[36] Avishai Shmida,[63] Aharon Shulov, Moshe Soller, Wilfred Stein, Heinz Steinitz, Eitan Tchernov, Yehudah L. Werner, Daniel Zohary and Michael Zohary.

Study Programs

The institute offers a number of undergraduate programs, including a single major program, joint dual major programs, supplementary units, and a number of excellence programs.[64][65] A range of graduate programs (M.Sc. and PhD) are offered as well.[66][67][68][69][70]

References

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  2. ^ "Higher Education in Israel: The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jewish Virtual Library".
  3. ^ "Otto Warburg (botanist)". JSTOR Global Plants.
  4. ^ "Alexander Eig". JSTOR Global Plants.
  5. ^ "Michael Zohary". JSTOR Global Plants.
  6. ^ "Naomi Feinbrun-Dothan, Jewish Women Archive".
  7. ^ "The Israel national herbarium".
  8. ^ "The Israeli National Natural History Collections".
  9. ^ Harpaz, I. (1984). "Frederick Simon Bodenheimer (1897-1959): Idealist, Scholar, Scientist". Annual Review of Entomology. 29: 1–24. doi:10.1146/annurev.en.29.010184.000245. S2CID 86230193.
  10. ^ "The history of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jewish Virtual Library".
  11. ^ Cassel, Dan; Selinger, Zvi (August 1977). "Mechanism of adenylate cyclase activation by cholera toxin: Inhibition of GTP hydrolysis at the regulatory site". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 74 (8): 3307–3311. Bibcode:1977PNAS...74.3307C. doi:10.1073/pnas.74.8.3307. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 431542. PMID 198781.
  12. ^ Huez, G.; Marbaix, G.; Burny, A.; Hubert, E.; Leclercq, M.; Cleuter, Y.; Chantrenne, H.; Soreq, H.; Littauer, U. Z. (March 1977). "Degradation of deadenylated rabbit α-globin mRNA in Xenopus oocytes is associated with its translation". Nature. 266 (5601): 473–474. Bibcode:1977Natur.266..473H. doi:10.1038/266473a0. ISSN 0028-0836. PMID 558522.
  13. ^ Cassel, D; Selinger, Z (September 1978). "Mechanism of adenylate cyclase activation through the beta-adrenergic receptor: catecholamine-induced displacement of bound GDP by GTP". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 75 (9): 4155–4159. Bibcode:1978PNAS...75.4155C. doi:10.1073/pnas.75.9.4155. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 336070. PMID 212737.
  14. ^ Zohary, Daniel; Hopf, Maria; Weiss, Ehud (2012). Domestication of plants in the Old World: the origin and spread of domesticated plants in Southwest Asia, Europe, and the Mediterranean Basin (Fourth ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-954906-1.
  15. ^ Goldberg, E B; Arbel, T; Chen, J; Karpel, R; Mackie, G A; Schuldiner, S; Padan, E (May 1987). "Characterization of a Na+/H+ antiporter gene of Escherichia coli". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 84 (9): 2615–2619. doi:10.1073/pnas.84.9.2615. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 304708. PMID 3033655.
  16. ^ Kassir, Yona; Granot, David; Simchen, Giora (March 1988). "IME1, a positive regulator gene of meiosis in S. cerevisiae". Cell. 52 (6): 853–862. doi:10.1016/0092-8674(88)90427-8. PMID 3280136.
  17. ^ Kerem, Bat-Sheva; Rommens, Johanna M.; Buchanan, Janet A.; Markiewicz, Danuta; Cox, Tara K.; Chakravarti, Aravinda; Buchwald, Manuel; Tsui, Lap-Chee (1989-09-08). "Identification of the Cystic Fibrosis Gene: Genetic Analysis". Science. 245 (4922): 1073–1080. Bibcode:1989Sci...245.1073K. doi:10.1126/science.2570460. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 2570460.
  18. ^ Zenvirth, D.; Arbel, T.; Sherman, A.; Goldway, M.; Klein, S.; Simchen, G. (September 1992). "Multiple sites for double-strand breaks in whole meiotic chromosomes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae". The EMBO Journal. 11 (9): 3441–3447. doi:10.1002/j.1460-2075.1992.tb05423.x. PMID 1324174.
  19. ^ Kaufer, Daniela; Friedman, Alon; Seidman, Shlomo; Soreq, Hermona (1998-05-28). "Acute stress facilitates long-lasting changes in cholinergic gene expression". Nature. 393 (6683): 373–377. Bibcode:1998Natur.393..373K. doi:10.1038/30741. ISSN 0028-0836. PMID 9620801.
  20. ^ Nakamura, Kensuke; Inokuchi, Ryota; Doi, Kent; Fukuda, Tatsuma; Tokunaga, Kurato; Nakajima, Susumu; Noiri, Eisei; Yahagi, Naoki (2014). "Septic Ketoacidosis". Internal Medicine. 53 (10): 1071–1073. doi:10.2169/internalmedicine.53.1791. ISSN 0918-2918. PMID 24827487.
  21. ^ Eiges, Rachel; Schuldiner, Maya; Drukker, Micha; Yanuka, Ofra; Itskovitz-Eldor, Joseph; Benvenisty, Nissim (April 2001). "Establishment of human embryonic stem cell-transfected clones carrying a marker for undifferentiated cells". Current Biology. 11 (7): 514–518. Bibcode:2001CBio...11..514E. doi:10.1016/S0960-9822(01)00144-0. PMID 11413002.
  22. ^ Avior, Yishai; Sagi, Ido; Benvenisty, Nissim (March 2016). "Pluripotent stem cells in disease modelling and drug discovery". Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology. 17 (3): 170–182. doi:10.1038/nrm.2015.27. ISSN 1471-0072. PMID 26818440.
  23. ^ Tal, Nir; Schuldiner, Shimon (2009-06-02). "A coordinated network of transporters with overlapping specificities provides a robust survival strategy". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 106 (22): 9051–9056. Bibcode:2009PNAS..106.9051T. doi:10.1073/pnas.0902400106. ISSN 0027-8424.
  24. ^ Sagi, Ido; Chia, Gloryn; Golan-Lev, Tamar; Peretz, Mordecai; Weissbein, Uri; Sui, Lina; Sauer, Mark V.; Yanuka, Ofra; Egli, Dieter; Benvenisty, Nissim (2016-04-07). "Derivation and differentiation of haploid human embryonic stem cells". Nature. 532 (7597): 107–111. Bibcode:2016Natur.532..107S. doi:10.1038/nature17408. ISSN 0028-0836. PMID 26982723.
  25. ^ Bester, Assaf C.; Roniger, Maayan; Oren, Yifat S.; Im, Michael M.; Sarni, Dan; Chaoat, Malka; Bensimon, Aaron; Zamir, Gideon; Shewach, Donna S.; Kerem, Batsheva (April 2011). "Nucleotide Deficiency Promotes Genomic Instability in Early Stages of Cancer Development". Cell. 145 (3): 435–446. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2011.03.044. PMC 3740329. PMID 21529715.
  26. ^ Yilmaz, Atilgan; Peretz, Mordecai; Aharony, Aviram; Sagi, Ido; Benvenisty, Nissim (May 2018). "Defining essential genes for human pluripotent stem cells by CRISPR–Cas9 screening in haploid cells". Nature Cell Biology. 20 (5): 610–619. doi:10.1038/s41556-018-0088-1. ISSN 1465-7392. PMID 29662178.
  27. ^ Bar, Shiran; Vershkov, Dan; Keshet, Gal; Lezmi, Elyad; Meller, Naama; Yilmaz, Atilgan; Yanuka, Ofra; Nissim-Rafinia, Malka; Meshorer, Eran; Eldar-Geva, Talia; Benvenisty, Nissim (2021-11-18). "Identifying regulators of parental imprinting by CRISPR/Cas9 screening in haploid human embryonic stem cells". Nature Communications. 12 (1): 6718. Bibcode:2021NatCo..12.6718B. doi:10.1038/s41467-021-26949-7. ISSN 2041-1723. PMC 8602306. PMID 34795250.
  28. ^ Gokhman, David; Lavi, Eitan; Prüfer, Kay; Fraga, Mario F.; Riancho, José A.; Kelso, Janet; Pääbo, Svante; Meshorer, Eran; Carmel, Liran (2014-05-02). "Reconstructing the DNA Methylation Maps of the Neandertal and the Denisovan". Science. 344 (6183): 523–527. Bibcode:2014Sci...344..523G. doi:10.1126/science.1250368. ISSN 0036-8075. PMID 24786081.
  29. ^ Gokhman, David; Mishol, Nadav; de Manuel, Marc; de Juan, David; Shuqrun, Jonathan; Meshorer, Eran; Marques-Bonet, Tomas; Rak, Yoel; Carmel, Liran (September 2019). "Reconstructing Denisovan Anatomy Using DNA Methylation Maps". Cell. 179 (1): 180–192.e10. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2019.08.035. PMID 31539495.
  30. ^ Winek, Katarzyna; Lobentanzer, Sebastian; Nadorp, Bettina; Dubnov, Serafima; Dames, Claudia; Jagdmann, Sandra; Moshitzky, Gilli; Hotter, Benjamin; Meisel, Christian; Greenberg, David S.; Shifman, Sagiv; Klein, Jochen; Shenhar-Tsarfaty, Shani; Meisel, Andreas; Soreq, Hermona (2020-12-22). "Transfer RNA fragments replace microRNA regulators of the cholinergic poststroke immune blockade". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 117 (51): 32606–32616. Bibcode:2020PNAS..11732606W. doi:10.1073/pnas.2013542117. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 7768686. PMID 33288717.
  31. ^ Drukker, Micha; Katz, Gil; Urbach, Achia; Schuldiner, Maya; Markel, Gal; Itskovitz-Eldor, Joseph; Reubinoff, Benjamin; Mandelboim, Ofer; Benvenisty, Nissim (2002-07-23). "Characterization of the expression of MHC proteins in human embryonic stem cells". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 99 (15): 9864–9869. Bibcode:2002PNAS...99.9864D. doi:10.1073/pnas.142298299. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 125045. PMID 12114532.
  32. ^ Blum, Barak; Bar-Nur, Ori; Golan-Lev, Tamar; Benvenisty, Nissim (March 2009). "The anti-apoptotic gene survivin contributes to teratoma formation by human embryonic stem cells". Nature Biotechnology. 27 (3): 281–287. doi:10.1038/nbt.1527. ISSN 1087-0156. PMID 19252483.
  33. ^ "The Israel Prize, Jewish Virtual Library".
  34. ^ "List of Israel Prize Winners, Jewish Virtual Library".
  35. ^ "EMET Prize, official website".
  36. ^ a b "Prof. Zvi Selinger, EMET Prize".
  37. ^ "Prof. Batsheva Kerem, EMET Prize".
  38. ^ "Prof. Marshal Devor, EMET Prize".
  39. ^ "Prof. Giora Simchen, EMET Prize".
  40. ^ "Prof. Moshe Soller, EMET Prize".
  41. ^ "Prof. Alexander Levitzki, EMET Prize".
  42. ^ "Prof. Hermona Soreq, EMET Prize".
  43. ^ "The Rothschild Prize, official website".
  44. ^ "The Kaye Innovation Awards" (PDF).
  45. ^ "Prof. Daphne Atlas - research overview & metrics, Research.com".
  46. ^ "Prof. Shimshon Belkin - research overview & metrics, Research.com".
  47. ^ "Nissim Benvenisty, Research overview & metrics, Research.com".
  48. ^ "Prof. Marshall Devor - research overview & metrics, Research.com".
  49. ^ "Prof. Ronen Kadmon - research overview & metrics, Research.com".
  50. ^ "Aharon Oren, research review & metrics,Research.com".
  51. ^ "Prof. Etana Padan - research overview & metrics, Research.com".
  52. ^ "Prof. Idan Segev - research overview & metrics, Research.com".
  53. ^ "Prof. Ruth Sperling, Jewish Women's Archive".
  54. ^ "Prof. Ehud Zohary - research overview & metrics, Research.com".
  55. ^ "Prof. Ioav Cabantchick - research overview & metrics, Research.com".
  56. ^ "Prof. Amatzia Genin - research overview & metrics, Research.com".
  57. ^ "Prof. Hagai Ginsburg - research overview & metrics, Research.com".
  58. ^ "Prof. Shaul Hochstein - research overview & metrics, Research.com".
  59. ^ "Prof. Aaron Kaplan - research overview & metrics, Research.com".
  60. ^ "Prof. Itzhak Ohad - research overview & metrics, Research.com".
  61. ^ YASHOUV, A (2013). "PROFESSOR K. REICH PIONEER OF HYDROBIOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN ISRAEL". Israel Journal of Zoology. 12 (1–4): 3–6. doi:10.1080/00212210.1963.10688164 (inactive 31 January 2024).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of January 2024 (link)
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  63. ^ "Prof. Avishai Shmida - research overview & metrics, Research.com".
  64. ^ "Life Sciences, B.Sc studies in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem".
  65. ^ "Chemistry & Life Sciences, B.Sc. studies in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem".
  66. ^ "Brain & Behavioral Sciences graduate studies in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem".
  67. ^ "Ecology, Evolution & Behavior graduate studies in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem".
  68. ^ "Genetics graduate studies in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem".
  69. ^ "Plant Sciences graduate studies in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem".
  70. ^ "Structural & Molecular Biochemistry graduate studies in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem".
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