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Shimshon Belkin

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Shimshon Belkin
שמשון בלקין
Born17/07/1951
NationalityIsraeli
Alma materThe Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Known forMicrobial life in extreme environments; whole-cell microbial biosensors
AwardsThe Donald Tucker Memorial Oceanography Fellowship (1977); Danish Ministry of Education grant (1977); EMBO fellowships (1977, 1979); Lady Davis Fellowship (1983); Chaim Weizmann fellowship (1985); The David and Pola Ben Gurion Prize (1988); The DuPont Company Excellence prize (1994); The Strage-BGU prize for Excellence in Environmental Sciences (2019).
Scientific career
FieldsEnvironmental microbiology; biosensors
Websitehttps://shimshonbelkinslab.wixsite.com/home

Shimshon Belkin (born July 17, 1951, Tel Aviv, Israel) is an environmental microbiologist, a Professor Emeritus at the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at the Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel.

Biography

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Following an undergraduate degree in Biology and a PhD in oceanography (1983, Prof. Etana Padan, supervisor), both at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Belkin was a postdoctoral fellow with Prof. Holger Jannasch[1] at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (Woods Hole, MA; 1983-1984) and with Prof. Lester Packer[2] at the University of California, Berkeley (1984-1986). From 1986 to 1996 he was a faculty member at the J. Blaustein Institute for Desert Research of the Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel. In 1993-95 he was a visiting scientist at Robert A. LaRossa’s group at Dupont Central Research and Development (Wilmington, Delaware).[3] He returned to the Hebrew University in 1996, first as an associate professor at the School of Applied Science (1996-2004) and later as a full professor at the Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences (2004-2021). He is now a Prof. Emeritus of Environmental Microbiology at the latter institute. Since 2011 he is the incumbent of the Ministry of Labor & Social Welfare Chair in Industrial Hygiene.

Selected Hebrew University positions

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  • Head of the Department of Environmental Sciences, School of Applied Science (2000-2003);
  • Director, Environmental Sciences program at the Faculty of Natural Sciences (2000-2003),
  • Director, Technology Management program[4] (2000-2006; Joint program of the Faculty of Natural Sciences and the Hebrew University Business School);
  • Head, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences (2013-2015);
  • Chair, the Inter-Faculty Biotechnology Program (2008-2014).[5]

Selected ex-university activities

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  • Member of the committee for determination of Israeli water quality regulations (the “Adin Committee[6]”, 2004-2007; chair, microbiology standards subcommittee);
  • Chair, the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Environmental Protection joint committees for the determination of recreational water quality criteria (2006, 2012);
  • Member, Advisory Committee on Water Quality to the Minister of Health (2014-2022; Chair, microbiology sub-committee);
  • President of the Israeli Society for Ecology and Environmental Sciences[7] (1998-2000).

Research

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Prof. Belkin’s research, from his student days to his current position, covers a broad range of topics, practically all of them at the interface between a study of microbiology and diverse environmental aspects. Since 1995, one of the main foci in his lab is the application of synthetic biology principles in the design, construction and testing of genetically engineered microorganisms as biosensors.[8][9][10][11][12][13]

The molecular engineering of such live bioreporters usually involves a fusion of a sensing element (often a gene promoter induced in the presence of the target compounds) to reporter gene(s), the expression of which can be monitored quantitatively. This approach, applied by the Belkin group towards the development of different types of sensors for environmental applications, has also diverged into related aspects such the integration of live sensor cells into miniaturized hardware platforms, polymer cellular encapsulation for field dispersal, and the development of algorithms for deciphering cell array signals.

One of the main topics currently occupying the Belkin team is the development of an innovative system for the remote detection of buried landmines and other explosive devices.[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23] Landmines are not completely sealed, and traces of explosives escape out of the mine’s casing and accumulate in the soil above it; bacterial sensor strains have been developed in the Belkin lab that sensitively respond to the presence of these traces by the generation of an optical signal, either fluorescence or bioluminescence. These signals can be imaged remotely; thus alleviating the highly risky need for the presence of personnel on the minefield.

Additional research topics investigated by Prof. Belkin and his team over the years include cyanobacterial bioenergetics and hydrogen production,[24][25][26][27][28] microbiology of deep-sea hydrothermal vents (including several research dives in the submersible Alvin),[29][30][31][32] and the characterization and treatment of industrial wastewaters.[33][34][35][36]

Also worth mentioning is the study of the bacterial populations inhabiting the external surfaces of the salt-excreting Tamarix tree.[37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45] This extreme environment is characterized by almost diurnal fluctuations between complete desiccation during the day, and a very high salinity (up to 4-fold higher than that of seawater) at night, when the salts excreted by the tree onto the leaves’ surface are dissolved by the prevalent dew.

References

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  1. ^ "Prof. Holger Jannasch".
  2. ^ Cadenas, Enrique; Sies, Helmut (April 2023). "Lester Packer: On His Life and His Legacy". Antioxidants & Redox Signaling. 38 (10–12): 768–774. doi:10.1089/ars.2022.0097. ISSN 1557-7716. PMID 36006367. S2CID 263503803.
  3. ^ "Robert A Larossa, Robert A Larossa, Dupont Central Research and Development". ResearchGate.
  4. ^ "Technology Management Program". catalog.huji.ac.il.
  5. ^ "Inter-Faculty Biotechnology Program (in Hebrew)". huji.ac.il.
  6. ^ "The Adin Committee (in Hebrew)". ecowiki.org.il.
  7. ^ "Israeli Society for Ecology and Environmental Sciences".
  8. ^ Belkin, Shimshon; Smulski, Dana R.; Dadon, Sara; Vollmer, Amy C.; Van Dyk, Tina K.; Larossa, Robert A. (1997-12-01). "A panel of stress-responsive luminous bacteria for the detection of selected classes of toxicants". Water Research. 31 (12): 3009–3016. Bibcode:1997WatRe..31.3009B. doi:10.1016/S0043-1354(97)00169-3. ISSN 0043-1354.
  9. ^ Köhler, S.; Belkin, S.; Schmid, R. D. (2000-03-01). "Reporter gene bioassays in environmental analysis". Fresenius' Journal of Analytical Chemistry. 366 (6): 769–779. doi:10.1007/s002160051571. ISSN 1432-1130. PMID 11225788. S2CID 33365247.
  10. ^ Belkin, Shimshon (2003-06-01). "Microbial whole-cell sensing systems of environmental pollutants". Current Opinion in Microbiology. 6 (3): 206–212. doi:10.1016/S1369-5274(03)00059-6. ISSN 1369-5274. PMID 12831895.
  11. ^ van der Meer, Jan Roelof; Belkin, Shimshon (July 2010). "Where microbiology meets microengineering: design and applications of reporter bacteria". Nature Reviews Microbiology. 8 (7): 511–522. doi:10.1038/nrmicro2392. ISSN 1740-1534. PMID 20514043. S2CID 1585187.
  12. ^ Ben-Yoav, Hadar; Melamed, Sahar; Freeman, Amihay; Shacham-Diamand, Yosi; Belkin, Shimshon (December 2011). "Whole-cell biochips for bio-sensing: integration of live cells and inanimate surfaces". Critical Reviews in Biotechnology. 31 (4): 337–353. doi:10.3109/07388551.2010.532767. ISSN 0738-8551. PMID 21190513. S2CID 9038421.
  13. ^ Belkin, Shimshon; Wang, Baojun (January 2022). "Sense and sensibility: of synthetic biology and the redesign of bioreporter circuits". Microbial Biotechnology. 15 (1): 103–106. doi:10.1111/1751-7915.13955. ISSN 1751-7915. PMC 8719829. PMID 34689402.
  14. ^ Yagur-Kroll, Sharon; Amiel, Eden; Rosen, Rachel; Belkin, Shimshon (2015-09-01). "Detection of 2,4-dinitrotoluene and 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene by an Escherichia coli bioreporter: performance enhancement by directed evolution". Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology. 99 (17): 7177–7188. doi:10.1007/s00253-015-6607-0. ISSN 1432-0614. PMID 25981994. S2CID 18171056.
  15. ^ Shemer, Benjamin; Palevsky, Noa; Yagur-Kroll, Sharon; Belkin, Shimshon (2015). "Genetically engineered microorganisms for the detection of explosives' residues". Frontiers in Microbiology. 6: 1175. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2015.01175. ISSN 1664-302X. PMC 4625088. PMID 26579085.
  16. ^ Belkin, Shimshon; Yagur-Kroll, Sharon; Kabessa, Yossef; Korouma, Victor; Septon, Tali; Anati, Yonatan; Zohar-Perez, Cheinat; Rabinovitz, Zahi; Nussinovitch, Amos; Agranat, Aharon J. (April 2017). "Remote detection of buried landmines using a bacterial sensor". Nature Biotechnology. 35 (4): 308–310. doi:10.1038/nbt.3791. ISSN 1546-1696. PMID 28398330. S2CID 3645230.
  17. ^ Shemer, Benjamin; Shpigel, Etai; Glozman, Anat; Yagur-Kroll, Sharon; Kabessa, Yosssef; Agranat, Aharon J.; Belkin, Shimshon (2020-11-25). "Genome-wide gene-deletion screening identifies mutations that significantly enhance explosives vapor detection by a microbial sensor". New Biotechnology. 59: 65–73. doi:10.1016/j.nbt.2020.06.002. ISSN 1871-6784. PMID 32622861. S2CID 220372346.
  18. ^ Shemer, Benjamin; Shpigel, Etai; Hazan, Carina; Kabessa, Yossef; Agranat, Aharon J.; Belkin, Shimshon (January 2021). "Detection of buried explosives with immobilized bacterial bioreporters". Microbial Biotechnology. 14 (1): 251–261. doi:10.1111/1751-7915.13683. ISSN 1751-7915. PMC 7888469. PMID 33095504.
  19. ^ Shpigel, Etai; Shemer, Benjamin; Elad, Tal; Glozman, Anat; Belkin, Shimshon (2021-05-01). "Bacterial bioreporters for the detection of trace explosives: performance enhancement by DNA shuffling and random mutagenesis". Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology. 105 (10): 4329–4337. doi:10.1007/s00253-021-11290-2. ISSN 1432-0614. PMID 33942130.
  20. ^ Agranat, Aharon J.; Kabessa, Yossef; Shemer, Benjamin; Shpigel, Etai; Schwartsglass, Offer; Atamneh, Loay; Uziel, Yonatan; Ejzenberg, Meir; Mizrachi, Yosef; Garcia, Yehudit; Perepelitsa, Galina; Belkin, Shimshon (2021-08-01). "An autonomous bioluminescent bacterial biosensor module for outdoor sensor networks, and its application for the detection of buried explosives". Biosensors and Bioelectronics. 185: 113253. doi:10.1016/j.bios.2021.113253. ISSN 0956-5663. PMID 33930754.
  21. ^ Landau, Elizabeth (21 June 2021). "How Glowing Bacteria in the Dirt May One Day Save Lives, The New York Times". The New York Times.
  22. ^ "Hebrew U tech provides breakthrough in landmine detection with biosensor development". 20 September 2023.
  23. ^ "New AI Biosensor for Landmine Detection Developed by Hebrew University and Enzymit Detailed in New Study". 3 October 2023.
  24. ^ Belkin, Shimshon; Padan, Etana (1978-01-01). "Hydrogen metabolism in the facultative anoxygenic cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) Oscillatoria limnetica and Aphanothece halophytica". Archives of Microbiology. 116 (1): 109–111. Bibcode:1978ArMic.116..109B. doi:10.1007/BF00408741. ISSN 1432-072X. PMID 414684. S2CID 20110544.
  25. ^ Belkin, Shimshon; Padan, Etana (1978-10-15). "Sulfide-dependent hydrogen evolution in the cyanobacterium Oscillatoria limnetica". FEBS Letters. 94 (2): 291–294. doi:10.1016/0014-5793(78)80959-4. ISSN 0014-5793. S2CID 85273971.
  26. ^ Belkin, Shimshon; Padan, Etana (1983-07-01). "Na-Dithionite Promotes Photosynthetic Sulfide Utilization by the Cyanobacterium Oscillatoria limnetica". Plant Physiology. 72 (3): 825–828. doi:10.1104/pp.72.3.825. ISSN 0032-0889. PMC 1066328. PMID 16663093.
  27. ^ Belkin, Shimshon; Padan, Etana (1983). "Low Redox Potential Promotes Sulphide- and Light-dependent Hydrogen Evolution in Oscillatoria limnetica". Microbiology. 129 (10): 3091–3098. doi:10.1099/00221287-129-10-3091. ISSN 1465-2080.
  28. ^ Belkin, Shimshon; Mehlhorn, Rolf J.; Packer, Lester (1987). "Proton Gradients in Intact Cyanobacteria". Plant Physiology. 84 (1): 25–30. doi:10.1104/pp.84.1.25. PMC 1056521. PMID 11539679.
  29. ^ Belkin, Shimshon; Jannasch, Holger W. (1985-04-01). "A new extremely thermophilic, sulfur-reducing heterotrophic, marine bacterium". Archives of Microbiology. 141 (3): 181–186. Bibcode:1985ArMic.141..181B. doi:10.1007/BF00408055. ISSN 1432-072X. S2CID 34257747.
  30. ^ Belkin, Shimshon; Wirsen, Carl O.; Jannasch, Holger W. (May 1985). "Biological and Abiological Sulfur Reduction at High Temperatures". Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 49 (5): 1057–1061. Bibcode:1985ApEnM..49.1057B. doi:10.1128/aem.49.5.1057-1061.1985. ISSN 0099-2240. PMC 238504. PMID 16346781.
  31. ^ Belkin, Shimshon; Nelson, Douglas C.; Jannasch, Holger W. (February 1986). "Symbiotic Assimilation of CO2 in Two Hydrothermal Vent Animals, the Mussel Bathymodiolus thermophilus and the Tube Worm Riftia pachyptila". The Biological Bulletin. 170 (1): 110–121. doi:10.2307/1541384. ISSN 0006-3185. JSTOR 1541384.
  32. ^ Belkin, Shimshon; Wirsen, Carl O.; Jannasch, Holger W. (June 1986). "A New Sulfur-Reducing, Extremely Thermophilic Eubacterium from a Submarine Thermal Vent". Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 51 (6): 1180–1185. Bibcode:1986ApEnM..51.1180B. doi:10.1128/aem.51.6.1180-1185.1986. ISSN 0099-2240. PMC 239042. PMID 16347075.
  33. ^ Belkin, Shimshon; Brenner, Asher; Abeliovich, Aharon (1993-04-01). "Biological Treatment of a High Salinity Chemical Industrial Wastewater". Water Science and Technology. 27 (7–8): 105–112. doi:10.2166/wst.1993.0540. ISSN 0273-1223.
  34. ^ Abeliovich, Aharon; Ulitzur, Shimon; Belkin, Shimshon; Brenner, Asher (1993). "Fast Assessment of Toxicants Adsorption on Activated Carbon Using a Luminous Bacteria Bioassay". Water Science and Technology. 27 (7–8): 113–120. doi:10.2166/wst.1993.0541. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
  35. ^ Abeliovich, Aharon; Lebel, Alon; Brenner, Asher; Belkin, Shimshon (1994). "Treatment of High-Strength, Complex and Toxic Chemical Wastewater: End-of Pipe "Best Available Technology" vs. An In-Plant Control Program". Water Science and Technology. 29 (8): 221–233. doi:10.2166/wst.1994.0414. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
  36. ^ Abeliovich, A.; Belkin, S.; Brenner, A. (1994). "Development of a Pretreatment Program to Improve Biological Treatability of High Strength and Toxic Industrial Wastewater". Water Science and Technology. 29 (9): 29–37. doi:10.2166/wst.1994.0437. Retrieved 2024-01-21.
  37. ^ Qvit-Raz, Noga; Jurkevitch, Edouard; Belkin, Shimshon (2008). "Drop-Size Soda Lakes: Transient Microbial Habitats on a Salt-Secreting Desert Tree". Genetics. 178 (3): 1615–1622. doi:10.1534/genetics.107.082164. PMC 2278082. PMID 18245835.
  38. ^ Finkel, Omri M.; Burch, Adrien Y.; Lindow, Steven E.; Post, Anton F.; Belkin, Shimshon (November 2011). "Geographical Location Determines the Population Structure in Phyllosphere Microbial Communities of a Salt-Excreting Desert Tree". Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 77 (21): 7647–7655. Bibcode:2011ApEnM..77.7647F. doi:10.1128/AEM.05565-11. ISSN 0099-2240. PMC 3209174. PMID 21926212.
  39. ^ Atamna-Ismaeel, Nof; Finkel, Omri M.; Glaser, Fabian; Sharon, Itai; Schneider, Ron; Post, Anton F.; Spudich, John L.; von Mering, Christian; Vorholt, Julia A.; Iluz, David; Béjà, Oded; Belkin, Shimshon (January 2012). "Microbial rhodopsins on leaf surfaces of terrestrial plants". Environmental Microbiology. 14 (1): 140–146. Bibcode:2012EnvMi..14..140A. doi:10.1111/j.1462-2920.2011.02554.x. ISSN 1462-2912. PMC 3608849. PMID 21883799.
  40. ^ Qvit-Raz, Noga; Finkel, Omri M.; Al-Deeb, Taghleb M.; Malkawi, Hanan I.; Hindiyeh, Muna Y.; Jurkevitch, Edouard; Belkin, Shimshon (2012-02-01). "Biogeographical diversity of leaf-associated microbial communities from salt-secreting Tamarix trees of the Dead Sea region". Research in Microbiology. 163 (2): 142–150. doi:10.1016/j.resmic.2011.11.006. ISSN 0923-2508. PMID 22178498.
  41. ^ Atamna-Ismaeel, Nof; Finkel, Omri; Glaser, Fabian; von Mering, Christian; Vorholt, Julia A.; Koblížek, Michal; Belkin, Shimshon; Béjà, Oded (April 2012). "Bacterial anoxygenic photosynthesis on plant leaf surfaces". Environmental Microbiology Reports. 4 (2): 209–216. Bibcode:2012EnvMR...4..209A. doi:10.1111/j.1758-2229.2011.00323.x. ISSN 1758-2229. PMID 23757275.
  42. ^ Finkel, Omri M.; Burch, Adrien Y.; Elad, Tal; Huse, Susan M.; Lindow, Steven E.; Post, Anton F.; Belkin, Shimshon (September 2012). "Distance-Decay Relationships Partially Determine Diversity Patterns of Phyllosphere Bacteria on Tamrix Trees across the Sonoran Desert". Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 78 (17): 6187–6193. Bibcode:2012ApEnM..78.6187F. doi:10.1128/AEM.00888-12. ISSN 0099-2240. PMC 3416633. PMID 22752165.
  43. ^ Finkel, Omri M.; Béjà, Oded; Belkin, Shimshon (February 2013). "Global abundance of microbial rhodopsins". The ISME Journal. 7 (2): 448–451. Bibcode:2013ISMEJ...7..448F. doi:10.1038/ismej.2012.112. ISSN 1751-7370. PMC 3554412. PMID 23051692.
  44. ^ Burch, Adrien Y.; Finkel, Omri M.; Cho, Juliana K.; Belkin, Shimshon; Lindow, Steven E. (February 2013). "Diverse Microhabitats Experienced by Halomonas variabilis on Salt-Secreting Leaves". Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 79 (3): 845–852. Bibcode:2013ApEnM..79..845B. doi:10.1128/AEM.02791-12. ISSN 0099-2240. PMC 3568542. PMID 23160133.
  45. ^ Finkel, Omri M.; Delmont, Tom O.; Post, Anton F.; Belkin, Shimshon (May 2016). Schloss, P. D. (ed.). "Metagenomic Signatures of Bacterial Adaptation to Life in the Phyllosphere of a Salt-Secreting Desert Tree". Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 82 (9): 2854–2861. Bibcode:2016ApEnM..82.2854F. doi:10.1128/AEM.00483-16. ISSN 0099-2240. PMC 4836421. PMID 26944845.
[edit]
  1. Shimshon Belkin at the Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences website
  2. Shimshon Belkin publications indexed by Google Scholar
  3. Shimshon Belkin ISI profile[1]
  4. The laboratory of Shimshon Belkin
  5. Shimshon Belkin, Selected media mentions.[2]
  1. ^ "Shimshon Belkin ISI profile".
  2. ^ "Shimshon Belkin, Selected media mentions".
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