Researcher Receives $100,000 Prize for Heart Repair Research
Researcher Receives $100,000 Prize for Heart Repair Research
March 23, 2010
Medical Research, Press Releases
N
EW YORK, March 22, 2010 – Prof. Smadar Cohen, head of the University’s Avram and Stella Goldstein-Goren Department of Biotechnology Engineering, has been awarded the prestigious Rappaport Prize for Excellence in Biomedical Research, an award totaling $100,000.
The prize, given by Israel’s Rappaport Foundation, is presented annually to a researcher whose research has either significantly advanced or has the potential to significantly advance any medical or biomedical field.
Prof. Cohen received the prize for her research that led to the creation of an innovative and pioneering product using algae to prevent cardiac tissue damage following acute myocardial infarction.
The hydrogel, called BL-1040, is a resorbable liquid polymer that is administered through the coronary artery during standard catheterization and flows into the damaged heart muscle.
BL-1040 forms a protective “scaffold” that enhances the mechanical strength of the heart muscle during recovery and repair, thereby preventing enlargement of the left ventricle. It is excreted naturally from the body leaving behind a stronger, more stable heart muscle.
In August 2009, BioLineRx Ltd., the Israeli clinical stage drug development company, granted a license to an American company to continue to develop it in clinical trials.
Prof. Cohen has issued 26 patents, published numerous papers and edited two books. She is on the editorial board of the Tissue Engineering Journal and on the scientific advisory board of several biotechnology and nanotechnology companies.
She is also a member of the Katamon Committee of the Israel Ministry of Trade and Industry Magnet Program. In 1997, she was nominated as a fellow of the Israel Ministry of Science.
Prof. Cohen, who is also the incumbent of the BGU Claire and Harold Oshry Chair in Biotechnology, says, “I thank the committee that chose me to receive this prestigious award which values the work of academic researchers contributing to human welfare through their research. My research achievements were reached thanks to the support of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and through cooperation with Prof. Jonathan Leor and his students.”
ABOUT AMERICANS FOR BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY
By supporting a world-class academic institution that not only nurtures the Negev, but also shares its expertise locally and globally, Americans for Ben-Gurion University engages a community of Americans who are committed to improving the world. David Ben-Gurion envisioned that Israel’s future would be forged in the Negev. The cutting-edge research carried out at Ben-Gurion University drives that vision by sustaining a desert Silicon Valley, with the “Stanford of the Negev” at its center. The Americans for Ben-Gurion University movement supports a 21st century unifying vision for Israel by rallying around BGU’s remarkable work and role as an apolitical beacon of light in the Negev desert.
About Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev embraces the endless potential we have as individuals and as a commonality to adapt and to thrive in changing environments. Inspired by our location in the desert, we aim to discover, to create, and to develop solutions to dynamic challenges, to pose questions that have yet to be asked, and to push beyond the boundaries of the commonly accepted and possible.
We are proud to be a central force for inclusion, diversity and innovation in Israel, and we strive to extend the Negev’s potential and our entrepreneurial spirit throughout the world. For example, the multi-disciplinary School for Sustainability and Climate Change at BGU leverages over 50 years of expertise on living and thriving in the desert into scalable solutions for people everywhere.
BGU at a glance:
20,000 students | 800 senior faculty | 3 campuses | 6 faculties: humanities & social sciences, health sciences, engineering sciences, natural sciences, business & management, and desert research.
For all press inquiries, please contact:
James Fattal, J Cubed Communications
516.289.1496
Stories Like This
