Leading researchers from The University of Manchester and Israel’s Institute of Technology are to work together in the hunt for cures to cancer and genetic illnesses. The new partnership approach, which will also see combined studies into heart disease, stem cell and genetic research, was agreed by the two world-leading research Centres this week.
Professor Eliezer Shalev, Dean of The Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology visited The University of Manchester and Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to sign a Memorandum of Understanding – committing to joint-research.
The Memorandum was also signed by Professors Ian Jacobs, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Human Science at The University of Manchester, and Professor Martin Humphries, Dean of the Faculty of Life Sciences at The University of Manchester to strengthen collaboration.
The Memorandum sets out an agreement for funding joint research projects especially in genetic medicine, cardiovascular medicine around stem cell research and cancer studies. It will allow students and researchers to travel between the two Centres to work on joint research projects and share ideas and allow research to progress rapidly. The agreement builds on successful collaborations established with Technion Professors Stavit Shalev and Lior Gepstein and colleagues in Manchester.
Professor Shalev, Dean of The Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, said: “This is an exciting opportunity for The Technion to strengthen our links with The University of Manchester. I have been impressed with the close working relationship between the University and hospitals. Our researchers in Israel will benefit greatly from working closely with our friends in Manchester to deliver world-class medical research.”
Professor Jacobs from the University of Manchester said: “The Technion is a world-leading medical research centre. This agreement will allow some of our brightest students and researchers to travel to Israel and share research ideas and work with other leaders in biomedicine research. We hope this collaboration will lead to important new ideas and developments which have an impact on health worldwide.”
The Technion-Israel Institute of Technology is Israel’s leading science and technology university. The Technion is home to Israel’s first winners of the Nobel Prize in science, awarded in 2004. In 2011, Professor Dan Shechtman won the Technion’s third Nobel Prize, in chemistry. The Technion commands a worldwide reputation for its pioneering work in nanotechnology, computer science, biotechnology, medical research and robotics.
The University of Manchester’s Professor Humphries was also enthusiastic about the potential to work with scientists at the Technion. He said: “We have close links with researchers in Israel and are delighted to develop these further and look forward to a fruitful collaboration.”