BGU and Fox Chase Cancer Center Awarded NIH Grant
BGU and Fox Chase Cancer Center Awarded NIH Grant
April 17, 2013
Medical Research, Press Releases
PHILADELPHIA, PA, April 17, 2013 – American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (Americans for Ben-Gurion University) announces that Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) and Fox Chase Cancer Center (FCCC) in Philadelphia have received a two-year National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grant to observe “the role of host encoded microRNAs in the maintenance of the measles virus persistent state.”
Many viruses are known to persist in their target cells and establish chronic infection, long after resolution of their acute phase. A thorough understanding of this interplay between viruses and their host may offer insight into the mechanistic basis of human infectious diseases.
This research collaboration is part of an ongoing agreement between BGU and FCCC to support and facilitate scientific and clinical exchanges, as well as to encourage collaborations and joint research between scientists and physicians.
Fox Chase and Ben-Gurion formalized their relationship in 2008, but it actually began in 2003 as a partnership spearheaded by Americans for Ben-Gurion University’s National Vice President Alton I. Sutnick.
Sutnick, founder of the Health Sciences and Academic Affiliations Committee of Americans for Ben-Gurion University’s Mid-Atlantic Region, is a physician and former dean of the Medical College of Pennsylvania (now the Drexel University School of Medicine). Through this partnership, he sought to explore the genetic risks of cancer and incorporate these factors into clinical practice across cultural settings.
“Thanks to Dr. Sutnick and Americans for Ben-Gurion University’s Philadelphia chapter, BGU has a longstanding research partnership with Fox Chase that has greatly contributed to medical science,” explains Doron Krakow, Americans for Ben-Gurion University executive vice president. “It is a great accomplishment to receive this NIH grant and we look forward to their findings.”
BGU researchers participating in the study include Prof. Jacob Gopas and Prof. Ynat Shemer Avni of the Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics.
In addition, Prof. Zvi Bentwich from the Department of Virology and Developmental Genetics will act as a consultant. Dr. Glenn Rall at Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia will collaborate with the BGU researchers.
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
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