Taubman Institute Builds Bridge of Hope to Israel
From left to right; Miguel Weil, Ph.D., A. Alfred Taubman and Eva Feldman, M.D., Ph.D.
Some of the most groundbreaking work being done in stem-cell research is coming out of laboratories in Israel, whose advances offer obvious synergies with the research of scientists at the University of Michigan.
For this reason, and to honor the 60th anniversary of the state of Israel, the A. Alfred Taubman Medical Research Institute announced the launch of the Taubman Institute-Israel Initiative, which will promote collaborations between the finest medical scientists at the University of Michigan and in Israeli research centers.
To mark the occasion, the Institute held its inaugural A. Alfred Taubman Lectureship on September 17, presented by noted stem cell researcher, Miguel Weil, Ph.D., professor of life sciences at Tel Aviv University. The title of his talk was “Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Regenerative Medicine.”
More than a hundred people filled the Danto Auditorium of U-M’s Cardiovascular Center to hear Weil discuss his innovative use of stem cells in his work on ALS, which one day could lead to treatment and cures for this devastating disease.
The inspiration behind the Initiative came from a trip to the leading research facilities in Israel that Alfred Taubman took in June with Institute Director Eva Feldman, M.D., Ph.D., and Institute Co-Chair Gayle Taubman Kalisman, Ed.D.
“We were very impressed by the ground-breaking research being done in Israel by Dr.Weil and many others,” said Alfred Taubman. “And we immediately recognized the opportunities for collaboration between U of M and the talented scientists in Israel.
“That’s why we launched the Taubman Institute Israel Initiative - to foster a new level of cooperation that will lead to the medical breakthroughs we’re all hoping for.”
Before the lecture, a reception was held with representatives of the University Health System and the local Jewish community, to emphasize the possibilities for building the Initiative into a major economic and scientific bridge between the two countries.
