Prof. Ben Reubinoff Impresses Australian Audiences With His Stem Cell Research
Professor Ben Reubinoff, head of the Stem Cell Research Group at the Hadassah Medical Organization’s (HMO) Goldyne Savad Institute of Gene Therapy, was one of the first researchers to master the difficult art of cultivating human embryonic stem cells – a feat achieved in Australia while working towards his PhD at Monash University in Melbourne. His work has resulted in Hadassah, together with the National University of Singapore and Monash University forming a consortium called ESI, which owns six of the 72 stem cell lines eligible for research funding from the National Institutes of Health in the USA. These stem cell lines are now being used for research around the world.
When Prof. Reubinoff came to Australia as keynote speaker at two international conferences on stem cell research, Hadassah Australia proudly welcomed him at events in Melbourne and Sydney. In Melbourne, Hadassah Australia volunteers, donors and potential investors came together to discuss how they could promote Prof. Reubinoff’s research to accelerate and commercialize the development of embryonic stem cells as a therapy for patients with degenerative neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease. In Sydney, the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce and Parkinson’s, Australia, Inc. joined Hadassah Australia in bringing together an audience of doctors, scientists, investors, politicians and volunteers to learn about Hadassah and Prof. Reubinoff’s achievements.
Bob Carr, Premier of New South Wales, in welcoming Prof. Reubinoff to one of the scientific conferences, emphasized that stem cell research has the potential to treat numerous diseases for which there is currently no cure. Professor Reubinoff’s work has the potential of saving many lives in the future.
