Two Israeli scientists–Dr. Eli Pikarsky of the Hadassah-Hebrew University Faculty of Medicine’s Department of Pathology, and Dr. Sigal Ben-Yehuda of the Hadassah-Hebrew University Faculty of Medicine’s Department of Molecular Biology, have won the Sir Zelman Cowen Prize for Discovery in Medical Research, awarded annually by The University of Sydney and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem alternately to researchers under 45 years of age who are studying disease.
The professors will be presented with medals crafted by Melbourne Sculptor Michael Meszaros, along with $10,000 at a ceremony at the Hebrew University in June.
Dr. Pikarsky is being recognized for his research using complex mouse models to examine the determinants of malignancy in testicular cancer and the impact of inflammation on liver cancer and the regulation of liver regeneration. Dr. Ben-Yehuda is being honored for her research into bacteria biology, with special focus on the mechanisms of bacterial resistance to antibiotics.
| Sir Zelman Cowen |
The prize, awarded by the Sir Zelman Cowen Universities Fund, was first presented atSydney University in 2006. Sir Zelman Cowen was a former Governor General ofAustralia, who served from 1977 to 1982. The Fund was established in 1978 by Sydney Businessman John Hammond in honor of Sir Zelman’s appointment as Governor-General. It currently supports collaborative projects and academic exchanges between SydneyUniversity and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, as well as providing grants for research into Alzheimer’s disease.
Both winners have made impressive contributions to our understanding of complex and difficult diseases–cancer and antibiotic-resistant infections,” comments Prof. Jonathan Stone, Managing Trustee of the Sir Zelman Cowen Universities Fund.
