Institute For Medical Research, Israel-Canada

The Institute for Medical Research, Israel-Canada (IMRIC) is a research institute that is part of the Faculty of Medicine of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and is synonymous with its Medical School. It was founded in 2008, and conducts fundamental and applied research in the field of biomedicine. The Institute has five departments: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Developmental Biology and Cancer Research; Lautenberg Center for Immunology and Cancer Research; Medical Neurobiology; and Microbiology and Molecular Genetics.

In addition to its research, IMRIC provides a bachelor's degree course in Biomedical Sciences (B.Sc.Med),^[1] teaches the basic sciences for the undergraduate, pre-clinical programs of the Hebrew University's Faculty of Medicine and is the largest educational institute in Israel for graduate studies in Biomedical Sciences having about 600 master and doctoral students. The doctoral programs offer a wide range of multidisciplinary research areas in basic medical science and related fields and collaborative programs with clinicians from the Hadassah Medical Center.

Since 2012, the chair of the institute has been Professor Haya Loberboum-Galski who took over from Professor David Lichtstein, the chair from 2008-2012.

IMRIC is supported in part by the Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University (CFHU)^[2] through the establishment of scholarships and research funding. In addition, the CFHU aids in creating key collaborative medical research partnerships between Canada and Israel, such as the Alex U. Soyka Pancreatic Cancer Research Project,^[3][4][5] the Grafstein Network for Cancer Research^[6] the Canada-Israel International Fetal Alcohol Consortium^[7][8] and the Joseph and Wolf Lebovic Cancer Genomic and Immunotherapy Program.

Departments

• Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (24 research groups)
• Developmental Biology and Cancer Research (23 research groups)
• Lautenberg Center for Immunology and Cancer Research (14 research groups,) The center was established in 1968 as the first department of Immunology at the Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School and named after the US senator, Frank Lautenberg.
• Medical Neurobiology (30 research groups)
• Microbiology and Molecular Genetics (33 research groups)

Teaching Divisions

The Institute provides a bachelor's degree in Biomedical Sciences.^[9] In addition its faculty teaches the basic sciences for the undergraduate, pre-clinical programs of the Faculty of Medicine.^[10] These include programs for Medicine, Military Medicine, Dentistry, Biomedical Sciences, and Nursing. In 2016, more than 2800 students were enrolled in these programs.^[11]

IMRIC is also the largest education institute in Israel for graduate studies in Medical Sciences having about 600 master (MSc) and doctorate (PhD)^[12] students.

Research Hubs and Centers

Research Hubs gather together scientists and clinicians focusing on a specific subject or disease, integrating various scientific and medical disciplines. Each hub consists of researchers from IMRIC, Hadassah Medical Center, The School of Pharmacy, The School of Public Health, Shaare Zedek Medical Center and more. The following research hubs are currently active:

1. Epigenetics and Common Human Diseases^[13]
2. The Tumor and its Microenvironment^[14]
3. Mitochondria^[15]
4. Developmental Processes, Malformations and Diseases^[16]
5. Cardiovascular Research^[17]
6. The Herbert and Dorothy Nadolny Cardio-Metabolic Diseases Research Hub^[18]
7. Microbe Brain Storming - MIBS^[19]
8. Muscle Degeneration Diseases^[20]
9. Virus-host Interactions and Viral Pathogenesis.

There are six research centers affiliated with IMRIC: The Lautenberg Center for General and Tumor Immunology; The Kuvin Center for the Study of Infectious and Tropical Diseases;^[21] The Brain Disease Research Center - BDRC;^[22] The Autism Center;^[23] The Hubert H. Humphrey Center for Experimental Medicine and Cancer Research;^[24] and The Rogoff Center for Research in Physiology.

Awards and Prizes

• Israel Prize: Howard Cedar 1999; Marcel Elkayem 2001; Aharon Razin 2004; Shaul Feldman 2005
• The EMET Prize for Art, Science and Culture: Moshe Abeles 2004; Eli Keshet 2006; Howard Cedar & Aaron Razin 2009; Baruch Minke 2010
• TEVA Founders Prize:^[25] Moshe Abeles 1995; Yehezkel Bernoltz 2000; Yinon Ben-Nerya 2007; Ofer Mandelboim 2008; Orna Amster-Choder 2013; Yehudit Bergman & Eli Keshet 2014
• Gairdner Foundation International Award: Howard Cedar & Aaron Razin 2011
• Rothschild Prize in Life Sciences:^[26] Hagai Bergman 2016
• The Rappaport Prize:^[27] Yinon Ben-Neriah 2016
• Boyalife Science & Science Translational Medicine Award in Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine:^[28][29] Dr. Yosef Buganim, for his work in stem cells and regenerative medicine.^[30]
• Kaye Innovation award: Yechezkel Barenholz 1995; Arie Dagan & Shimon Gatt 2008; Raymond Kaempfer 2013; Noa Kaynan 2013; Ofer Mandelboim 2015; Pinchas Tsukerman 2016
• Louisa Gross Horwitz Prize (Columbia University) Howard Cedar & Aaron Razin 2016

Notable Faculty

• Hagai Bergman professor, Department of Medical Neurobiology
• Howard Cedar, emeritus professor, Department of Developmental Biology & Cancer Research
• David Lichtstein, professor, Department of Medical Neurobiology; Dean of the Faculty of Medicine
• Aharon Razin, emeritus professor, Department of Developmental Biology & Cancer Research

References

External links

• IMRIC's Canadian website
• IMRIC's Facebook page
• The Hebrew University of Jerusalem's website
• The Hebrew University's Faculty of Medicine's website