Prof. Yoav Henis - Chairman
Prof. Yoav Henis is Tel Aviv University Vice President for Research and Development. In 1974 received his B.Sc. Cum Laude after completing his studies in Chemistry and Biochemistry at the Hebrew University. In 1978 he completed his doctoral thesis (direct course for Ph.D.) Summa Cum Laude at the Hebrew University, under the guidance of Prof. Alexander Levitzki. This thesis has won the Hebrew University Kennedy-Lee prize for the best thesis of the year. Between 1978 and 1981 he was a post-doctoral fellow (supported by Chaim Weizmann Fellowship from the Weizmann Institute) under the guidance of Prof. Elliot Elson, first at Cornell University (Ithaca, NY) and then at Washington University School of Medicine (St. Louis, MO). Upon his return to Israel in 1981 he became a Faculty member at the Department of Biochemistry, and then the Department of Neurobiology, in the George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University.
In addition, Prof. Henis held visiting scholar positions at the M.I.T. (Whitehead Institute), Cambridge, MA (1987-8, 1992-3, 1998-9), the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory at Berkeley, CA (2003-4), and Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC (2009-10).
Prof. Henis has served as the head of the Committee for acceptance of undergraduate students to the Faculty of Life Sciences (1985-7), the secretary of the Israel Society for Cell Biology (1991-5), the head of the Department of Neurobiochemistry (today named Neurobiology) (1995-8), and was a member in many University and National Committees.
PROF. ESTY SHOHAMI
Prof. Shohami’s research focuses on traumatic brain injury (TBI) and addresses the pathophisiology of TBI. She studies the mechanisms of injury (e.g. inflammation, oxidative stress, the glutamate NMDA receptors) as well as endogenous injury-induced neuroprotective brain mechanisms (e.g. erythropoietin, endocannabinoids, and heat-acclimation-induced preconditioning). She has published more than 220 articles, reviews and book chapters, and is a collaboraor at several patents. At her University Prof. Shohami teaches neuropharmacology to medical and pharmacy students and has supervised over 40 students for MSc, MD and PhD. She holds several duties at the administrative levels of the University, and also at National science committees.
PROF. MOUSSA YOUDIM
Prof. Moussa Youdim was chairman of Pharmacology from its inception in 1977 to 1994. He is now the Finkelstein Professor of Life Sciences and Professor of Pharmacology at the Technion- Rappaport Family Faculty of Medicine and the Director of the Eve Topf and National Parkinson Foundation (USA) Cneters of Excellence for Neurodegenerative Diseases Research and Teaching at Technion.
He is nationally and internationally recognized for his research in depressive illness , Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease and drug development for these disorders and for establishing the importance of monoamine oxidase and brain iron metabolism for brain function that can lead to cognitive impairments in ADHD and neurodegenerative diseases.. His research at Oxford University led to the discovery of the monoamine oxidase B inhibitor, l-deprenyl (selegiline) as an anti Parkinson drug in 1975 which was responsible for changing the prospects of treating Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders with drugs that would possess possible disease modifying (neuroprotective) activity. His research at the Technion has led to the development of the second generation of monoamine oxidase inhibitor anti-Parkinson drug, Rasagiline (Azilect, FDA approved) considered the first neuroprotective-disease modifying drug for Parkinson’s Disease, in collaboration with Teva Pharmaceutical Co. and the multifunctional neuroprotective anti-Alzheimer drug currently designated Ladostigil (TV 3326) now in Phase IIa, with Prof. Marta Weinstock of Hebrew University. For the past ten years he has been advocating development of multimodal neuroprotective- neurorestorative drugs with various neuron targets as treatment for neurodegenerative disordrers., one of whicjh is ladostigil. More recently he has developed with Prof. Mati Fridkin of Weizmann Institute novel multifunctional iron chelators with monoamine oxidsase and cholinesterase inhibitory activity such as HLA-20, M30, M30C and M30D for treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy Body disease, CDK and diabetes. These drugs account for more than 100 of Prof. Youdim's considerable number of international patents in the field of neuropsychiatric drug development and cardiovascular drugs. Prof. Youdim serves as a consultant for several major international pharmaceutical companies. He serves on many National and International scientific and grant giving committees. He has published more than 800 scientific articles and edited 45 books and has been on the Editorial Board of 43 International scientific journals. He has received numerous major awards and honours from Israel, U.S., England, Germany, Iran, Denmark, Holland and Switzerland, including two Honoary Doctorate of Philosophy, Honory Causa, from universities of Semmelweis University (Hungry) Qingdao University in China. Recently he was made Honorary Professor and Distinguished Chair Professor at Hong Kong and Poly U universities in Hong Kong and Distinguished Scientific professor at Seoul Yonsei University. From 1991 through 1999, he was a Fogarty International Scholar-in-Residence at the Fogarty International Center for Advanced Study in the Human Health Sciences program of the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, USA
MS. Stephanie Bova
Stephanie Bova’s career has been driven by two words, “what if”. Inspired by the vast possibilities of technology, Stephanie has dedicated her career to revolutionary advancements in pharmaceuticals.
With more than two decades of experience with a focus in marketing strategy and operations for healthcare, Stephanie is currently the Head of Europe and Canada for Takeda’s Digital Accelerator in Switzerland and also serves as the Head of Global Operations for the group.
Stephanie has played a major role in cutting-edge projects including but not limited to using big data to identify ways to get better health outcomes for patients and using 3D filming to understand stroke or heart attack experiences from a “first person” perspective. Stephanie’s most recent design is a learning algorithm using data to get her infant son, Blaise, to sleep through the night.
Having recently earned recognition as Pharmaceutical Executive magazine’s “Top 40 under 40” and Medical, Marketing, and Media’s (MMM) Top Healthcare Transformer for 2015, Stephanie also serves on the board for the Healthcare Business Women's Association, BrainBoost, is a mentor for start ups in healthcare tech with MassChallenge, and has her own start up for parents who want to teach their child to sleep through the night. Stephanie’s mission to utilize data to help people have better health and is what makes her a true trailblazer in her field.
LinkedIN: https://ch.linkedin.com/in/stephaniebova
Twitter: @stephanie4444
HEAD OF THE PROGRAM - DR. MICHAL SHEVACH
Dr. Shevach is the head of entrepreneurship and industry-academia relations at the Sagol School of Neuroscience in Tel Aviv University.
Mr. Yossi Gross
Yossi is a world renowned entrepreneur with a long-term successful track record of creating and managing innovative med-tech companies. Yossi's companies have engaged in a wide variety of advanced technologies and have signed significant strategic agreements with multinational corporations. Yossi has filed over 500 U.S. patents and is highly respected among leading U.S. and Israeli corporations and venture capitalists
Mr. Efi Cohen-Arazi
Mr. Cohen-Arazi has over 20 years of experience in the medical and biotech industries involving executive management responsibility for both development and business. Prior to establishing Rainbow Medical, Mr. Cohen-Arazi served as CEO of IntecPharma, Israel, a company specializing in drug development and delivery. Previously, Mr. Cohen-Arazi was V.P. Corporate Manufacturing, Head of Contract Manufacturing and Site Head at U.S.-based Amgen Corporation, where he established and led several global strategic partnerships to develop and manufacture small molecules and biopharmaceuticals. Mr. Cohen-Arazi held senior positions at Immunex in the U.S. and at the Merck-Serono Group in Switzerland. Mr. Cohen-Arazi holds advanced degrees in Agriculture and Microbiology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Prof. Ehud Gazith
Ehud Gazit is an Israeli biochemist, biophysicist and nanotechnologist. He is Professor and the incumbent of the Chair for Nano-Biology at Tel Aviv University. From 2012-2014 he also served as the Chief Scientist of the Israeli Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST). From 2008-2012 Gazit served as Tel Aviv University Vice President for Research and Development, and the Chairman of the board of directors of Ramot Ltd, the technology transfer company of Tel Aviv University. Prior to his appointment as Vice President, Gazit served in different academic and administrative positions at Tel Aviv University, including the Head of The Chemistry-Biology double major track, a member of the University Committee for Appointments and Promotions, the Head of the Academic Committee of the Ilona Rich Institute for Nano-Biology and Nano-Biotechnology, and a member of the managing board of the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology.
Gazit received his B.Sc. (summa cum laude) after completing his studies at the Special Program for Outstanding Students of Tel Aviv University (Currently the Adi Lautman program), and his Ph.D. (with highest distinction) as a Clore Fellow at the Department of Membrane Research and Biophysics, Weizmann Institute of Science in 1997. For his Ph.D. work, he received the John F. Kennedy Award in 1996. He has been a faculty member at Tel Aviv University since 2000, after completing his postdoctoral studies as a European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) and Human Frontiers Science Program (HFSP) fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where he also had held a visiting appointment (2002–2011).
Ms. Anat Naschitz
Anat Naschitz is a Managing Director at OrbiMed. OrbiMed is the world’s largest healthcare investment firm with over $15 billion under management across public and private asset classes. The firm covers the entire healthcare spectrum, investing in biopharmaceuticals, medical devices and digital health. Anat has 20 years of healthcare experience, and has a particular interest in digital health. She currently serves on the boards of digital health, biotech and medical device companies.
Prior experience includes seven years with McKinsey & Company in London, where she was an Associate Partner, managing strategy and M&A projects for senior management of the world's preeminent pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Among other accomplishments, Anat led pharmaceutical spinout work resulting in the creation of two European biotech companies, one of which currently trades at >$3bn. Post McKinsey Anat joined Apax Partners, where she focused on life sciences investments. Subsequently Anat served as a director/advisor to the boards of life science companies and investors. She earned her M.B.A. at INSEAD and her LL.B. at Tel Aviv University.
Prof. Uri Ashery
Prof. Uri Ashery is the head of TAU’s Sagol School of Neuroscience and one of the chief initiators of the School. His current research focuses on the molecular mechanisms of neurotransmitter release under normal conditions and in the case of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. His lab combines multidisciplinary approaches such as electrophysiology, super resolution and TIRF microscopy, Molecular and cellular neurobiology and computer modeling to study synaptic plasticity and correlate between molecular changes and synaptic function and dysfunction.
Prof. Ashery served as a membrane biophysics researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany, where he completed his post-doctoral studies in 2001 before returning to Israel as a lecturer at TAU inneurobiology. He was a Dan David Prize Scholarship Recipient in 2002. His research work was published in an array of leading scientific journals including the Journal of Neuroscience, Neuron and Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.
Educated at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Ashery received his BSc in 1990 in biology and chemistry with distinction, and his Ph.D in 1996 in neurobiology cum laude.
Mr. Barak Ben Eliezer
Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Winnovation, Barak has over two decades of experience with cutting edge innovative solutions. Throughout his career, Barak held key positions in a variety of organizations, all concerning the combination of strategy and technology. As a result, Barak was always interested in the next generation of technology
During his career, Barak served as the IDF's Talpiot program commander, special Advisor to the Israeli Police Commissioner and the National Security Council, Vice President of XIV (which was sold to IBM) and more.
Barak holds a Bachelor degree in Mathematics, Physics and Computers at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and is completing his masters in History, Philosophy and the Sociology of Science.
Prof. Yosi Shaham-Diamond
Yosi Shacham-Diamand, PhD started his career at Technion - Israel Institute of Technology. From 1983 to 1986 he was Visiting Research Associate at the University of California - Berkeley, from 1989 to 1997 he was at Cornell University, New York, and since then he has been professor at the department of Physical Electronics and Director of the University Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology at the Tel Aviv University.
Dr. Christian Tidona
Christian Tidona is a biotech entrepreneur, business angel, and managing director at the BioMed X Innovation Center in Heidelberg, Germany. He studied molecular biology and received his doctoral degree from the University of Heidelberg. Throughout his entire professional life his focus has always been to foster innovation at the interface between academia and industry. Christian is co-founder of the Health Axis Europe alliance between the European health innovation clusters in Leuven, Maastricht, Copenhagen, and Heidelberg. He is chairman of the Weizmann Young European Network (WYEN) and member of the International Board of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. Christian is married and father of two children.
Dr. Michal Rozen Zvi
Dr. Rosen-Zvi is the Director for Healthcare Informatics at IBM Research. She is leading a worldwide team of researchers expert in healthcare data analytics and a local team of machine learning, medical imaging analysis and bioinformatics experts. Michal holds a PhD in physics and completed her postdoctoral studies at UC Berkeley, UC Irvine, and the Hebrew University in the area of Machine Learning. She joined IBM towards the end of 2005 and has since led various projects in the area of machine learning and healthcare. Michal has lead a number of multidisciplinary projects where physicians, data scientists and experts from Pharmaceutical companies joined forces to analyze post launch patients data. Aside from teaching in various academic forums, Michal has published more than 35 peer-reviewed papers, and serves as a Program Committee member and reviewer at leading machine learning, health informatics, and bioinformatics conferences and journals.
Prof. Craig Garner
Prof. Garner is the Director and Founder of SPARK-Berlin, a educational and mentorship program that works with basic and clinical scientist to turn their ideas targeting unmet medical needs into innovative products that change clinical practice. He is also a developmental neurobiologist and has spent much of his career understanding the molecular mechanism of synapse formation and function, publishing >160 peer-review articles. After spending 13 yrs at Stanford University as a Prof in the Depart of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, he joined the faculty at the Charite Medical University in Berlin and is a scientist in the German Center for Neurodegenerative disorders (DZNE) in Berlin. He is also a serial entrepreneur and has founded three companies.
Craig received his doctorate from Purdue University. He has taught courses in cell and molecular biology, medical neurosciences and entrepreneurship.
Dr. Rivka Riven Kreitman
Rivka Riven Kreitman, PhD is Senior Partner at KRDable Consulting
Rivka is a Global Pharmaceutical Executive, with over 35 years of broad academic and pharma experience. A valued team player and team builder with vast experience in drug development, business development and commercialization. Stellar track record in network building to identify and execute significant acquisitions and partnership deals to enrich the pipeline.
Rivka has been with Teva for 26 years during which she has held a number or roles ranging from BD (sourcing of new projects), running pharmacological studies assessing the mechanism of action of Copaxone (a drug for Multiple Sclerosis), Project leadership, managing the North America IR&D function and the Global Clinical Operation, heading the Global Innovative Research and Development (IR&D), focusing mainly on CNS, Autoimmune and Oncology and Heading Global Strategic Marketing, Biologics, Women’s health, Immunology and Cell therapy. She was also leading the search for new products and the scientific evaluation of all opportunities, as well as leading the global branded Regulatory Affairs department in Teva, assuring the smooth development and approval of all Teva’s new products, and maintaining the ones that reached the market in compliance with global health authorities regulations.
Rivka earned her PhD at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel (Biochemistry) and postdoctoral work at Princeton University, NJ, US (Molecular Biology). Prior to joining Teva, she worked at Tel-Aviv University, Israel (Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Sackler School of Medicine).
Rivka is serving in multiple advisory boards including Philadelphia-Israel chamber of commerce, its Science and Technology Committee, Sanara, and was a board member of TL Biopharmaceuticals.
Rivka is committed to making the biggest difference in forwarding and achieving organizational outcomes.
Prof. Nitzan Censor
Professor Gozes Illana Gozes
Professor Gozes Illana Gozes, Tel Aviv University, is the Editor-in Chief of the Journal of Molecular Neuroscience. Among others, Prof. Gozes heads the Tel Aviv Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience, is an Associate Editor on the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and member of the Editorial Advisory Panel and Editorial Board of Scientific Reports (Nature), an Ex-President of the Israel Society for Neuroscience (ISFN) and Past Director of the Adams Super Center for Brain Studies. Professor Gozes was the Founding Scientist and a Director at Allon Therapeutics Inc., Vancouver, Canada and is currently the Chief Scientific Officer of Coronis Neurosciences. Professor Gozes (BSc, Tel Aviv University, PhD, Weizmann Institute of Science, postdoctoral fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), research associate/visiting scientist, Salk Institute and the Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation) was a Senior Scientist/Associate Professor at the Weizmann Institute and a Fogarty Scholar – in – Residence at the National Institutes of Health (NIH, USA). Prof. Gozes has published >300 papers, in the fields of neuroscience and is cited >13000 times (H index 62). Professor Gozes received many prizes (including the Teva award, the Landau Prize, the Humboldt Award and the Champion of Hope Award) for her pioneering work on nervous system function, from genes to behavior and drug development for the ADNP syndrome. Some of her propriety inventions are in clinical development (e.g. CP201 – orphan drug status for the ADNP syndrome).
Prof. Yehezkel (Hezy) Yeshurun
Full professor at the Blavatnik School of Computer Science of Tel Aviv University, research areas are Computer Vision and Computational Neuroscience.
Cofounder and Board member of several Hightech companies, among them Top Image Systems (Nasdaq TISA), Tapguard (Acquired by Elron), and ForeScout
PROF. ED BOYDEN (SCIENTIFIC CONSULTANT)
Ed Boyden is a professor of Biological Engineering and Brain and Cognitive Sciences at the MIT Media Lab and the MIT McGovern Institute. He leads the Synthetic Neurobiology Group, which develops tools for analyzing and repairing complex biological systems such as the brain, and applies them systematically to reveal ground truth principles of biological function as well as to repair these systems. These technologies, created often in interdisciplinary collaborations, include expansion microscopy, which enables complex biological systems to be imaged with nanoscale precision, optogenetic tools, which enable the activation and silencing of neural activity with light, and optical, nanofabricated, and robotic interfaces that enable recording and control of neural dynamics. He has launched an award-winning series of classes at MIT that teach principles of neuroengineering, starting with basic principles of how to control and observe neural functions, and culminating with strategies for launching companies in the nascent neurotechnology space. He also co-directs the MIT Center for Neurobiological Engineering, which aims to develop new tools to accelerate neuroscience progress.
Amongst other recognitions, he has received the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences (2016), the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award (2015), the Society for Neuroscience Young Investigator Award (2015), the Carnegie Prize in Mind and Brain Sciences (2015), the Jacob Heskel Gabbay Award (2013), the Grete Lundbeck Brain Prize (2013), the NIH Director's Pioneer Award (2013), the NIH Director's Transformative Research Award (twice, 2012 and 2013), and the Perl/UNC Neuroscience Prize (2011). He was also named to the World Economic Forum Young Scientist list (2013), the Technology Review World’s "Top 35 Innovators under Age 35" list (2006), and his work was included in Nature Methods "Method of the Year" in 2010.
His group has hosted hundreds of visitors to learn how to use new biotechnologies, and he also regularly teaches at summer courses and workshops in neuroscience, and delivers lectures to the broader public (e.g., TED (2011); World Economic Forum (2012, 2013, 2016)). Ed received his Ph.D. in neurosciences from Stanford University as a Hertz Fellow, where he discovered that the molecular mechanisms used to store a memory are determined by the content to be learned. Before that, he received three degrees in electrical engineering, computer science, and physics from MIT. He has contributed to over 300 peer-reviewed papers, current or pending patents, and articles, and has given over 300 invited talks on his group's work.