Page 4 - Rappaport Institute Magazine 2024

THE RAPPAPORT INSTITUTE
FROM THE PRESIDENT
When the late Bruce and Ruth Rappaport inaugurated the Rappaport Family Institute for Research in the Medical Sciences in Haifa in 1982, their vision was very ambitious: they hoped the Institute would revolutionize global medicine and advance human health through world-class biomedical research which would lead to the development of innovative medical technologies. Bruce even confided that he expected that the day would come when researchers from the Rappaport Institute and the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine would be awarded Nobel Prizes.
Indeed, in 2004 Bruce Rappaport’s wish came true when two of the Institute’s researchers, Prof. Avram Hershko and Prof. Aaron Ciechanover, received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for their discovery of ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation.
Today, the Rappaports’ vision and legacy, which is being faithfully continued by their daughters, has indeed been achieved. As the principal research arm of the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, the Rappaport Institute’s world-class researchers conduct both basic and clinical research, resulting in numerous groundbreaking discoveries. Over the years, these breakthroughs have frequently led to the development of innovative treatment protocols for a wide range of diseases and disorders, as well as spin-off companies and technology transfer to industry to the benefit of society.
The Rappaport Institute’s researchers conduct cutting-edge research in a range of important fields, with a focus on cancer research, neuroscience, functional genomics and organogenesis. In addition to encouraging basic and applied biomedical research, supporting outstanding researchers, and empowering the commercialization of innovations, the Institute strives to be financially independent and stable in order to enable as many long-term research projects to be carried out as possible.
In June 2023, an exciting new initiative was announced: the establishment of the Bruce and Ruth Rappaport Cancer Research Center, which will be housed in the soon to be built D. Dan and Betty Kahn Human Health Building at the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine. Once again, the generosity and vision of the Rappaport Family Foundation is a testament to its confidence in the Technion’s capabilities to advancing excellence in research for the sake of improving human health in Israel and around the world.
Professor Uri Sivan
President
Technion – Israel Institute of Technology