In Memory of Yael Orbach, Suicide Bombing Victim from Rehovot

"Yael Orbach, 28, of Rehovot was one of five people killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up outside the Stage club on the Tel Aviv promenade at around 11:20 P.M [February 24, 2005]. The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack.

Yael Orbach was set to marry her boyfriend of four years, Ofir Gonen, in three weeks, and had started to hand out invitations to the wedding just Thursday. The couple went to the Stage club on Friday night for a night out. They were among the first to arrive and were handing out invitations to Ofir's army friends when the bomb exploded. Yael was killed, while Ofir was moderately wounded - one of 50 wounded in the attack.

"My daughter was killed by base murderers at the prime of her life," Orbach's mother, Helen Solomon-Ziebinsky, said. "She was about to marry her beloved. She was full of life, a good soul, always ready to help."

Yael grew up in Yavne and moved to Rehovot several years ago. She completed her studies at the Ginsburg High School in Yavne and served in the army as an instructor in the Armored Corps. She studied acting, and dreamt of becoming a famous actress. She was currently working at a Tel Aviv law firm.

Yael Orbach was buried in the Kfar Sava cemetery. She is survived by her parents and two siblings."

Source: Yael Orbach. Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs (25 February 2005) [FullText]

Rehovot Scientists Find: Optimal Time Windows for Successful Embryonic Tissue Transplant

"Scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science have determined distinct gestational time windows for the growth of transplanted pig embryonic liver, pancreas and lung precursor tissue into functioning organs in mice. These findings ? appearing this week in PNAS online Early Edition ? could help enhance the chances for successful implementation of embryonic pig tissue in the treatment of a wide spectrum of human diseases.

The study, led by Prof. Yair Reisner of the Institute's Immunology Department, involved the extraction of embryos from sows at various stages of pregnancy and implantation of organ-committed cell tissue into immunodeficient mice. His novel approach did not involve the growth of any tissue in culture. The analysis of embryonic-tissue at various gestational ages revealed a unique pattern of growth and differentiation for each organ.

The potential of embryonic pig tissues as a new source for organ transplantation in humans has been advocated for more than two decades. Transplant too early, however, and the risk is undifferentiated embryonic tissue that can develop into undesirable and possibly malignant tissue, a type of tumor known as "teratoma." Transplant too late and the risk is that the tissues will have reached the stage where they have been marked with certain identifiers that trigger rejection by the new host.

The study demonstrated that maximal liver growth and function were achieved at the earliest teratoma-free gestational age (four weeks). The growth and functional potential of the pancreas occurred later (six weeks) and its optimal transplant age limit was defined by a decline in the insulin-secreting capacity beyond 10 weeks gestational age. Development of mature lung tissue containing essential respiratory system elements was observed at a relatively late gestational age. The sequence of transplanted organ development paralleled that of normal embryonic development in which the liver and pancreas precede the lungs.

?Disappointing results in past transplantation trials may be explained, at least in part, by these results,? says Reisner. Early studies that attempted to cure diabetic patients by implantation of pig embryonic pancreas, made use of late gestation tissue which is now shown to be inferior compared to the optimal six weeks gestational time.

In previous studies, Reisner's group demonstrated that transplanted human and pig kidney embryonic tissue could grow into miniature, functioning human or pig kidneys inside a mouse. His novel approach was a matter of timing: gestational age proved to be the key to successful kidney growth from transplanted embryonic tissue.

Prof. Yair Reisner's chair is supported by the M.D. Moross Institute for Cancer Research, the Gabrielle Rich Center for Transplantation Biology Research (Head), the J & R Center for Scientific Research, the Belle S. & Irving E. Meller Center for the Biology of Aging, the Abisch Frenkel Foundation for the Promotion of Life Sciences, Richard M. Beleson, San Francisco, CA, Renee Companez, Australia, the Crown Endowment Fund for Immunological Research, Erica A. Drake, Scarsdale, NY, the Ligue Nationale Francaise Contre le Cancer, Mr. and Mrs. Barry Reznik, Brooklyn, NY, and the Union Bank of Switzerland-Optimus Foundation . Prof. Reisner is the incumbent of the Henry H. Drake Professorial Chair in Immunology."

Source: Weizmann Institute Scientists Find: Optimal Time Windows for Successful Embryonic Tissue Transplant. Weizmann Wonder Wander (15 February 2005) [FullText]

Rehovot Scientist Among World's 50 Most Influential Researchers

"Prof. Ehud Shapiro of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot has been named Research Leader in the field of Nanotechnology and Molecular Electronics by Scientific American. Prof. Shapiro was listed among the Scientific American 50 - the magazine's annual roster of outstanding acts of leadership in science and technology - for 2004. Prof. Shapiro received the recognition for the creation of biomolecular computing devices. The tiny devices are soo small that more than a trillion fit into one drop of water. They are made entirely of DNA and other biological molecules."
Source: Weizmann Scientist Among World's 50 Most Influential Researchers. IsraelNN.com (8 November 2004 / 24 Cheshvan 5765) [FullText]

The greatness of Ludwik Fleck, an Israeli Story

"He developed the vaccine for typhus in war-torn Lvov, and was ordered by the Nazis to produce it in Buchenwald. But Ludwik Fleck was best known for theorizing that modern medical discoveries are not isolated events, but occur in historical and social... There is no Nobel Prize in philosophy, but if there were it's possible that an Israeli scholar would have received it more than 40 years ago. True, he lived in Israel for only four years, didn't know a word of Hebrew and was spurned by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Today, however, almost 45 years after his death, he is taught at universities around the world. His name is Ludwik Fleck, and he is widely considered to be the father of the modern philosophy of science. He was born in Poland, survived Auschwitz and Buchenwald, and was laid to rest in Nes Tziona, near Rehovot. This is, as it were, a classic Jewish story - and it is also an Israeli story..."

Source: Meron Rapoport. The greatness of Ludwik Fleck. Haaretz.com Friday Magazine (10 February 2005) [FullText]

Police recommend indicting Rehovot mayor

"The police's central investigations unit recommended Wednesday that Rehovot mayor, Yehoshua Forer, be charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust.

Investigators recently finished probing allegations against Forer, and have transmitted their findings to the state prosecution, along with a recommendation to indict the mayor. The probe was launched four years ago, after suspicions arose that a Rehovot contractor paid off a debt accumulated by Forer during the 1998 local election campaign.

Investigators suspect that the contractor paid off Forer's debt, and in exchange was awarded projects without tenders, valued at millions of shekels.

In addition, police finished investigating a related case involving Rehovot's Deputy Mayor Haim Avraham, who is suspected of breach of trust after he was responsible for an agreement signed between a car leasing company and the city, without a tender. Avraham allegedly received perks in exchange."

Source: Roni Singer. Police recommend indicting Rehovot mayor. Haaretz Daily (9 February 2005) [FullText]