NEWS
LATEST ON NANOTECHNOLOGY.
Considered futuristic a just a few years ago, nanotechnology – where scientists utilize nano-sized objects measuring less than 1/100,000 the width of a human hair – today is showing great promise in areas such as medicine, materials science and defense technology.
The Technion’s Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute is a world-leader in nanotechnology research having made seminal discoveries in the field.
Breakthroughs in Nanotechnology
- Prof. Ester Segal and a team of Israeli and American researchers find thatsilicon nanomaterials used for the localized delivery of chemotherapy drugs behave differently in cancerous tumors than they do in healthy tissues. The findings could help scientists better design such materials to facilitate the controlled and targeted release of the chemotherapy drugs to tumors.
- Associate Professor Alex Leshansky of the Faculty of Chemical Engineering is part of an international team that has created a tiny screw-shaped propeller that can move in a gel-like fluid, mimicking the environment in a living organism. The breakthrough brings closer the day robots that are only nanometers – billionths of a meter – in length, can maneuver and perform medicine inside the human body and possibly inside human cells.
- Prof. Amit Miller and a team of researchers at the Technion and Boston University have discovered a simple way to control the passage of DNA molecules through nanopore sensors. The breakthrough could lead to low-cost, ultra-fast DNA sequencing that would revolutionize healthcare and biomedical research, and spark major advances in drug development, preventative medicine and personalized medicine.
The Technion is Israel’s center for science and technology education and research. It has earned a global reputation for its pioneering work in computer science, defensive technologies, environmental engineering, medical research, and nanotechnology and more. Some of the world’s most significant breakthroughs come from the Technion, opening new frontiers and creating novel products for the benefit of mankind.
CANCER RESEARCH
The Technion is one of the few institutions worldwide that brings together biology with the physical sciences and engineering, to translate research more quickly into clinical solutions. Distinguished Professors Ciechanover and Avram Hershko’s Nobel Prize-winning discovery led to the drug Velcade, for the treatment of multiple myeloma. Other Technion scientists have made great strides in identifying biomarkers for early cancer detection, combating drug-resistant tumors, and developing personalized medicine and targeted drug delivery. With the launch of the Technion Integrated Cancer Center in 2016, headed by Profs. Ciechanover and Ze’ev Ronai, its interdisciplinary research is sure to reach new heights.
COMPUTER SCIENCE
The Technion Faculty of Computer Science is ranked among the best in the world. If you rely on a computer, it is very likely that your processor was developed by Technion graduates working at companies such as Intel. Your online communications are for the most part made possible by the Lempel-Ziv algorithm, named for the two Technion professors who discovered a way to compress data. If you use a flash drive, the underlying technology was also developed by a Technion graduate.
DEFENSIVE TECHNOLOGIES
The Technion helps keep Israel—and the world— secure. Technion researchers and graduates are constantly developing new technologies that aid in national defense, thwart terrorist attacks on civilians, and save lives in Israel and throughout the world. Notably, the Iron Dome anti missile defense system was developed mainly by Technion graduates at Rafael Advance Defense Systems, Ltd.
ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
The Technion is a leader in the green technologies that help solve the enormous environmental challenges facing our world. In Israel, the lack of natural resources has led to innovations that help provide clean water and air, alternative energy sources and conservation. If you live in an arid region, your drinking water may be derived from desalination methods developed in part at the Technion Grand Water Research Institute. Considering an electric or alternative fuel vehicle? That too may be powered by technology created by Technion researchers or graduates of the Grand Technion Energy Program.
MEDICAL RESEARCH
Technion researchers have transformed basic science into life-changing applications. The intersection of engineering and medicine at the Lorry I. Lokey Interdisciplinary Center for Life Sciences and Engineering has helped lay the foundation for a thriving medical device industry in Israel. If you suffer from cancer, heart disease, or Parkinson’s disease, it’s possible that at least part of your treatment was developed at the Technion. Velcade, for the treatment of cancer, and Azilect, for the treatment of Parkinson’s, were invented by Technion scientists.
NANOTECHNOLOGY
Considered futuristic a just a few years ago, nanotechnology – where scientists utilize nano-sized objects measuring less than 1/100,000 the width of a human hair — today is showing great promise in areas such as medicine, materials science and defense technology. The Technion’s Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute is a world-leader in nanotechnology research having made seminal discoveries in the field.
