A chemistry professor has recently received a prize for his work on the way in which proteins can be utilised to treat cancer and Parkinson’s disease. 

Prof. Ashraf Brik from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology was presented the Rappaport Prize for Excellence in the field of Biomedical Research, which is awarded to researchers advancing health and human welfare.

“Scientists like myself seek to uncover the mysteries of nature,” Brik said upon receiving the prize. “Sometimes, I’m the first to discover something, helping push humanity forward.”

Brik, born in northern Israel, is the first Arab chemistry professor in the country. He is one of 10 siblings, and the only one of whom pursued higher education. His success, he says, can provide inspiration to young members of the Arab-Israeli community to seek similar goals.

“As a professor at the Technion, in a lab with both Arabs and Jews, I see how science brings them together. That’s the beauty of science, it unites people, regardless of their backgrounds. It’s about contributing to humanity at large, not just to one specific society,” he notes.

The Rappaport Prize is awarded annually by the Bruce and Ruth Rappaport Foundation in three categories; for Israeli art, groundbreaking biomedical research and women generating change. The art prize is awarded in collaboration with the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, and the award for women generating change is given out in collaboration with the Keshet media group.

This year’s biomedical research prize was awarded to Brik, as well as to Prof. Yifat Merbl from the immunology lab at the Weizmann Institute of Science and PhD students Yuval Shapir Itai and Netanel Loyfer from the Weizmann Institute and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, respectively.

This year’s art prize focused on art in times of war, and its recipients include artists affected by war or those documenting its impact on Israeli society – Omri Danino, Sharone Lifschitz and Naama Shohet. 

In the women generating change category, the winners were Prof. Karine Nahon from Reichmann University, Kibbutz Nir Am security coordinator Inbal Liberman, Survivors of Sexual Violence Advocacy Group director Yael Sherer and the members of the Reservists Wives Home Front, all for their contribution during the war.