Weizmann UK Annual Lecture: Will Stem Cells Cure Disease?

Stem Cells


Weizmann UK’s annual lecture was given by Dr Jacob Hanna from the Department of Molecular Genetics at the Weizmann Institute of Science.  Almost 150 guests joined us at the Wellcome Collection last night to hear Dr Hanna explore the potential of stem cell research for curing disease.

Dr Hanna gave a broad but accessible overview of the potential for reprogramming cells using stem cell technology to eliminate diseases and gave a fascinating insight into the cutting edge research being undertaken by his laboratory at the Weizmann Institute.

He said: “Reprogramming cells is not a miracle but a biological reaction.”

Simon Kay, Head of International Operations and Partnerships at the Wellcome Trust, and former Director of the British Council in Israel which has funded numerous collaborations between British and Israeli scientists through its BIRAX scheme welcomed our guest speaker.

Weizmann UK chairman, Martin Paisner CBE, paid tribute to Dr Hanna for his lucid and enjoyable lecture. He said: “It was an enormous privilege to have this presentation. I have no doubt at all that yours will be an illustrious career that we will hear a lot more about. In years to come people will be fighting to write your biography. ”

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About Dr Jacob Hanna

Dr Jacob (Yaqub) Hanna, MD was born and grew up in the Arab town Rameh to a family of doctors, and completed a joint physician/scientist program (MD/PhD). In 2011, he joined the Weizmann Institute’s Molecular Genetics Department. His lab studies the changes that take place in the embryo at its earliest stage, which is responsible for turning the cluster of cells into all the different types of cells that make up the adult body. Recently, his laboratory has been making a number of breakthroughs in this field, which will advance the possibility of future medical use of these cells as “spare parts” for damaged cells and tissues. In 2014 he was named among ‘40 under 40’ world-leading scientists by the prestigious journal Cell. Last year his research made International headlines with the discovery that it is possible to create human sperm and eggs from stem cells derived from adult skin, regardless of the gender of the donor. This has implications for fertility treatment and opens for the first time the possibility of IVF for same-sex families.

Published: January 27, 2016

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