FINAL_AFHU_News_11.4.20

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PAGE 10 COVID-19 Research Since COVID-19’s appearance earlier this year, the Hebrew University has joined research institutions worldwide in a full-throttled, wide-ranging response to the coronavirus pandemic. Early on, HU researchers developed a more rapid testing regimen for the coronavirus by developing a diagnostic method proven to work 10 times faster than the current standard, making it possible to scan 10,000 samples simultaneously. Now, HU scientists are working to develop antibodies for diagnosis, treatment, and vaccination and investigating ways to harness the immune system to better combat viral infection. In order to determine the effectiveness of any treatment, experimental models for the infection and the disease are required, as are state-of-the-art experimental systems and facilities that allow safe research. To meet this urgent need, HU is currently constructing the only civilian Biosafety Level 3 lab (BSL3) in Israel, allowing researchers from across the country to conduct experiments on COVID-19, safely research other highly contagious illnesses, and help prevent future pandemics. The Hebrew University is in a unique position to continue providing innovative breakthroughs to current and future global health challenges. From the start of the pandemic, our interdisciplinary teams of computational scientists, cutting-edge experimentalists, and clinicians have been working on non-traditional approaches to treat COVID-19, leveraging their immediate access to patients, a newly established sample bank, and in-depth expertise in virus biology and genomic and computational technologies. Scientists at the Faculty of Medicine, the Rachel and Selim Benin School of Computer Science & Engineering, and the Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC) are working with Hebrew University affiliated medical centers to meet patient and research needs surrounding COVID-19, and to build the infrastructure needed to help prevent future pandemics. While the BSL3 is under construction, HU scientists are investigating the possible use of an existing tuberculosis drug in limiting the spread of the coronavirus, reviewing the effectiveness of a cholesterol drug in lessening the deletous effects of COVID-19, and investigating whether a lockdown is effective in preventing the rapid spread of the coronavirus, to name just a few of the HU team’s pandemic-related research projects. Information about COVID-19 is constantly changing, and HU researchers are constantly seeking new insights and new treatments to end the pandemic. Be sure to check HU and COVID-19 regularly for the latest coronavirus research news from the Hebrew University.
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY <strong>AFHU</strong> NEWS VOL. 25 PAGE 11 New Employee Spotlight: Jeremy Benjamin American Friends of the Hebrew University recently welcomed Mr. Jeremy Benjamin as the Pacific Northwest Region’s new Executive Director. With more than 20 years of non-profit experience, Jeremy’s background mirrors the Hebrew University’s breadth of interests. He has supported academic and community institutions covering topics from archaeology, classics, and Jewish studies to addiction medicine, social determinants of health, traumatic brain injury, stem cell research, and nearly everything in between. Jeremy is looking forward to bringing his creativity and the skills he has honed over the years at Stanford University Medical Center, San Francisco General Hospital Foundation, Sutter Health, San Francisco State University, and the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco to his work at <strong>AFHU</strong>. Jeremy received dual graduate degrees from the Hornstein Program at Brandeis University in Jewish Community Service and Management and has a degree in Geography (he used to be a cartographer) from University of Delaware. A San Franciscan since 2001, you can often find Jeremy with his wife Jenny and two teenage children Sylvia and Gabriel walking along Ocean Beach or in Golden Gate Park, just a few blocks from their home in San Francisco’s Sunset neighborhood.
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