Britain And Israel Collaborate On Advanced Medical Research

[JStone]

British and Israeli experts collaborate on finding cures for major diseases « Pears Foundation

A delegation of 60 British top academics are visiting Israel this week to launch a groundbreaking programme to promote collaboration between the two countries in regenerative medicine as part of the Britain-Israel Research and Academic Exchange Partnership (BIRAX)

BIRAX was originally designed by the British Council in Israel in 2008 in collaboration with Pears Foundation and academic leaders from both countries. It was launched by the British and Israeli prime ministers with the aim of enhancing research and academic cooperation, creating new institutional links for the future and strengthening academic links between universities in the UK and Israel.

Over 250 people will participate in the first UK-Israel Regenerative Medicine Conference at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev on 22-23 November, with millions of people who have suffered major trauma, heart disease and Parkinson’s disease standing to benefit from this first-ever gathering of specialists.

Regenerative Medicine aims to restore the function of tissues and organs using a variety of approaches including cell therapy, tissue engineering, gene therapy and biomedical engineering. Both Israel and the UK are recognised as world leaders in this cutting-edge area of medicine.

Matthew Gould, British Ambassador to Israel, said: “Britain and Israel are natural partners in regenerative medicine. The UK is a world leader in science – we have four of the world’s top ten universities – and Israe lis a scientific powerhouse. We can achieve much more together than we can apart. My hope is that this conference leads to a surge of collaborations between British and Israeli scientists, with the UK-Israel Regenerative Medicine programme stimulating ground-breaking research projects.”

Trevor Pears, Executive Chair of Pears Foundation said: “We are delighted to see our partnership with the British Council and the British Government continue to deepen academic cooperation and research between Britain and Israel. We hope that these links will continue to grow and flourish for the benefit of Britain, Israel and the world.”