image: Professor Ehud Razin of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Faculty of Medicine is leading a research team on inflammatory diseases under a grant from the National Research Foundation of Singapore. view more
Credit: Hebrew University of Jerusalem photo
Jerusalem, June 29, 2010 -- The National Research Foundation (NRF) of Singapore has announced that the Hebrew University of Jerusalem will join other leading world universities that have been selected to participate in research centers in Singapore under the CREATE (Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise) program.
The Hebrew University's research project will focus on cellular and molecular mechanisms of inflammation. The research aims to accelerate the development of diagnostic/prognostic indicators and novel therapeutics for common inflammatory diseases in Asia and elsewhere.
The Hebrew University project is geared towards a better understanding of the molecular processes involved in the development of these inflammatory diseases in Singapore. Major pharmaceutical companies are extremely interested in new therapies for inflammatory diseases, and the strategy of this research program should lead to translation of medical research into novel treatments. The research will be carried out in collaboration with scientists at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and other academic institutes in Israel.
"This collaborative research program will leverage on the existing strengths of both Hebrew University and NUS. We see great strategic value in this research, given the increasing prevalence of inflammatory diseases throughout the region. We expect our work to lead to scientific breakthroughs in understanding and developing therapies for inflammatory diseases," said the head of the Hebrew University team, Ehud Razin, the Dr Marcus Rabwin Professor of Cancer Research in the Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada (IMRIC) at the Hebrew University Faculty of Medicine.
NUS President Prof. Tan Chorh Chuan said, "Discovery and evaluation of new treatments for inflammatory diseases continue to be of critical importance. We are pleased to partner with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem under the CREATE program. With strong commitment from both sides, we are confident that this collaboration will have a major impact by addressing important research and medical needs, both in the region and the world."