Michael Sela
Encyclopedia
Michael Sela (born 2 March 1924) is an Israeli immunologist of Polish Jewish
origin. He is W. Garfield Weston Professor of Immunology at the Weizmann Institute of Science
in Rehovot
.
, Poland
, in 1924. Today, he is Professor in the Weizmann Institute's Immunology Department.
He was among the first who introduced the use of linear and branched synthetic polypeptides as antigens, and this brought about a better understanding of immunological phenomena.
For several decades, Sela have been interested in the possibility of fighting the autoimmune disease, experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) with synthetic analogs of the molecules in the myelin sheath of the brain which are capable of provoking the disease.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
origin. He is W. Garfield Weston Professor of Immunology at the Weizmann Institute of Science
Weizmann Institute of Science
The Weizmann Institute of Science , known as Machon Weizmann, is a university and research institute in Rehovot, Israel. It differs from other Israeli universities in that it offers only graduate and post-graduate studies in the sciences....
in Rehovot
Rehovot
Rehovot is a city in the Center District of Israel, about south of Tel Aviv. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics , at the end of 2009 the city had a total population of 112,700. Rehovot's official website estimates the population at 114,000.Rehovot was built on the site of Doron,...
.
Birth and academic career
Michael Sela was born as Mieczyslaw Solomonowicz in Tomaszów MazowieckiTomaszów Mazowiecki
Tomaszów Mazowiecki is a town in central Poland with 67,159 inhabitants . Situated in the Łódź Voivodeship , it was previously part of Piotrków Trybunalski Voivodeship...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, in 1924. Today, he is Professor in the Weizmann Institute's Immunology Department.
Research
Sela is known for his research in immunology, particularly for research on synthetic antigens, molecules that trigger the immune system to attack. These work of Sela have led to the discovery of the genetic control of the immune response, as well as to the design of vaccines based on synthetic molecules.He was among the first who introduced the use of linear and branched synthetic polypeptides as antigens, and this brought about a better understanding of immunological phenomena.
For several decades, Sela have been interested in the possibility of fighting the autoimmune disease, experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) with synthetic analogs of the molecules in the myelin sheath of the brain which are capable of provoking the disease.
Awards and honours
Sela has received several awards. Following are the major awards received by Sela.- The Israel PrizeIsrael PrizeThe Israel Prize is an award handed out by the State of Israel and is largely regarded as the state's highest honor. It is presented annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state ceremony in Jerusalem, in the presence of the President, the Prime Minister, the Knesset chairperson, and the...
in Life Sciences (1959) - The Rothschild Prize (1968)
- Germany's Emil von Behring Prize (1973)
- Canada's Gairdner Foundation International Award (1980)
- France's Institut de la Vie Prize (1984)
- Germany's Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit Award (1986)
- France's Officier de l'Ordre de la Légion d'honneur (1987)
- UNESCO's Albert Einstein Golden Medal (1995)
- Interbrew-Baillet Latour Health Prize of Belgium (1997)
- The Wolf Prize in MedicineWolf Prize in MedicineThe Wolf Prize in Medicine is awarded once a year by the Wolf Foundation in Israel. It is one of the six Wolf Prizes established by the Foundation and awarded since 1978; the others are in Agriculture, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics and Arts. The Prize is probably the third most prestigious award...
(1998), along with Ruth ArnonRuth ArnonRuth Arnon is an Israeli biochemist and codeveloper of the multiple sclerosis drug Copaxone. She is currently the Paul Ehrlich Professor of Immunology at the Weizmann Institute of Science.-Early life:...
, for "their major discoveries in the field of immunology".
External links
- The Wolf Prize in Medicine in 1998 (detail)
- The Interbrew-Baillet Latour Health Prize of Belgium in 1997
See also
- List of Israel Prize recipients