His important contribution included a host of breakthrough insights and discoveries, publications and collaborations in the field of cancer research
Prof. Yitzhak (Itzik) Weitz from the Schmonis School at Tel Aviv University won the Szent-Györgyi Award for the Advancement of Cancer Research for 2023, as determined by the award committee of the National Cancer Research Fund (NFCR) in the USA. The prize will be awarded to Prof. Weitz, a world-renowned researcher in the field of cancer, for his groundbreaking research, which revealed that the flow of information and two-way signal transmission between cancer cells and the tumor's microenvironment play a crucial role in tumor growth and the formation of metastases.
The Saint-Georges Prize is awarded annually to scientists whose pioneering discoveries have contributed to the prevention, diagnosis or treatment of cancer, have had a profound and long-lasting impact on the understanding of cancer, and have created promise for improving or saving the lives of cancer patients. The award will be presented to Prof. Weitz in a festive ceremony to be held on 21.10.23 at the National Press Club in Washington, USA.
Prof. Yitzhak Weitz expressed great satisfaction and said: "Knowing that my work shaped the understanding of the microenvironment of the cancerous tumor, and laid the foundation for life-saving immunotherapy treatments, gives me a tremendous sense of satisfaction. Winning the St. George Award is a great honor for me, and I thank the award committee from the bottom of my heart for the prestigious honor, which allows me to stand in one line with the distinguished winners who preceded me."
Prof. Weitz achieved many achievements during an impressive career of more than 50 years. Today, as professor emeritus at Tel Aviv University, he serves as the head of the laboratory for the study of the microenvironment and metastasis of cancer tumors at the Schmonis School of Biomedical Research and Cancer Research in the Faculty of Life Sciences named after George S. Wise. His important contribution during decades of research included a host of breakthrough insights and discoveries, publications and collaborations, with an emphasis on the critical role of the microenvironment in the biology of cancer cells, in the development of tumors and in the formation of metastases.
In the early stages of his scientific journey, in the 60s, Prof. Weitz conducted pioneering experiments that demonstrated that components of the immune system infiltrate the microenvironment of the cancerous tumor and influence its behavior. His research revealed that humoral immune factors located in the environment of the cancerous tumor have a decisive effect on the fight of the immune system in the development of the tumor, its proliferation and invasion of distant organs and the formation of metastases. These important findings laid the foundation for the main aspects of the immunotherapy used today, thereby greatly helping cancer patients and advancing medicine towards finding a cure for cancer.
Dr. Rakesh K. Jain, recipient of the Geirgi-Saint Prize for 2022 and chairman of the prize committee for 2023, expressed his joy at Prof. Weitz's win and emphasized the significant impact of his work on the development of treatments designed to damage molecules in the tumor's microenvironment. Jain, who also studies the microenvironment of cancerous tumors, believes that this field will continue to generate opportunities for the development of life-saving treatments in the future.
