Pigs have long carried a bad reputation. They are often described as dirty, greedy animals that eat everything in sight and spend their days lying around. In reality, none of these stereotypes are true. Pigs are intelligent, have a highly developed sense of smell and like to stay clean. They often roll in mud not because of laziness but to cool down and protect themselves from parasites.

But there is another, far more important fact about pigs: they are now at the center of a medical revolution that could transform the future of organ transplantation. With demand for donor organs vastly outpacing supply, researchers are turning to genetically engineered pigs as potential life-saving sources of hearts, kidneys, livers and even lungs.

חזירים
(Photo: Shutterstock)

The idea is not based on vague similarity to humans but on precise genetic engineering. By shutting off certain pig genes, such as the one that produces a sugar molecule called alpha-gal, and adding human genes, scientists can make pig organs appear more “human” to the immune system, reducing the risk of immediate rejection.

A global shortage

The need is urgent. More than 100,000 people in the United States are waiting for an organ transplant, most of them for kidneys, and thousands die each year before a donor is found. Israel faces a similar shortage. According to Prof. Mordechai Kramer, head of the lung transplant unit at Rabin Medical Center (Beilinson Hospital), only about 40 lung transplants are performed each year in Israel, while some 180 patients remain on the waiting list. “People die while waiting,” Kramer said. “And that’s just lungs. What about all the other organs?”

Clinical trials approved in the US

In recent months, two milestones have made headlines. In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration for the first time approved large-scale clinical trials of pig organ transplants in humans. The biotech company eGenesis, a leader in the field, is set to begin pig kidney transplants this year, aiming to treat dozens of patients in a monitored trial. The step marks a shift from rare “compassionate use” cases to systematic research with broad patient groups.

The key lies in the blood vessels that connect directly with human circulation. In pigs, the sugar alpha-gal on the surface of cells triggers an immediate, destructive immune response. Using CRISPR gene-editing tools, companies disable this gene and add human genetic material to soften the body’s attack, allowing the organ to survive longer.

A pig lung that breathed inside a human body

Meanwhile, in China, doctors achieved a stunning breakthrough in May 2024 by transplanting a genetically engineered pig lung into a brain-dead 39-year-old man. The lung functioned for nine days before doctors ended the trial. Crucially, it did not trigger immediate rejection. “The great achievement is that hyper-acute rejection did not occur,” said Dr. Liran Levy, head of the lung transplant program at Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv.

Lungs are among the most complex organs to transplant because of their constant exposure to air and microbes, making them highly likely to trigger immune responses. That a pig lung could function for more than a week inside a human body offers new hope.

Pig livers and kidneys

Other recent experiments also show progress. In March 2025, researchers in China reported that a genetically modified pig liver survived for 10 days inside a brain-dead patient, producing bile and proteins while maintaining blood flow. In April 2025, doctors in New York announced that Tuanna Looney, a 54-year-old Alabama woman, had lived for 130 days with a pig kidney — the longest period ever recorded.

“She had been on dialysis since 2016 and was not eligible for a human kidney transplant,” said Prof. Eytan Mor, director of kidney transplants at Sheba Medical Center. “The fact that a pig kidney survived more than four months is remarkable. If we reach the point where it can last five years, that would be a giant leap for medicine.”

Israeli contributions

Israel has also played a role in advancing the field. In 2021, a team at Beilinson Hospital developed a method of stripping pig blood vessels and coating them with human cells taken from placentas. The approach makes the organ’s blood vessel lining look human to the immune system, complementing CRISPR-based genetic editing.

“This point of contact between the organ and human blood is critical,” said the researchers. “If we can reduce the immune system’s recognition of the organ as foreign, we can extend survival.”

Ethics and Jewish law

For many Jews, the use of pigs raises cultural and religious questions. But Prof. Kramer emphasized that Jewish law permits the use of pig organs to save lives. “There’s no prohibition here. This is about pikuach nefesh — saving a life. Even today, heart valves from pigs are used in patients. I cannot imagine any rabbi forbidding the use of a pig organ if it means saving someone.”

Beyond pigs: bioprinting and stem cells

At the same time, researchers are exploring other frontiers. At the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Prof. Shulamit Levenberg leads Israel’s first center for 3D bioprinting, which develops tissue from stem cells. “We are not yet able to print a fully functional lung that can oxygenate blood,” she said, “but the technology is advancing. For now, transplants from animals are closer to clinical use than 3D-printed organs.”

Still, scientists see the fields converging. Some are working on “universal” human stem cells for bioprinting, while others are engineering pigs to reduce rejection. The ultimate goal is to produce safe, reliable organs on demand.

Israeli health tech startup NeuroKaire, Cofounded by Dr. Daphna Laifenfeld who has a PhD in Medical Science and Molecular Biology from Technion, has rolled out a blood test in the US and Israel that they say can measure the responsiveness of a patient with major depressive disorder to common antidepressants.

This week, NeuroKaine have rolled out a blood test in the US and Israel that they say can measure the responsiveness of a patient with major depressive disorder to common antidepressants.

NeuroKaire says its novel, AI-assisted tech uses stem cells to create a brain proxy against which drugs can be tested to find the best one.

Depression is one of the most common forms of mental disorder, affecting more than 330 million people worldwide. Treatment methods rely primarily on a taxing trial-and-error process to find the right prescription drug, which can take years.

In Israel, the psychological toll of 23 months of war and counting has made the need for effective mental health treatment felt more than ever.

The blood test, promises to create a platform for personalised treatment of mental disorders. Guided by the test results, clinicians and psychiatrists can determine which treatment is most suited to a particular patient’s condition.

“For far too long, patients with clinical depression have endured a grueling trial-and-error process before finding an effective treatment,” Cohen Solal told The Times of Israel. “Around one-third of the time, a patient improves or recovers from depression when seeking treatment, and around two-thirds of the time, physicians will need to change their medication or dosage multiple times.”

“Typically, the guessing game of identifying the right drug for a patient with clinical depression can take between 12 to 18 months. We are bringing that down to two months,” she claimed.

The blood test began being offered in Israel and the US this week, though the new technology still needs more research and trial data to determine its effectiveness, according to Prof. Mark Weiser, who heads the Psychiatry Department at Sheba Medical Centre.

“NeuroKaire’s unique combination of stem-cell technology, genomics, and AI represents an evolutionary step forward from traditional pharmacogenetics and is promising, but more research needs to be done in large clinical trials with hundreds of patients, comparing the outcomes with those that haven’t taken the test, and further improve results for patients,” Weiser said.

NeuroKaire’s blood-based screening tool, BrightKaire, was recently granted laboratory-developed test regulatory approval from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in the US, making it the first clinically deployed test based on neurons derived from blood, the startup said.

Cohen Solal and Laifenfeld have decades of academic expertise in brain research and personalised medicine between them. Cohen Solal spent a decade studying psychiatric disorders at Oxford University, University College London and Columbia University. Laifenfeld has worked in brain research at the Technion and Harvard University, and has over 20 years of experience in personalised medicine, including serving as head of precision medicine at Teva Pharmaceuticals Industries.

The two neuroscientists met when Cohen Solal immigrated from the US to Israel in 2017, and they decided to join forces to found NeuroKaire in 2018. The two shared a vision to develop a more precise personalised test that clinicians could use in order to pick the optimal drug therapy for patients with clinical depression.

NeuroKaire’s R&D team then turns the stem cells into frontal brain neurons — the brain region most implicated in mental illness and depression — and tests them against 70 different antidepressants, helping to pinpoint the most effective drug or combination therapy for each patient.

Using a proprietary AI platform to analyse personalised data, including a patient’s genetic data, medical history, and microscopic neuronal imaging, the test produces a report detailing the patient’s response to different medications, including the likelihood of side effects.

“Depression is reduced connectivity in the brain, often expressed in a lack of motivation,” Cohen Solal explained. “With our brain in a dish platform, we have a window into the brain and can analyze how well those neurons are connecting or communicating after exposure to antidepressants, and we turn that into a quantitative readout for how strongly a drug has affected connectivity in those samples.”

“Our brain in a dish technology tells you not just if the drug gets past the liver to the brain, but what it does in the brain and whether it works,” Cohen Solal noted.

Cohen Solal said that the startup has validated the technology in clinical trials of the blood-based diagnostic in Israel in collaboration with Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan and Geha Mental Health Center in Petah Tikva. In the US, trials were conducted at Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia and in collaboration with the National Institute of Mental Health. In addition, NeuroKaire has formed partnerships with Israeli biotech companies Clexio and Neurosense.

“In the past two decades, our knowledge of human genetics and brain biology has advanced at an unprecedented pace, but it is still limited,” said Weiser. “The underlying problem is that when a patient comes for treatment, there is no test based on biology as to whether I should prescribe Prozac or a different antidepressant, but it is based on consultation and clinical impressions.”

Weiser said other companies that have developed blood tests based on genes to determine the best drug treatment for depression, were not well-validated.

In 2023, NeuroKaire expanded to the US and opened a commercial lab, while its R&D center, employing 25 people, is based in Tel Aviv. To date, the startup has raised $25 million from venture capital investors, including GreyBird Ventures, Meron Capital, Jumpspeed Venture Partners and Sapir Ventures.

“Israel has fantastic life sciences and neuroscience PhDs, which is wonderful for hiring great R&D scientists,” Cohen Solal said. “It’s a mission of ours because of Israel and because of the war to launch this test here as well, and we are very happy to be able to help in this time of need.”

A report published by the State Comptroller’s Office earlier this year found that approximately 3 million Israeli adults may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, or anxiety as a direct consequence of the events of the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led massacre in southern Israel and subsequent war in Gaza.

“Many of the drugs overlap for depression and PTSD,” said Cohen Solal. “Physicians can use our technology to help them choose between PTSD medications as well.”

“But in the future, we will specifically be recruiting cohorts of PTSD patients so we can validate it as well in the PTSD setting,” she added.

Cohen Solal said that depression is the first indication, but going forward, tests for other neurological conditions are being planned using the same method.

“NeuroKaire’s mission is to bring precision medicine to the brain,” said Cohen Solal. “Next year, we will be starting our studies in ADHD. That’s going to be our next indication.”

President Isaac Herzog this evening, (Wednesday, 22 October 2025), conferred the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor upon nine distinguished laureates from diverse fields, in recognition of their lifelong contribution to the State of Israel and the Jewish people.

The ceremony took place at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem, in the presence of U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, and with the participation of freed hostages Matan Angrest and Segev Kalfon and their families.

Initiated in 2012 by the Ninth President of Israel, Shimon Peres, the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor is awarded to those “who, by virtue of their skills, service, or in any other way, have made an exceptional contribution to the State of Israel or to humanity.”

This year’s recipients of the Medal are:

Prof. Avi Ohry, Justice (ret.) George Karra, Galila Ron-Feder Amit, Prof. Dina Porat, Dr. Yossi Vardi, Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif, Moti Malka, Dr. Miriam Adelson, and Dr. Mathias Döpfner.

From President Herzog’s remarks:

“Each and every one of our honorees tonight is a person of spirit and action, of vision and purpose. They refused to accept the world as it is and chose instead to work for the world as it can and should be. Each of them, in their own way, has changed a corner of our reality and made it better, and for that, our gratitude and appreciation will endure forever.

“I am particularly moved to welcome here tonight Matan Angrest and Segev Kalfon, who have returned to us from Hamas captivity in Gaza. How good it is to have you here with us.

“These past two years have not been easy for any of us. Even tonight, soldiers stand on the frontlines defending our people. Hostages, the bodies of our fallen are still held by a cruel enemy, and we cry out and demand their immediate release — by every means and in every way — until the last of them returns home. There are the wounded who remain in hospitals, those struggling to heal their minds and hearts, and families who continue to mourn. There is no Israeli who does not feel the pain and anxiety of this time.

“Yet we also see, in the midst of our trials, the spirit of mutual responsibility that defines us. This evening, in these nine exemplary figures before us, we are reminded of the light within us, of the values that unite the people of Israel and all humanity, across every belief and way of life. To each of you: thank you for choosing hope over despair.”

Remarks by Dr. Miriam Adelson, on behalf of the laureates:

“Two years ago, like all of us, I plunged into the depths of the trauma of war in Gaza. I did what I could to help, not in an army uniform, as I left that to my grandchildren’s proud generation, and not in a doctor’s coat, for we are blessed with devoted and talented physicians in Israel.

“My role was to help raise awareness in America of the true humanitarian crisis — the hostages. Alongside the deep grief for those we lost, there was immense relief and joy in watching them emerge, one by one, from the hell of the tunnels, returning to the paradise, imperfect though it may be, that we call the Land of Israel.

“The mission is not complete. Thirteen of our sons and daughters are still in captivity. We will not rest, we will not be silent, until they all come home. We are proud of our soldiers who risk their lives to defend us all, and we carry in our hearts the memory of those who gave their lives so that we might live.”

The Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor is the highest civilian recognition awarded by the President of the State of Israel. Since its inception, the medal has been presented to leading figures in Israel and abroad — including heads of state, social and cultural leaders, and Jewish figures worldwide — whose work exemplifies excellence, solidarity, and humanity.

Against the backdrop of a worrying rise in antisemitism on campuses worldwide, the Technion is offering international students a safe, supportive, and academically world-class alternative

The Technion opened a new program for international students developed in response to waves of antisemitism on campuses in the U.S. and Europe. The program is the Technion’s first such initiative and aims to attract talented young people from around the world and integrate them into the Israeli academic community.

“Antisemitism in Canada is soaring – it’s worse than it looks,” said Anna Durov, a 19-year-old student from Canada. “I had already been accepted to a mathematics program at the University of Toronto, but because of reports of antisemitism at the university, I preferred to study at the Technion.”

Students in the program will receive extensive support, including housing, social mentors, team-building activities, and academic assistance, to ensure a smooth transition and full integration into campus life and studies. “It feels almost unreal,” shared Yael Cowly, 18, from Barcelona. “I registered immediately. I’ve heard so much about the Technion, and I know it’s considered the ‘MIT of Israel.’”

The first cohort includes 26 students from eight countries: the United States, Brazil, Russia, Canada, Spain, Germany, Azerbaijan, and Israel. They will take English-taught foundation courses in mathematics, science, and engineering, along with an intensive Hebrew ulpan, enabling them to join regular faculty tracks in their second year.

“Thanks to the program, I can study in English with my group during the first year while improving my Hebrew in the ulpan,” added Anna. “It makes continuing my studies easier and creates a supportive community.”

The students will participate in orientation and preparatory courses in mathematics, chemistry, and physics until the Technion’s academic year begins in October 2025. Later, they will choose from degree programs in eight Technion faculties: Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Chemistry, and Biology.

“I still don’t know what I’m going to study, and that’s the beauty of the program – it keeps my options open and lets me explore first,” said Gabriel Takeuchi from Brazil, who has already been in Israel for a while and even found love here. “For me, learning Hebrew is a big bonus – it means I’ll be able to talk to my girlfriend’s grandparents at Friday night dinners.”

The Technion sees it as an opportunity to offer Jewish and international students a safe, advanced, and welcoming academic environment. “There’s a wave of antisemitism right now in Barcelona, and I definitely feel safer here – and I want to contribute to the country,” said Yael. “I’m in the Academic Reserve track, and after I finish my degree, I want to enlist.”

“This program opens a new path for outstanding students from all over the world to earn their undergraduate degree at the Technion, a leading institution in engineering and science, and in doing so gives Israel a new generation of graduates connected to Israeli academia and society,” said Emma Afterman, director of the Technion International School. “The program enables students to quickly learn Hebrew and join regular faculty programs from their second year. It’s the first initiative of its kind at the Technion, and we are thrilled to welcome our first cohort.”

Technion President Prof. Uri Sivan said: “This new program is our response to the rising antisemitism on campuses in North America, Australia, and Europe. The Technion, which opened its doors a quarter of a century before the State of Israel was established, was founded, among other reasons, to serve as a refuge for those who felt threatened abroad. In this spirit, already in November 2023, with the outbreak of protests around the world, we opened the Technion to visiting students and researchers from abroad, inviting them to benefit from the supportive environment we provide for their studies and research. The new program offers a framework for undergraduates who wish to study on a welcoming campus free of antisemitism and hate. The young people who come to us from around the world are a testament to the Technion’s scientific and engineering excellence and its international standing as one of the world’s leading technological universities. I am excited to welcome our new students and wish them great enjoyment and success in their studies.”

The Carasso and Hecht Centre’s will drive innovation, research, and industry collaboration in food production and biotechnology

These new centre’s established at the Technion, will promote education, research, and innovation in the food sector and strengthen the connection between the Technion and the entire food industry, from traditional to cutting-edge.

Eliminating hunger and improving food security are among the major challenges facing humanity in the 21st century, as defined by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. The Technion houses the only faculty in Israel dedicated to food engineering, leading the Israeli food-tech industry.

Dean of the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Prof. Esty Segal, added, “As dean, I see the establishment of these two centre’s as a clear manifestation of our vision—to position the Technion and the State of Israel at the global forefront of innovation in food. This field is not only an industrial growth engine—it is a profound scientific, environmental, and social challenge, integrating biotechnology, engineering, health, life sciences, and sustainability. Both centre’s were born out of a multidisciplinary pursuit of excellence, enabling us to develop breakthrough technologies, bridge basic and applied research, and lead food solutions for a world facing climate change, nutritional inequality, and resource depletion. It is also a commitment to Israel’s future, ensuring food security, advancing sustainability, and training the next generation of visionary, bold, and responsible scientists and engineers. This is a powerful link between science and purpose, between knowledge and impact—for Israel and the entire world.”

The new centre will support the Technion and the faculty in their mission—to bridge science, engineering, and technology in shaping the future of food production, preservation, and consumption, while advancing key goals such as waste reduction and environmental protection. We face major research challenges that intertwine health, sustainability, and innovation, alongside the educational task of training the next generation of scientists and engineers. This center will allow Technion researchers to translate ideas into real-world impact. We thank the Carasso family across generations, including the younger generation, for enabling the establishment of this important center. Let us celebrate this milestone—and now, to work.”

The Carasso family’s contribution, which will strengthen Israel’s footprint in global food research, is intended to support and realize their values and those of their company, emphasizing Zionism, excellence in science education, reducing disparities, and investing in infrastructure. The upgraded, expanded facility will be unique in Israel and among the most advanced in the world. It will include a research and development center for industrial-scale production, equipment for scaling lab processes to pilot scale, laboratories for food and biomaterials analysis, a fermentation lab, an industrial kitchen, and a tasting room—all designed to support teaching, research, and collaboration with industry and startups.

The Esther and Herbert Hecht Sustainable Protein Research Center is a multidisciplinary center that brings together approximately 50 researchers from various Technion faculties to develop food solutions for a better future. The center will serve as a model for sustainable protein research, promote collaborations within and beyond the Technion, and foster innovation, entrepreneurship, and the training of professionals in this field.

The centre is the world’s first academic centre in this field. Its vision is to serve as a multidisciplinary hub for researching and developing sustainable sources of protein. Its activities are grounded in Technion excellence and the rapid global development of this field. The center promotes research, attracts outstanding new researchers, trains graduate and postdoctoral students, and provides cutting-edge research infrastructure. It offers competitive research grants to launch initial interdisciplinary projects and holds conferences to strengthen connections between relevant researchers at the Technion and beyond.

The study was led by Prof. Avi Schroeder and Dr. Patricia Mora-Raimundo at the Technion.

Their music is one of the most influential examples of mind-altering psychedelic rock.

But scientists say listening to Pink Floyd really does have an effect on your brain cells – and could make them more susceptible to future treatments for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

The surprising finding comes from a study in which researchers played the band’s 1979 hit, Another Brick In The Wall, and monitored the impact it had on brain cells in humans and mice.

They found the low-frequency sounds in the song made cells ‘vibrate’ and caused certain parts of the brain to ‘light up’, indicating greater activity, and triggering the release of certain proteins.

This increased activity could help scientists deliver medicine to treat complex neurological conditions directly into the brain, researchers at the Israel Institute of Technology said.

Scientists have long puzzled over how to get medication across the blood-brain barrier – a thin membrane which protects brain cells from damaging pollutants in the blood but also stops most drugs.

The most promising way is using microscopic bubbles known as lipid nanoparticles, which have been used to carry the genetic material in Covid vaccines through the body. 

They are so small that thousands of them could fit across the width of a human hair.

The latest study shows that low-frequency sounds such as those in Pink Floyd’s music can boost the absorption and effectiveness of these lipid nanoparticles in the brain by up to ten times by making brain cells more active.

Such findings suggest that music could one day be used as a gentle, non-invasive way to enhance treatments for brain diseases.

‘When you go into a dance hall and hear the thump-thump-thump of the bass, it feels as though your body is vibrating. That is what is happening to the brain when Pink Floyd is played,’ explains

Professor Avi Schroeder, who led the team alongside Dr Patricia Mora-Raimundo.

‘This low-frequency sound could be a valuable tool for enhancing drug delivery to specific brain areas. It opens up new possibilities for precision medicine, where sound waves are tailored to activate specific brain regions for targeted treatment of neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.’

Treatments for both degenerative diseases are limited and only delay progression of the disease.

But one of the most promising treatments is gene therapy, which could boost healthy brain cells or repair or replace faulty genes inside cells. Lipid nanoparticles are being investigated as a way to deliver such therapies.

The human volunteers for the study, reported in the Journal of Controlled Release, were played different types of music at different frequencies while inside an MRI scanner. The Pink Floyd hit was the most successful at creating activity in key areas of the brain.

Outstanding Achievements for the Israeli Chemistry Team Trained at the Technion

The Israeli National Chemistry Team has won four Olympic medals — two gold and two silver — at the International Chemistry Olympiad held in the United Arab Emirates, with participation from 90 countries.

At the International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO), held this year in the UAE, 354 competitors from 90 countries around the world took part. The Israeli Chemistry Team proudly representing Israel:

  • Itamar Ben Shmuel – from Ramat Gan, 11th-grade student at the Kfar HaYarok School – Gold Medalist
  • Jonathan Gontmakher– from Rishon LeZion, 12th-grade student at the Krieger Real Gymnasium – Gold Medalist
  • Omer Zachary Ben-Ami – from Tel Aviv, 12th-grade student at Ironi Dalet High School – Silver Medalist
  • Yehonadav Marienberg – from Mazkeret Batya, 10th-grade student at the Har Etzion Yeshiva High School for Youth, Alon Shvut – Silver Medalist

The Ministry of Education and the Maimonides Fund’s Future Scientists Center lead the preparation of Israel’s national science teams for participation in international olympiads. The Israeli Chemistry Team was trained at the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry at the Technion, led by Academic Director Prof. Zeev Gross and Head Coach Dr. Reut Shapira. Accompanying the delegation were Prof. Gross, Dr. Eyal Barnea, and Dr. Zack Patrick Sarcel.

Minister of Education, Yoav Kisch: “Behind every medal stands an Israeli student with a spark in their eyes, curiosity in their heart, and a willingness to work hard – children like Itamar, Jonathan, Omer, and Yehonadav, who dared to dream big and saw it through to the end. Each one of them represents a story of persistence, talent, and educational support that believes in the student every step of the way. The achievement at the Chemistry Olympiad is not just a peak – it’s the result of daily quiet effort, a deep partnership between the Ministry of Education, the Maimonides Fund’s Future Scientists Center, and the Technion, and teams who never stop seeing the child, even when immersed in science. This is how we build an education system that moves forward: not waiting for success, but growing it. With consistency, humility, and deep faith in our children’s abilities.”

Technion President, Prof. Uri Sivan, thanked the Technion team that trained the delegation and said: “At the Technion, we are proud to train the next generation of Israeli scientists. The students competing in the International Chemistry Olympiads undergo screening and preparation in a special program that has been running for years at the Schulich Faculty of Chemistry at the Technion, under the direction of Prof. Zeev Gross. Winning the international competition is a major achievement. Jonathan, Itamar, Omer, and Yehonadav – I congratulate you. You reached the competition after much effort and have proven your excellence. I hope to see you in the future as students at the Technion – fulfilling your potential and bringing us academic pride.”

The Technion has once again proven its standing as a world-class institution, in the newly released Shanghai Ranking (ARWU). The index shows that the Technion was ranked 12th among technological universities in the world.

When academic achievements are adjusted for university size – comparing relative output to the number of faculty members – the Technion is ranked 28th worldwide out of all Universities.

The Technion also ranks highly in the prize-related categories of the index, which are based on Nobel Prize and Fields Medal wins – 25th in the world for faculty members and 55th for alumni.

The Shanghai Ranking is the world’s leading index for ranking higher education institutions, and since 2012 (except 2020), it has consistently placed the Technion in its Top 100 list, with rankings ranging between 69 and 97.

The Shanghai Ranking, published since 2003, evaluates the research level of universities worldwide according to various criteria, including the number of Nobel Prize and Fields Medal laureates among faculty and alumni, the number of scientific articles published in the leading journals Nature and Science, and other research performance indicators. The ranking covers more than 2,500 universities, with the publication listing the top 1,000. This year’s ranking is headed by Harvard University, followed by Stanford University and MIT.

From Artificial Intelligence to Aerospace Medicine, These Rising Stars Are Shaping the Future

The Technion is proud to celebrate the inclusion of four exceptional students and alumni on this year’s Forbes Israel 30 Under 30 list. Their groundbreaking achievements span artificial intelligence, space medicine, and deep-tech innovation—each one a shining example of how Technion graduates are making a global impact.

Dr. Dean Leitersdorf CEO & Co-founder, Decart.ai | Age: 26

Dean Leitersdorf isn’t just dreaming big—he’s building big. As co-founder of Decart.ai, Dean is on a mission to create a trillion-dollar AI company that could rival tech giants like Google and TikTok. A triple Technion graduate of the Taub Faculty of Computer Science with a PhD by age 23, Dean previously served in an elite IDF Unit and won the Israel Defense Prize.

Decart’s AI efficiency platform is already disrupting the market, and its AI-powered game Oasis reached 1 million users in just three days—faster than ChatGPT. With $53M in VC funding and profitability in its first year, Dean’s bold vision is just getting started.

“If you’re not in the top 0.1%, it’s not interesting.”

Dr. Summer Sofer Founder, Israeli Society for Aerospace Medicine | Age: 29

From the soccer pitch to NASA, Dr. Summer Sofer is breaking boundaries. A black belt in karate and former player on Israel’s national soccer team, she’s now pioneering space medicine in Israel while completing her medical degree at the Technion’s Rappaport Faculty of Medicine.

Born in New York and raised on resilience, Summer founded the Israeli Society for Aerospace Medicine to grow this underdeveloped field at home. She’s currently completing a specialization at NASA and envisions a national infrastructure for space medicine in Israel.

“It’s easier to advance something you truly believe in.”

Hen Davidov Rhodes Scholar & AI Researcher | Age: 25

“I never thought I fit the profile of a Rhodes Scholar,” says Hen Davidov—yet he’s now one of only two Israelis selected this year. His Technion-based research blends AI and medicine, focusing on building trustworthy diagnostic systems that support doctors with clear probability-based predictions.

Inspired by personal experiences with family illness, Hen’s work is already helping refine breast cancer diagnostics. A graduate of the Taub Faculty of Computer Science and soon to begin his PhD at Oxford, he aims to set new global standards for ethical, reliable medical AI.

“When it comes to medicine, the risks are multiplied.”

Dr. Ameer Haj Ali Founder, Universal AI | Age: 29

Dr. Ameer Haj Ali is redefining what’s possible in deep tech. Raised in Shfaram, a graduate of the Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ameer completed a record-fast PhD at UC Berkeley in just two years.

In 2025, he launched Universal AI—an ambitious startup focused on the next generation of AI infrastructure. Within two months, the company secured $10M in funding from high-profile investors, including Eric Schmidt, Jared Kushner, and Elad Gil. Ameer’s tireless commitment (including sleeping in the office!) reflects a deep drive to turn bold ideas into real-world impact.

“Time is the most precious resource. I feel behind every day.”

These four honorees represent the best of Technion’s spirit: fearless ambition, technical brilliance, and a commitment to solving real-world challenges. We salute their achievements—and can’t wait to see what they build next.

A new interdisciplinary study by researchers from the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Technion reveals a surprising insight: local release of dopamine—a molecule best known for its role in the brain’s reward system—is a key factor in acquiring new motor skills

From writing and typing to playing a musical instrument or mastering a sport, learning movement-based tasks is one of the brain’s most complex challenges. This collaborative new study reveals how the brain reorganizes its neural networks during such skill learning and uncovers the vital role of dopamine in this process of motor learning.

The research, published in Nature Communications, was led by Dr. Hadas Benisty, Prof. Jackie Schiller, and M.D./Ph.D. student Amir Ghanayim, with contributions from Prof. Ronen Talmon and student Avigail Cohen-Rimon from the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

The ability to acquire new motor skills is fundamental for adapting to our environment. This learning takes place in the primary motor cortex—a region of the brain responsible for planning and executing voluntary movements. From this cortical “command center,” signals are sent via the spinal cord to activate muscles and coordinate movement. Neural activity in this region is known to change as we learn new skills. However, the mechanisms that drive these changes remain unclear.

Key findings of the study

The researchers used advanced calcium imaging in behaving mice and chemogenetic inhibition techniques—engineered receptors and specific drugs—to temporarily switch off targeted brain cells, allowing researchers to study their function. They mapped dynamic changes in neural networks with cellular resolution within the motor cortex during the acquisition of a motor skill, and discovered that during learning, neural networks transition from a “beginner” to an “expert” structure.

Crucially, this process depends on the local release of dopamine in the motor cortex. Under normal conditions, dopamine molecules are delivered to this region by neurons originating in the ventral tegmental area (VTA)—a central dopamine hub in the brain. The researchers hypothesized that this dopamine release triggers plasticity mechanisms, leading to changes in functional connectivity between neurons in the motor cortex. This process enables motor learning by storing new skills for future use. In essence, this is a form of reinforcement learning, where successful movement outcomes reinforce the brain’s internal wiring.

What happens when dopamine is blocked?

To test the necessity of this mechanism, the researchers examined both the activity and functional connectivity of the neural network and the learning process when dopamine release in the primary motor area was blocked. The results were clear: When dopamine was blocked, learning stopped completely—mice were unable to improve their performance in a forelimb-reaching task. The motor cortex neural network remained static. However, as soon as dopamine release was restored, learning resumed, along with reorganization of the neural network.

The study provides compelling evidence that local dopamine release serves as a crucial signal for neural plasticity in the motor cortex, enabling the necessary adaptations for producing precise and efficient motor commands. A particularly interesting discovery was that blocking dopamine did not affect previously learned motor skills. In other words, the researchers proved that dopamine is essential for learning new movements but is not required for performing already learned ones.

This study represents another step toward understanding brain plasticity and learning mechanisms at the cellular and network levels. It highlights the brain’s ability to reorganize itself, allowing us to refine our motor skills throughout life. These insights may also have important implications for treating neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, where dopamine production is impaired, and motor learning is compromised.