BGU Receives Generous Donation to Launch Radiobiology Laboratory
Research Will Focus on the Biological Effects of Exposure to Low-dose Radiation
NEW YORK, February 24, 2010 – American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, is pleased to announce that it has received a significant donation of $500,000 from Jerry Cohen to establish the Jerry Cohen Radiobiology Laboratory at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beer-Sheva, Israel.
This Laboratory will perform cutting edge research on the biological effects of exposure to low-dose ionizing radiation and its application to improved cancer treatment.
The effects of ionizing radiation are highly dependent upon the exposure dose. High doses are associated with the development of cancer. However, there is also strong evidence that low dose exposure is associated with a reduced incidence of cancer and other health benefits.
“The establishment of this new Laboratory will advance our research efforts in identifying the immunological connection between the different levels of radiation exposure and their radiobiological effects,” says Professor Brenda Laster, director of the Jerry Cohen Radiobiology Laboratory in the Department of Nuclear Engineering.
“A significant aspect of the Laboratory’s work will be to train nuclear engineering students to utilize their skills to medical and biological applications.”
It will also further her ongoing brachytherapy research program that is directed toward a one-step treatment procedure for anatomically accessible tumors, such as found in breast, prostate, brain, and head and neck.
“Much of what is known about low-dose effects has been inferred primarily from studying high-dose exposure from nuclear fallout and human contact with radioactivity,” explains Jerry Cohen. Cohen is a well-known scientist, formerly with the University of California Radiation Laboratory.
“A major objective of the studies at the Jerry Cohen Radiobiology Laboratory will be to gain an understanding of the phenomenology behind the interaction of low-dose radiation with living tissues.”
Jerry Cohen is a resident of Walnut Creek, California. He is a former Detroit resident, and a graduate of the University of Michigan, as well as the Cass Technical High School.
The Jerry Cohen Radiobiology Laboratory will be dedicated at the 2010 BGU Board of Governors’ Meeting in May.
American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev plays a vital role in sustaining David Ben-Gurion's vision, creating a world-class institution of education and research in the Israeli desert, nurturing the Negev community and sharing the University's expertise locally and around the globe. With some 19,000 students on campuses in Beer-Sheva, Sede Boqer and Eilat in Israel’s southern desert, BGU is a university with a conscience, where the highest academic standards are integrated with community involvement, committed to sustainable development of the Negev.
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