Prof. Yoram Palti awarded Israel Prize

“This breakthrough required thinking outside the box… and required Prof. Palti to face and change existing beliefs and perceptions in the field,” the panel wrote. “Prof. Palti’s achievements are a source of great pride for the State of Israel and inspiration for the younger generations,” Shasha-Bitton wrote on Twitter.

The president of the Technion, Prof. Uri Sivan, also congratulated Palti. “We are very proud and happy of the important recognition and the prestigious award to Prof. Palti, who not only developed a new technology but also a new approach to cancer treatment — an approach that does not involve chemotherapy and other pharmacological treatments.

“Prof. Palti’s work is a wonderful example of a combination of engineering and medicine — a combination that is one of the biggest features of the Technion. Prof. Palti is an example and role model for the rare ability to translate science into applications that are beneficial to humanity, through a combination of in-depth research and entrepreneurship.”

First awarded in 1953, the Israel Prize is presented annually in four categories — the humanities, science, culture and lifetime achievement — and is considered one of the highest honors in the country.

The awards ceremony is traditionally held as part of Israel’s Independence Day celebrations, with the prizes handed to the winners by the country’s leaders, such as the president, prime minister, the speaker of the Knesset and the chief justice of the Supreme Court.