A team of Tel Aviv University students just won a gold medal at the prestigious International Synthetic Biology Competition (iGEM) in Paris, where more than 400 teams from around the world competed. Their revolutionary project: a new approach in the personalized treatment of cancers previously considered incurable.
This victory is all the more remarkable as the team's participation remained uncertain until the last moment, with several of its members still being mobilized in the Israeli army reserves. Called “Precise RNA Oncotherapy” (PROtech), their innovation makes it possible to identify and treat cancerous mutations even when they do not modify the structure of cellular proteins, a major advance compared to current treatments. This approach opens the way to tailor-made therapies for patients whose cancer was previously considered incurable. The multidisciplinary team, led by Professor Tamir Tuller from the Faculty of Engineering, brings together students from different disciplines: engineering, life sciences, medicine and exact sciences. The technology has already attracted interest from several pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and a patent application has been filed through Ramot, the university's commercialization company. Beyond their research, these young scientists are also engaged in promoting synthetic biology among Israeli high school students. In partnership with the ORT network, they have created a specific sector aimed at training hundreds of students in the coming year. “In these difficult times, students have brought great pride to Tel Aviv University and the State of Israel,” underlines Professor Tuller, also welcoming the support of Startup Nation Central and the Entrepreneurship Center of the university in the entrepreneurial training of students.
