Alexander Levitzki

Alexander Levitzki was born in Jerusalem in 1940.[1] He pursued advanced scientific training at the Weizmann Institute of Science, completing his Ph.D. there in 1968.[1]

Levitzki joined the faculty of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1975 and was promoted to full professor the following year, in 1976.[1] He served as chair of the university's Department of Biological Chemistry from 1981 to 1984, then directed the Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences from 1989 to 1993.[1]

From 1998 to 2004, he simultaneously directed the Hebrew University's Institute of Advanced Studies and the Wolfson Center for Applied Structural Biology.[1] This succession of senior roles across more than two decades reflected both his scientific stature and his sustained engagement with the institutional life of Israeli research.[1]

Levitzki is recognized as a pioneer in the study of regulatory enzyme receptors and the mechanisms of signal transduction across cell membranes.[1] His investigation of how signals are transmitted into and between cells opened a path toward targeted cancer therapy: the research yielded biochemical techniques designed to destroy cancer cells without harming normal cells, and these techniques have been used in the treatment of leukemia patients.[1]

He is particularly known for developing specific chemical inhibitors of cancer-induced protein kinases and for pioneering the use of such inhibitors as agents against cancer and other diseases.[2] That work served as the basis for the development of imatinib, marketed as Gleevec, and sunitinib, marketed as Sutent, two anticancer drugs.[2]

Levitzki's contributions to science have been recognized with a series of major prizes. He received the Israel Prize for life sciences in 1990[1][3] and the Rothschild Prize for biology in 1992.[1] He was elected to the Israel Academy of Sciences in 1999.[1]

In 2005, he received the Wolf Prize for medicine as well as the European Society of Clinical Oncology's Hamilton-Fairley Award for cancer research.[1] In 2013, Levitzki was due to receive a major award from the American Association for Cancer Research.[4] In 2017, Levitzki and Weizmann Institute professor Zelig Eshhar jointly received the Emet Prize in the Life Sciences category for their cancer research.[2] The prize recognized academic and professional achievements with far-reaching influence and significant contributions to Israeli society; it carried an award of between $100,000 and $200,000 per winner, depending on whether a category was shared.[2]

Beyond his scientific work, Levitzki participated in the 15th American-Israel Dialogue in 1979, where he engaged publicly with questions of Jewish identity and the relationship between Israel and American Jewry.[5] On the question of Jewish identity, he noted that his connection to Judaism was mediated through Jewish history and Jewish development, adding: "Without this mediation I might prefer Socrates to the Bible."[5] In the same discussion, he said he knew little about what had been defined as popular culture and questioned blanket scorn toward younger generations.[5]

On the relationship between the two communities, he was direct: "I cannot accept the proposition that our communities are best served by a separation from each other."[5] He argued that Israel depended on the support of American Jews, that Israel in turn contributed to American Jewish life, and that a united Jewry mattered to Jewish communities in other countries who relied on that solidarity.[5]

Addressing the question of public criticism of Israeli policy, he argued that such criticism was welcomed inside Israel: "We welcome them in Israel because we want the truth—the truth about the feelings of American Jews."[5] He nevertheless suggested that letters conveying that criticism be directed to Maariv rather than to The New York Times.[5]