• Establishment of the Molecular Genetics Institute
• Goals of the Institute
• Financial Resources
• Academic Committee Members 
• Annual Scientific Symposia
• International Workshops and other Meetings
• Travel Scholarships
• Publications 

Establishment of the Molecular Genetics Institute   

The Molecular Genetics Institute at Tel Aviv University was established in 1997 through an endowment from the family of Dr. Jaime Constantiner. The Institute is named for Dr. Constantiner and in memory of his late wife Joan ( nee Sourisky). The Institute is under the joint aegis of the George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences and the Sackler Faculty of Medicine. The Institute was inaugurated during the Board of Governors meeting, on Wednesday May 21 1997. Professor Ephraim Katzir, the fourth President of the State of Israel, addressed the audience and Dr. Arturo Constantiner responded on behalf of the family. Professor Gerald Cohen, the appointed first director of the new Institute delivered a lecture entitled The Coming of Age of Molecular Genetics and the Making of a New Global View of Biology. 

Goals of the Institute     

The primary goals of the Institute are i) to promote fundamental research in molecular genetics, ii) to organize scientific meetings which bring together junior and senior members of the Israel academic community and prominent scientists from abroad, and iii) to fund travel scholarships for graduate students and postdocs to attend international meetings, workshops and courses and to engage in collaborative research.

Financial Resources     

The principal source of funding of the Institute's activities is the income derived from the investment of the Institute's endowment. A secondary source of funds donated by the Constantiner family is dedicated for Travel Scholarship Awards to graduate students and postdocs.  

Academic Committee Members     

The Academic Committee of the Institute consists of Professors Itzhak Ofek, Karen Avraham (Sackler Faculty of Medicine), Adina Breiman, Martin Kupieck (George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences), Mia Horowitz and Gerald Cohen.

Annual Scientific Symposia    

The Institute holds each year a Scientific Symposium devoted to recent advances in the field of molecular genetics. These encompass current developments in molecular genetics in medicine, the life sciences, agriculture and industry. The symposia bring together leading scientists from abroad and senior Israeli scientists, postdocs and graduate students in a friendly interactive environment. The meetings are located in attractive resorts overlooking the Sea of Galilee.  

1^st Symposium - Molecular Genetics of Bacterial Pathogenesis, May 6-8 1998, Ramot.
Organizers: Eliora Ron and Itzak Ofek

2^nd Symposium - Plant Genomics, May 18-20, 1999, Maagan
Organizer: Adina Breiman

3^rd Symposium on Human Genetics in the Post Genomic Age, November 13-15 2000, Maagan.
Organizer: Karen Avraham

4^th Symposium on The COP9 Signalsome, Proteosome and eIF3 at the Crossroads of Signaling, April 30 - May 3, 2002, Maagan in conjunction with the Medical Faculty Charite, Humboldt University, Berlin.
Organizers: Daniel Chamovitz, Michael Glickman, Wolfgang Dubiel, Chris Norbury Daniel Segal and Ning Wei

5th Symposium on Post-transcriptional events and RNA fate, Maagan, May 13-15, 2003 Organizer: Orna Elroy-Stein
Website http://www.tau.ac.il/lifesci/rna

Suggestions for topics for future annual symposia are welcomed.

International Workshops and Other Scientific Meetings   

In addition to the Annual Symposia, the Institute promotes scientific meetings and workshops of general interest within the Faculties of Medicine and Life Sciences. To date these include:

1^st International Workshop on Integration of Signaling Pathways: The Role of Multi-Protein Complexes, November 2-5 1999, Maagan. In conjunction with the Israel Science Foundation.

Organizers: Danniel Chamovitz, Michael Glickman, Daniel Segal

A Binational UK-Israel Symposium on Biotransformation and Biosynthesis: From Enzyme Evolution to Industrial Biocatalysis, February 14-16, 2000, Tel Aviv University. In conjunction with the Ministry of Science, Israel and the British Council.

Organizers: Amihay Freeman, Yuval Shoham

2^nd  One-day International Symposium on New Concepts and Developments in Structural Biology, May 3 2000, Tel Aviv University.
Organizers: David Gutnick, Ada Yonath, Felix Frolow, Joel Sussman and Joel Hirsch.

Sequence, Structure and Function in Membrane Protein Systems, Zichron Ya'acov, November 4-8, 2001.

In conjunction with Tel Aviv University, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, The Weizmann Institute of Science Renal Research Fund and Goldshleger Fund, Weizmann Institute of Science, The United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation, The Israel Science Foundation, Community Research and Development Information Service - CORDIS, SGI

The 3rd Congress of the Federation of Israel Societies for Experimental Biology, FISEB, February 4-7, Eilat, 2002.

Future Symposia

Suggestions for topics for future Annual Symposia in the field of Molecular Genetics are welcomed. The Institute is also willing to consider suggestions for participating in the holding of scientific meetings, workshops and courses in Israel in areas of Molecular and Cell Biology, Structural Biology, Bioinformatics and related disciplines.

Travel Scholarships     

The Institute provides financial support towards the cost of travel expenses for young scientists, postdocs and graduate students within the Faculties of Life Sciences and Medicine at Tel Aviv University for active participation in international meetings, workshops and courses. Details for application for a Travel Scholarship can be obtained from the secretariat.

Ms. Dina Silverman
Green Building of Biotechnology, Room 007
Tel: 972-3-6407502; Fax: 972-3-6406268
E-mail dinas@post.tau.ac.il

Publications   

The Institute publishes an Annual Report of its Scientific Activities. A comprehensive report is planned on completion of the first six years of the Institute activities.