Eli Keshet () is an Israeli biochemist and professor of

molecular biology Molecular biology is a branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecule, molecular basis of biological activity in and between Cell (biology), cells, including biomolecule, biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactio ...

at the

Hebrew University The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; ) is an Israeli public research university based in Jerusalem. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann in July 1918, the public university officially opened on 1 April 1925. It is the second-ol ...

of Jerusalem. He is the laureate of the 2021

Israel Prize The Israel Prize (; ''pras israél'') is an award bestowed by the State of Israel, and regarded as the state's highest cultural honor. History Prior to the Israel Prize, the most significant award in the arts was the Dizengoff Prize and in Israel ...

for Life Sciences.

Biography

Keshet completed his B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D. at the

of Jerusalem. His post-doctoral work included studies in the laboratory of Howard Temin at the University of Wisconsin (1976–79). In 1982 he began teaching at the

, becoming an associate professor in 1986 and a full professor in 1993. In 2006 he won the

EMET Prize The EMET Prize for Art, Science and Culture is an Israeli prize awarded annually for excellence in academic and professional achievements that have far-reaching influence and make a significant contribution to society. Prizes are awarded in the fo ...

, in 2014 the Rothchild award and 2015 the NAVBO Benditt Meritorious Award.

Research

His main research area deals with the question of how new

blood vessels Blood vessels are the tubular structures of a circulatory system that transport blood throughout many animals’ bodies. Blood vessels transport blood cells, nutrients, and oxygen to most of the tissues of a body. They also take waste an ...

are created when there is a shortage of oxygen. This process has far-reaching implications for the development of diseases concerning the eye's retina, as well as cancer. Keshet's findings also brought the realization that the excess oxygen given to babies who were born prematurely may cause them blindness, and has brought about a change in the way they are treated. Keshet published more than 130 papers in journals which have been cited over 34,000 times.

Selected papers

* D Shweiki, A Itin, D Soffer, E Keshet, Vascular endothelial growth factor induced by hypoxia may mediate hypoxia-initiated angiogenesis, Nature 359, 10, 1992, pp. 843–845 * Tamar Alon, Itzhak Hemo, Ahuva Itin, Jacob Pe'er, Jonathan Stone, Eli Keshet, Vascular endothelial growth factor acts as a survival factor for newly formed retinal vessels and has implications for retinopathy of prematurity, Nature medicine, 1, 10, 1995, pp. 1024–1028 * Laura E Benjamin, Eli Keshet, Conditional switching of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in tumors: induction of endothelial cell shedding and regression of hemangioblastoma-like vessels, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 94, 8, 1997, pp. 8761–8766

Awards

* 2021: Israel Prize for life sciences * 2015: NAVBO Benditt Meritorious Award for an American's life-work in the study of blood vessels diseases * 2015: Teva Founders Award * 2014: Rothschild Award * 2006: EMET Award

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keshet, Eli 1945 births Living people Scientists from Tel Aviv Israel Prize in life sciences recipients who were biochemists Israeli Jews Scientists from Jerusalem Jewish biologists Jewish chemists Educators from Jerusalem Academic staff of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni EMET Prize recipients in the Life Sciences Israeli biochemists