Professor Yechezkel Barenholz is an esteemed emeritus professor whose pioneering work has fundamentally shaped the field of nanomedicine and drug delivery systems. He served as head of the Laboratory of Membrane and Liposome Research at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology within the Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School in Jerusalem, Israel, where he established himself as a global authority on lipid-based therapeutic applications. With over 46 years of dedicated research experience spanning biochemistry, biophysics, and nanotechnology, Professor Barenholz has built an exceptional career that transformed theoretical concepts into life-saving medical treatments. His institutional home at one of Israel's premier medical research centers provided the foundation for groundbreaking innovations that would revolutionize pharmaceutical approaches worldwide.
Professor Barenholz is internationally recognized as one of the key inventors of Doxil, the first liposomal drug and the first nano-medicine approved by the FDA in November 1995, which dramatically improved treatment outcomes for breast and ovarian cancer patients. His research program has produced more than 435 peer-reviewed publications that have accumulated over 39,000 citations with an h-index exceeding 98, placing him among the world's top 5,000 scientists according to Stanford University evaluations. As a prolific innovator, he is the co-inventor of more than 55 allowed patents, over half of which have been commercially licensed, demonstrating the extraordinary translational impact of his work from laboratory discovery to clinical application. The development of liposomal drug delivery systems under his guidance created a paradigm shift in therapeutic agent delivery, significantly enhancing efficacy while reducing systemic toxicity across numerous disease applications.
In recognition of his transformative contributions, Professor Barenholz received the prestigious Israel Prime Minister 2020 EMET prize in The Exact Sciences, specifically for his groundbreaking work in Nanotechnology. He has played a pivotal role in mentoring generations of scientists and co-founded twelve research start-ups based on his innovations, including Ayana Pharma LTD which developed the FDA-approved generic version of Doxil in October 2021. His editorial contributions to leading scientific journals and continuous leadership in the field continue to shape research directions in nanomedicine and liposome technology worldwide. As an active emeritus professor, Professor Barenholz maintains significant influence in advancing liposome-based nano-drugs for cancer treatment, inflammatory diseases, auto-immune conditions, and bacterial infections, ensuring his legacy continues to drive medical innovation for future generations.
