The Vera and John Schwartz Family Center for Metabolic Biology provides Weizmann Institute scientists with the advanced tools and expertise they need to explore the biochemical building blocks of metabolism. Recent technological advances in metabolomics have greatly advanced biological research, helping to clarify the molecular basis for many cellular processes.
The Metabolic Profiling Unit within the Life Science Core Facilities is supported by the Vera and John Schwartz Family Center for Metabolic Biology. Serving more than 20 research groups at the Weizmann Institute, the Metabolic Profiling Unit promotes the use and advancement of mass spectrometry and liquid chromatographic techniques for the analysis of biological materials.
Director
Prof. Tamar Geiger
Prof. Asaph Aharoni’s research focuses on metabolites—chemicals produced by plant species that help plants cope with a changing environment. A technology innovator, he has created a novel suite of tools for experimental biology which are used by plant scientists all over the world, and have led to discoveries currently being developed in start-up companies related to the agriculture and food industries. His research has led to new biomedical discoveries, including insights about the chemistry of cannabis, and the bio-engineering of plants to produce L-DOPA, the leading drug for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.
Prof. Aharoni serves on the editorial board of The Plant Journal. Among his many honors, he has received a European Research Council grant for starting independent investigators (2007); the James Heineman Research Award for Biological and Biomedical Research (2010); the Levinson Prize in Biology (2008); and the Yigal Alon Fellowship, awarded by the Council for Higher Education in Israel (2005). In 2016 Prof. Aharoni received the Andre Deloro Prize, awarded by the Weizmann Institute to a scientist who is doing particularly outstanding work in his or her field.
