INSTITUTIONAL NEWS
Gabriel Rabinovich entered the US National Academy of Sciences
He joined the Academy for his significant contributions to original research into cancer and immunological diseases
Next Saturday April 29th, Gabriel Rabinovich, senior researcher of the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) at the Institute of Biology and Experimental Medicine (IBYME, CONICET-FIBYME), is going to enter the US National Academy of Sciences (NAS) as an associate foreign member. The ceremony is going to take place at 9 pm (Argentina) at the NAS headquarters in Washington DC.
Last year, the American scientific institution announced that there will be 84 new members and 21 associate foreign members, a group that includes Rabinovich, the only Argentine researcher.
According to the Academy, their members become part “in recognition for their significant and continuous achievements in original research.” The NAS was founded in March 1863 by Abraham Lincoln and it gathers the most distinguished scientists of all the world. Currently, it comprises 2.291 American researchers and 465 associate foreign researchers.
When he learned about his distinction, Rabinovich –who leads the Immunopathology Laboratory of the IBYME and is the deputy director at the same institution- said: “It is a great honor for me; I’m full of joy. But this is not an individual achievement, it is a recognition to all my research team and all the institutions I worked with over time. I was very pleased to receive the news from the NAS, I’ll never forget that day.”
He began as PhD student at the Departamento de Bioquímica Clínica de la Facultad de Ciencias Químicas of the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (1992-1999), continued as a postdoctoral researcher at the División de Inmunogenética del Hospital de Clínicas “José de San Martín” in the City of Buenos Aires (1999-2006) and is currently the director of the Immunopathology Laboratory of the IBYME IBYME since 2007 and professor at the Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales of the Universidad de Buenos Aires.
Rabinovich and his research team discovered the functions of galectins, proteins involved in the regulation of the immunological response, which play a central role in the tumor escape, inflammation, autoimmunity and infections. Their study promoted the design of new therapeutic strategies in those pathologies.
Throughout his career, the scientist published more than 200 studies in high impact journals and is a member of the editorial committee of 13 scientific journals. Currently, he and his team are working on relevant transfer strategies of the patents generated from their discoveries.
Rabinovich has received several prizes, such as the TWAS award in Medical Sciences, the “Fundación Bunge y Born” award for Career and Encouragement to Young Researchers. He also obtained the John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship, the Cancer Research Institute Award (New York), the Bernardo Houssay Bicentenario Award for young researchers, and the “2013 Premio Konex de Platino” in Basic Biomedical Sciences, among others.
It is worth mentioning that during the ceremony, Rabinovich is going to sign the book of Abraham Lincoln and will attend a gala dinner with other foreign colleagues. The event will be available through live video streaming at the NAS website.
To know the whole list of the Argentine members of the NAS, click here.