On Thursday, December 18, Rambam Health Care Campus hosted the final Beutler Symposium: Israel’s Frontiers in Genomic Medicine, concluding a long-time scientific initiative that has shaped Israel’s genomic research landscape and strengthened the bridge between discovery and clinical care.
The Beutler Symposium, a biennial scientific conference supported by the Ernest and Bonnie Beutler Research Program of Excellence in Genomic Medicine, brought together leading scientists and clinicians from across Israel, alongside Nobel Laureate Professor Bruce Beutler, for a full day of research presentations showcasing the depth and diversity of genomic medicine in Israel. The scientific program, moderated by Professor Rafael Beyar, Chair of the Beutler Program’s Scientific Advisory Council since its inception, reflects the program’s founding vision: scientific excellence, cross-institutional collaboration, and research with clear clinical relevance.
Established in 2012 by Bonnie Beutler, of blessed memory, in honor of her late husband Dr. Ernest Beutler, a renowned clinician-scientist and hematologist from the United States, the program was created to advance genomic medicine research conducted by Israeli investigators. Over its lifetime, the Beutler Program selected ten investigators based solely on scientific excellence, providing each with $100,000 per year for five years. Awardees have represented leading institutions across Israel, including Rambam, the Technion, Weizmann Institute of Science, Tel Aviv University, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Sheba Medical Center, and their work has contributed to advances in genetics, immunity, cancer biology, infectious disease, and translational diagnostics, with direct relevance to patient care.
Opening this year’s symposium, Dr. Michal Mekel, Rambam’s Director General celebrated the program’s decade-long impact, and thanked the Beutler family for their commitment to advancing genomic medicine research. The scientific program opened with a keynote lecture by Professor Beutler, who presented his work on identifying cancer resistant mutations in mice, underscoring the continued relevance of fundamental genetic discovery to future cancer therapies.
Subsequent sessions featured presentations by senior Israeli researchers at the forefront of genomic and translational medicine. Professor Karl Skorecki (Rambam) presented research on APOL1-mediated kidney disease as a population and evolutionary genetics success story. Professor Gideon Rechavi (Sheba Medical Center and Tel Aviv University) explored the clinical potential of epitranscriptomics, while Dr. Liran Shlush (Weizmann Institute) addressed advances in leukemia diagnosis using peripheral blood.
Later sessions focused on emerging therapeutic and diagnostic approaches, including Professor Karen Avraham (Tel Aviv University) on epigenomics and gene therapy in deafness, Professor Roy Kishony (Technion) on predicting antibiotic resistance, Professor Yuval Dor (Hebrew University) on epigenetic liquid biopsy, and Professor Rotem Sorek (Weizmann Institute) on bacterial immune systems and their connection to human innate immunity.
Together, the presentations demonstrated how genomic research in Israel continues to move fluidly between basic science and clinical application, shaping diagnostics, treatment strategies, and future therapeutic possibilities.
In his closing remarks, Professor Beyar reflected on the enduring legacy of Bonnie and Ernest Beutler, whose vision and generosity established a program that will continue to shape genomic medicine through the researchers it supported and the discoveries it enabled, in Israel and beyond.
