Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences

The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences (AS-ILS) is a research and teaching institute within the Faculty of Sciences at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Based at the university's Edmond J. Safra Campus in Givat Ram, Jerusalem, it conducts basic and applied research across biology, biomedicine, biotechnology, agriculture, genetics, microbiology, plant science, developmental biology and related fields. It is described as the oldest life-science research institute in Israel. The institute traces its origins to 1925, the year the Hebrew University was founded. Its first institutional predecessor was the Department of Botany, established within a research unit known as the Institute for Studying the Natural History of the Land of Israel. Early researchers associated with this work included Otto Warburg, Alexander Eig, Michael Zohary and Naomi Feinbrun-Dothan. The early botanical program combined academic research with the documentation of the region's flora and the development of collections and scientific infrastructure. Two enduring initiatives were the creation of a herbarium, now connected with Israel's Natural History Collections, and the establishment of the National Botanic Garden of Israel on Mount Scopus, described as the first institution of its kind in the Middle East. The institute broadened its biological scope in 1928 when Simon Bodenheimer joined and established a Department of Zoology. This expansion moved the organization beyond botany toward a wider study of organisms, ecosystems and biological processes. Research in the departments, as in much of the Hebrew University, was severely disrupted during the 1948 War of Independence. Following the Hadassah medical convoy massacre, activity was halted completely; work resumed in April 1949. Over subsequent decades, AS-ILS developed a broad, multilevel research profile. Its work has ranged from molecular mechanisms inside cells and genetic regulation to organismal biology, agriculture, evolution and population studies. Reported areas of achievement include the characterization of Israeli and regional plant diversity, research on plant domestication in the Middle East, studies of genetic variation among Jewish communities, enzyme regulation, cellular signaling, messenger-RNA stability, microbial adaptation, antibiotic resistance and cancer biology. The institute has also contributed to research on cystic fibrosis, meiosis, DNA repair, human pluripotent and embryonic stem cells, human development, tumorigenicity, and ancient human genomics involving Neanderthals and Denisovans. AS-ILS is primarily an academic and research institution rather than a consumer-facing product brand. Its principal offerings are undergraduate and advanced study programs, laboratory research, scientific training, collections, and the generation and dissemination of biological knowledge. Undergraduate education includes single-major and joint dual-major tracks, supplementary units and excellence programs. The institute's positioning rests on the combination of a long-standing Israeli life-science heritage, university-based education, interdisciplinary research and contributions spanning fundamental biology through medically and agriculturally relevant applications.

The institutional history of the Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences begins with the founding of the Hebrew University in 1925. At that time, botanical research was organized through the Department of Botany, which formed part of a broader Institute for Studying the Natural History of the Land of Israel. The early program focused on documenting the flora and natural history of the region while establishing the collections and facilities needed for sustained scientific work. Otto Warburg, Alexander Eig, Michael Zohary and Naomi Feinbrun-Dothan were among the researchers associated with this formative period. The first decades produced institutions that continued to support Israeli biological science. A herbarium collection was established and later became part of Israel's Natural History Collections. The National Botanic Garden of Israel was also created on Mount Scopus, providing a major botanical resource and described as the first national botanic garden in the Middle East. In 1928, zoological research was added when Simon Bodenheimer established a Department of Zoology. The addition broadened the institute's remit from plant science to the study of animals and more general biological processes. This diversification laid the foundation for later work spanning ecology, genetics, physiology, microbiology and molecular biology. The institute's activities were interrupted by the 1948 War of Independence. Research at the Hebrew University was reduced, and following the Hadassah medical convoy massacre, work in the relevant departments stopped entirely. Academic and research activity resumed in April 1949. In the postwar period, the institute and its predecessor departments expanded their teaching and research capacity within the Hebrew University. Over time, the institute became a multidisciplinary center covering biology at several levels of organization. Its documented contributions include regional floristic surveys; research into the genetic characteristics of Jewish ethnic groups that informed genetic counseling in Israel; analysis of plant domestication and the development of Middle Eastern crops; and studies of enzyme allostery, cellular signaling, messenger-RNA stability and microbial adaptation. Other reported work addressed cholera toxin and adenylyl cyclase, beta-adrenergic receptor signaling, tyrosine-kinase inhibitors, meiosis, cystic fibrosis, DNA double-strand breaks, stress-responsive gene expression and antibiotic resistance. Later research expanded further into human stem-cell biology, developmental genetics, cancer, ancient DNA and human evolution. Institute researchers are associated with work on the differentiation and tumorigenicity of human embryonic stem cells, genetic manipulation and disease modeling using pluripotent stem cells, genome-wide studies of development and disease, methylation maps of Neanderthals and Denisovans, the anatomical profile of a Denisovan, haploid human embryonic stem cells and the biological functions of transfer-RNA fragments. Today, AS-ILS operates as part of the Faculty of Sciences at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Its activities combine undergraduate teaching, advanced research training and laboratory investigation. It is not principally a commercial brand and does not appear to have a distinct consumer product portfolio; its institutional value lies in scientific research, education, collections and the development of knowledge relevant to health, agriculture, biotechnology and fundamental biology.

1. 1949Research resumed

   Activities in the affected departments were renewed in April 1949.

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2. 1948Research interrupted by war

   The War of Independence sharply reduced research activity, which stopped completely after the Hadassah medical convoy massacre.

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3. 1928Department of Zoology established

   Simon Bodenheimer established a zoology department, extending the institute's work beyond botany.

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4. 1925Botany department established

   The institute's origins were established through a Department of Botany within the Institute for Studying the Natural History of the Land of Israel, coinciding with the founding of the Hebrew University.

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5. 1925Early natural-history infrastructure developed

   The early period saw the creation of a herbarium collection and the launch of the National Botanic Garden of Israel on Mount Scopus.

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A university-based, research-intensive life-science institute combining foundational biological research, scientific education and applications in biomedicine, biotechnology and agriculture.

• Undergraduate life-science programsAcademic programs

  The institute offers undergraduate education through single-major and joint dual-major pathways, along with supplementary academic units. These programs provide structured training in biological sciences and support progression into research, medicine, biotechnology, agriculture and related fields.

• Research and scientific trainingLife-science research

  AS-ILS conducts research from molecular and cellular mechanisms to whole-organism and population-level biology. Its documented fields include biomedicine, genetics, microbiology, plant science, agriculture, biotechnology, developmental biology, cancer and human evolution.

• Herbarium and natural-history collectionsScientific collections1925

  The institute's historical botanical work includes establishment of a herbarium collection, now associated with Israel's Natural History Collections. The collection represents the institute's continuing role in documenting regional biodiversity and supporting biological research.

1. Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences