Zabludowicz Center for Autoimmune Diseases Dedicated at the Sheba Medical Center
The Zabludowicz Center for Autoimmune Diseases was dedicated today the Sheba Medical Center in Israel, in the presence of the donors, Poju and Anita Zabludowicz of Britain. Celebrations were also held to mark the significant contributions of three additional donors to the center: Mr. Victor Changuiz, Mr. Leon Shaller, and Mr. Itshak Rasin - each of whom is over 90 years of age.
The Zabludowicz Center for Autoimmune Diseases will centralize under one roof at Sheba all aspects of autoimmune research and treatment, and bringing together physicians and researchers from multidisciplinary fields such as internal medicine, clinical immunology, autoimmunity, rheumatology, ophthalmology, neurology, obstetrics and gynecology.
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Prof. Yehuda Shoenfeld (left) and Prof. Zeev Rotstein (right) with Poju and Anita Zabludowicz |
The center is headed by Prof. Yehuda Shoenfeld, one of the leading clinical immunologists and experts in rheumatology and allergy. A prolific author, he has published more than 1,500 papers in the top scientific journals, and authored and edited 25 books. Some of these volumes are considered cornerstones of science and clinical practice, such as The Mosaic of Autoimmunity and the Autoantibodies textbook. He is also the founder and editor of the Israel Medical Association Journal and the internationally known journals Autoimmunity Reviews and the Journal of Autoimmunity.
Prof. Shoenfeld has developed novel approaches for the treatment and prevention of several autoimmune diseases, including the discovery of autoimmune pathways that lead to miscarriages. Recently, he even discovered a new syndrome, which has been formally named after him by the international scientific community - Shoenfeld's Syndrome.
Among the prominent public personalities who participated in the dedication ceremony were the Israeli Deputy Minister of Health, Rabbi Yaakov Litzman, and Celia Gould, the wife of UK Ambassador to Israel Mathew Gould. Mrs. Gould read aloud a letter of congratulations from British Foreign Secretary William Hague.
Autoimmune diseases afflict an estimated 20 percent of the population. These diseases result from a dysfunctional immune system in which the body attacks its own organs, tissues and cells. Autoimmune diseases include rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, Crohn's disease, lupus, and about 80 other syndromes. Poor quality of life, high health care costs, and substantial loss of productivity are some of the social and financial burdens imposed by these debilitating diseases, which quite often are fatal. There can be viral, bacterial, parasitic, fungal or other type of infections that trigger an autoimmune disease, along with genetic factors. There are also various environmental factors such as the sun (which can trigger lupus attacks), paints (scleroderma), and even living near an airport. Women are much more susceptible than men to autoimmune diseases, Shoenfeld notes, because their sex hormones strengthen their immune systems.
"Two decades of advanced research now allow us to identify genetic, environmental, and infectious causes of certain autoimmune diseases and to develop novel approaches for treatment and prevention," says Prof. Shoenfeld. "There is a revolution in biological drugs for autoimmune diseases, and these discoveries are developing in Israel and at Sheba."
