Prof. Yoram Salomon of the Department of Biological Regulation was a leading cancer researcher whose insights are being used to save and extend lives. He passed away in 2017 at age 76 leaving behind his wife, Daniela, their three children, and six grandchildren.

Born in Tiberias, Israel, Yoram Salomon earned his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1972. After three years of postdoctoral research at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, he joined the Department of Hormone Research at the Weizmann Institute of Science in 1975, was promoted to Associate Professor in 1980 and Full Professor in 1990. As a Visiting Professor at Rockefeller University in New York in 1981, he spent a sabbatical at the Population Council before returning to the Weizmann Institute, where he was appointed Head of its Biological Services (1982-1986). Other appointments at the Institute include Chairman of the Department of Hormone Research (1986-1992), where he was the incumbent of the Charles W. and Tillie K. Lubin Professorial Chair, Chairman of the Scientific Council (1995-1996), and Chairman of the Professorial Promotions Committee of the Life Sciences Faculty (1999-2002).

In his early years at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Prof. Yoram Salomon explored the mechanisms of signal transduction of hormonal regulation.

Later he focused on the development of new therapeutic approaches to cancer, age-related macular degeneration and, more recently, ectopic pregnancy, in collaboration with Institute colleague Prof. Avigdor Scherz, of the Department of Plant Sciences.

His main research focus in the last 20 years of his life was the collaborative project with Avigdor Scherz in which the two scientists developed a therapy to eradicate tumors by destroying blood vessels surrounding the growths, using light and chlorophyll derivatives.

Shortly after his death the therapy called Tookad-Soluble Vascular Targeted Therapy (TS-VTP®) was approved. In the link below, see a short video (in Hebrew) in which his colleague Avigdor Scherz, and his wife Daniela are interviewed about the research and approval of the treatment.

Avigdor Scherz is quoted referring to Yoram as reliable, knowledgeable and a mensch and Daniela mentions how happy he was when a month before his death he heard that the treatment was about to be approved.

Yoram also developed a novel approach to functional magnetic resonance imaging that enables online monitoring of the photodynamic process, with Prof. Michal Neeman of the Institute’s Department of Immunology and Regenerative Biology.

One of his passions and talents was photography, particularly of nature.