Champions of collaboration
By Tamar Morad
There may be nothing that Andi and Larry Wolfe relish more than bringing together talented people to enable new ideas to take root and partnerships to flourish.
“If you don’t collaborate, you aren’t going to get anywhere,” says Andi. “And if you do—it’s amazing what you can achieve.”
The Michigan couple attribute that proclivity to Andi’s father, the late D. Dan Kahn, whose love and admiration for his late wife, Betty, led him to establish a unique and thriving binational scientific collaboration in her memory. Today, the Wolfes, who divide their time between their homes in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and Palm Beach, Florida, have taken it even further. They have deepened the family tradition of philanthropy and volunteer leadership, building personal and professional connections among scientists and physicians, and nurturing novel areas of research. Larry is a member of the International Board of the Weizmann Institute and a member of the Board of Directors of the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science.
The impact of the Kahn and Wolfe family vision and generosity is deeply felt at the Weizmann Institute. The Michigan-Israel Partnership for Research and Education, launched and supported by the D. Dan and Betty Kahn Foundation, is a tripartite scientific relationship between the University of Michigan, the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, and the Weizmann Institute which is reaping wide rewards in new knowledge and breakthrough discovery—and has brokered countless ties between scientists and physicians.
The Wolfes’ most recent gift to the Weizmann Institute, establishing the Andrea L. and Lawrence A. Wolfe Family Center for Research on Neuroimmunology and Neuromodulation, has laid the groundwork for a novel and highly promising field of research within neuroscience. The new center is a pillar of the Azrieli Institute for Brain and Neural Sciences, a flagship project that is solidifying Weizmann’s role as a world leader in brain science.
Science doesn’t stop
With Israel’s war against regional enemies following the October 7 attacks, and the concern over recent attempts to marginalize Israeli academia, cross-border collaborations are more vital than ever—a point not lost on Andi and Larry.
“We think that collaboration between US and Israeli institutions helps Israeli science get stronger and stronger, and ensures that exceptional American scientists benefit from Israeli science,” says Larry. “At challenging times for Israel, this connectedness has particularly high value on a personal level and also means that regardless of the circumstances, science won’t stop.”
“Dan Kahn had the brilliant idea to give Israeli and American scientists and physicians the means to develop research partnerships, and Andi and Larry Wolfe picked up the torch and have been championing this mission ever since, knowing that collaboration is a foundation of scientific progress,” says Prof. Alon Chen, President of the Weizmann Institute.
“As it has grown and blossomed, this phenomenal collaboration has become a gold standard for international scientific partnerships. But it’s more than that: Andi and Larry have personally moved it forward every step of the way, forging bonds with the scientists and following the science with great enthusiasm.”
The Wolfes’ establishment of the new neuroscience center reflects similar creativity, Prof. Chen adds. “Their natural instinct for fusing different fields and connecting people is also at the heart of their generous support of a very important area of neuroscience—the interface between immunity and the brain. As a neuroscientist, I can say that there’s nothing more exciting than watching an area of brain research take root and begin to bear fruit. I’m grateful for Andi and Larry’s generosity, their leadership into new frontiers, and their commitment to building networks between three world‑leading institutions.”
Realizing a vision
Andi and Larry Wolfe first became engaged with the Weizmann Institute in 2004, on a mission to Israel. Andi’s mother, Betty, was suffering from a blood disease and Andi was interested in seeking solutions, even as time was running out. She learned about Weizmann’s work in stem cell science and was intrigued.
Betty passed away later that year. “My father-in-law immediately felt the need to do things in life before it’s too late. He also wanted to express appreciation for the University of Michigan Health System which had taken such good care of her,” says Larry. “But more than that, he loved the people he knew at the University of Michigan, and at the Technion, and wanted to bring all these brilliant people together. After much thought and discussion, he formulated a program to fund a biomedical collaboration between Michigan and the Technion.”
The concept took off, and in 2011 the two-way partnership began with two projects on cardiovascular disease and engineering. A central component is an endowed fund for a Kahn Symposium, the first of which was held that year and subsequently has been held once every 18 months. Its initial locations were alternately Michigan and Haifa; for many of the Michigan faculty, it was their first visit to Israel. Rambam Health Care Campus, the academic medical center affiliated with the Technion, was part of the equation.
Dan opened the first symposium with stirring remarks in front of more than 50 attendees. “I had never seen him so emotional, being able to forge a bond between great institutions in the US and Israel,” recalls Larry. “He was thrilled that his vision was realized. The Kahn Symposium was a highlight of his life.”
Only six weeks later, in 2012, Dan passed away. But the wheels had been set in motion. Larry replaced Dan as Kahn Foundation President, and he and Andi knew that something special had started and it was now their privilege to continue to build upon it.
The next year, the Weizmann Institute joined the partnership. With time and more scientific partners, the focus expanded to include cancer, childhood diseases, neuroscience, and more; engineering projects that originated at the Technion also played a starring role. With a critical mass of projects underway, it was formally named the Michigan‑Israel Partnership for Research and Education (MIP). The first Kahn Symposium on the Weizmann Institute campus took place in 2015.
Meanwhile, more projects were ripening to the point that they were winning grant funding from the National Institutes of Health and the US-Israel Binational Science Foundation. Eventually, such “extramural” funding began to surpass the philanthropic investment in dollar terms—an extraordinary achievement. The snowballing success inspired other donors to give to the partnership, expanding its boundaries even more.
Robotics for farmers
In 2018, the Wolfes made a new gift to the MIP, split between the three institutions, which further expanded the partnership and launched two multi-year “mega projects” involving multiple scientists from each institution. The gift also paved the way for future symposia, more grants for joint research projects, travel funding, poster sessions, and seed money for students and postdoctoral fellows to join the symposia.
The first “mega project,” in robotics and autonomous systems for farming, which wrapped up in 2019, involved experts from the engineering schools at Michigan and the Technion with Weizmann’s Profs. Shimon Ullman, Ronen Basri, and Michal Irani of the Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics. It advanced research in exoskeleton designs to enable aging and disabled farmers to continue to work productively, and, more broadly, led to new robotic systems to assist in farming tasks.
The second project, in precision health for aging, was completed in 2023 and involved Weizmann scientists Profs. Amos Tanay, Ido Amit, Liran Shlush, and Roi Avraham. Leveraging clinical data from the US, UK, and Israel, the scientists used tools in epidemiology, immunology, and computational biology to develop risk models for disease in order to foster early-intervention strategies.
Typically, at least 150 scientists and doctors attend the Kahn Symposia, with some years as many as 270—enabling countless permutations of exchanges on ideas, updates on existing projects, and brainstorming future ones. In any given year, about eight funded projects are in various stages of advancement; to date, about 100 such projects have been funded, many of which have emerged from symposia exchanges and lectures.
“It was a great pleasure attending the symposium,” says Prof. Roee Ozeri, Vice President for Development and Communications at Weizmann, who joined the 12th Kahn Symposium in 2024 in Traverse City, Michigan. “The symposium was living evidence that even in this extremely challenging time of war and conflict, scientific collaboration has not slowed down but actually has accelerated, and the strength of the partnership between Michigan and Israeli scientists has only continued to grow. At a time like this, it was truly heartwarming to witness.”
Catalyst for cooperation
The projects are intensely creative. Take the one that explores the use of silk-based nanocomposites for controlled drug release—a project co-led by Dr. Ulyana Shimanovich of the Department of Molecular Chemistry and Materials Science. Or the one co-led by Prof. Zvulun Elazar of the Department of Biomolecular Sciences to develop a new method to speed up autophagy, the body’s natural method of cleaning up dead or damaged cells so that healthy cells can flourish.
“Everyone comes way from the symposia on a personal and professional high—just as my father‑in-law envisioned,” says Larry. “Many top-down institutional collaborations don’t necessarily work because you can’t tell scientists to work together if they don’t naturally gravitate to working together. But these three institutions are all outstanding and the partnerships emerge from the ground-up: the symposium offers the framework, and for us it’s just a matter of sitting back and watching it all come together. Great gains have been made throughout the years that might not have been made independently.”
Says Andi: “I go to almost every lecture, and I find some of them extremely fascinating. I take notes. I often come away hooked on a particular subject and wanting to learn more. But most importantly, the meetings allow the participants to become friends, not competitors. They trade emails, texts, phone calls, and papers and ideas. It’s exactly the catalyst that my dad wanted.”
Prof. David J. Pinsky, MD, of the University of Michigan, who has served as the U-M head since the program’s inception, says, “Andi and Larry Wolfe are not only terrific people, but truly visionary philanthropists. Their generosity is as principled as it is uplifting, and they are giving of their personal time, energy, and resources to meaningfully change the world. I do know that they hold a special place in their hearts for the Weizmann Institute of Science as a class-leading institution, and in partnership with the Technion and the University of Michigan, are making the world a better place through scientific discovery and interpersonal connections.”
Volunteer engagement
Andi and Larry have been active in the Detroit Jewish community for a number of years and have served in many leadership roles. Andi’s involvement includes roles as past President of the Detroit Region of Women’s American ORT, as a member of the International Board of Governors of the Technion, and a member of the Board of Directors of the American Technion Society. Additionally, she sits on the Board of Hebrew Free Loan-Detroit, the Jewish Women’s Foundation of Metropolitan Detroit, Jewish Family Service, the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, and other organizations.
Larry is President of the Detroit Jewish Community Center, Adat Shalom Synagogue, and the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit, and he is General Chairman of State of Israel Bonds/Detroit. He continues his involvement with World ORT and with the University of Michigan Medicine Advisory Group.
The brain-immunity interface
The Andrea L. and Lawrence A. Wolfe Family Center for Research on Neuroimmunology and Neuromodulation is applying novel technologies to the study of the immune modulation of the brain and neural system. The gift also funds a Research Fellow Chair in the field.
This field has been thrown into focus thanks to growing understanding of the interface between the brain and immunity. Immune system dysfunction is associated with the development of neurodegenerative diseases, and chronic inflammation may contribute to chronic fatigue and mental confusion. Brain inflammation related to disease, injury, and degeneration can be life-threatening, and autoimmune disorders that affect the nervous system can pose lifelong challenges. This includes diseases like multiple sclerosis and arthritis, where Weizmann scientists have done groundbreaking work that has led to blockbuster drugs.
But the relationship between the brain and the immune system is unique, defying many rules that apply elsewhere in the body. For one, the body’s immune force includes powerful T cells and B cells, but the blood-brain barrier effectively bars their entry to the brain. The brain has its own “immune force” comprised of microglia cells.
Brain-immune interactions may also be deleterious, initiating or exacerbating diseases, while at other times the connection is compensatory and protective—even vital. This all means that knowing how to modulate the brain-immunity interface is of critical importance and could serve as a driver for the development of effective therapies.
The Wolfe Center, in the Azrieli Institute for Brain and Neural Sciences, supports the use of innovative tools and technologies to study the interactions between neurons, neural tissue, and immune cells. As such, it is a nexus of collaboration between scientists from various disciplines, from immunology to neuroscience and beyond.
“Weizmann neuroscientists are profoundly grateful for the generous academic donation of Andi and Larry Wolfe,” says Prof. Eran Hornstein of the Department of Molecular Genetics, who heads the Center. “The gift holds immense value in advancing brain research and seeking cures for late-life diseases, including neurodegeneration. This funding will significantly propel our understanding and application of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), offering new hope for regenerative medicine and therapeutic interventions.
“Additionally, the support will enhance our exploration of neuroimmunology, a critical area that bridges our knowledge of the immune system and its impact on brain health. The funding promises to unlock new frontiers in neuroscience, paving the way for groundbreaking treatments and improved quality of life for countless individuals affected by neurodegenerative diseases.”
Prof. Hornstein’s research focuses on the molecular mechanisms that drive ALS, a devastating neurodegenerative disease (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease). His lab has demonstrated that the activity of a previously unknown immune pathway in the brain could protect against ALS. He is investigating the crosstalk between microglia and neurons, which die in ALS, through the study of iPSCs—cells reprogrammed back into an embryonic-like pluripotent state that enables the development of an unlimited source of any type of human cell.
Other studies funded by the Wolfe Center are also utilizing induced pluripotent stem cells. Prof. Orly Reiner, who has a joint appointment in the departments of Molecular Genetics and Molecular Neuroscience, is using these cells to create brain organoids—artificially grown tissue that mimics the human brain—in order to study brain malformation. She recently identified a mutation in a particular gene, CEP55, that results in hydranencephaly, a condition wherein the brain’s neocortex fails to form during embryonic development. With support from the Wolfe Center, her lab is now deploying innovative tools to study CEP55 during brain development.
In another study supported by the Center, Weizmann scientists are investigating the role of microglia in how the brain remains resilient to stress. This collaboration, between Prof. Gil Levkowitz of the departments of Molecular Cell Biology and Molecular Neuroscience and Prof. Ido Amit of the Department of Systems Immunology, could potentially lead to novel treatments for mental illness.
One of Andi’s interests is inflammation and its role in health and disease, and how inflammation and immunity affect the brain, specifically. In making the gift to establish the Center, she says, “We wanted to expedite research in an area we believe in, and we felt really good about the scientists behind this effort—it’s about trust in knowing that they are truly at the cutting edge. So I think the potential is huge.”
Ido Amit is supported by:
The Moross Integrated Cancer Center
The Elsie and Marvin Dekelboum Family Foundation
The Lotte and John Hecht Memorial Foundation
Dr. Daniel C. Andreae
The Eden and Steven Romick Professorial Chair
Roi Avraham is supported by:
The Knell Family Center for Microbiology
The Shimon and Golde Picker – Weizmann Annual Grant
Ronen Basri is supported by:
The Elaine and Bram Goldsmith Professorial Chair of Applied Mathematics
Zvulun Elazar is supported by:
The Sagol Center for Research on the Aging Brain
The Harold L. Korda Professorial Chair of Biology
Eran Hornstein is supported by:
The Andrea L. and Lawrence A. Wolfe Family Center for Research on Neuroimmunology and Neuromodulation
The Sagol Center for Research on the Aging Brain
The Mondry Family Professorial Chair
Michal Irani is supported by:
The Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Institute of Mathematics and Computer Science
The Ida Kohen Center for Mathematics Research
Gil Levkowitz is supported by:
The Hedda, Alberto and David Milman Baron Center for Research on the Development of Neural Networks
The Sagol Institute for Longevity Research
The Elias Sourasky Professorial Chair
Orly Reiner is supported by:
The Andrea L. and Lawrence A. Wolfe Family Center for Research on Neuroimmunology and Neuromodulation
The Nella and Leon Benoziyo Center for Neurological Diseases
The Monroy-Marks Integrative Center for Brain Disorder Research
The Bernstein-Mason Chair of Neurochemistry
The Leir Research Fellow Chair in Autism Spectrum Disorders Research supports a staff scientist in Prof. Reiner’s lab
Ulyana Shimanovich is supported by:
The Perlman Family Foundation Founded by Anita and Louis Perlman C-AIM Young Scientist Fund
Liran Shlush is supported by:
The Abisch-Frenkel RNA Therapeutics Center
The Sagol Institute for Longevity Research
The EKARD Institute for Cancer Diagnosis Research
The Swiss Society Institute for Cancer Prevention Research
The Moross Integrated Cancer Center
The Laura and Anthony Beck and Family Fund for Research in a Data-Driven Approach to Fighting
Blood Cancer
The Redhill Foundation – Sam and Jean Rothberg Charitable Trust
The Applebaum Foundation Research Fellow Chair funds a Staff Scientist in Prof. Shlush’s lab
Prof. Shlush is Senior Associate to Dean and Head of the Weizmann Institute of Science MD-PhD Program in honor of Miriam and Aaron Gutwirth
Amos Tanay is supported by:
The Adelis Foundation
The Laura and Anthony Beck and Family Fund for Research in a Data-Driven Approach to Fighting
Blood Cancer
The Moross Integrated Cancer Center