Prof Nissim Benvenisty is the Herbert Cohn Chair in Cancer Research and the Director of the Azrieli Center for Stem Cells and Genetic Research at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. He earned his MD and PhD degrees from the Hebrew University and conducted postdoctoral studies at Harvard University, USA. Prof Benvenisty’s research projects focus on stem cell biology, tissue engineering, human genetics and cancer research. He has published numerous original and review papers on human pluripotent stem cells and serves on the editorial board of various stem cell-related journals. He is a member of both the Steering Committee of the International Stem Cell Initiative (ISCI) and the Programme Board of the UK Regenerative Medical Platform (MRC), and he also serves as the academic advisor for the International Symposia of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR). Prof Benvenisty has presented the issue of human embryonic stem cells at many international conferences and has given testimonies before the US Senate and the European Union. He has been awarded several prizes, among them the Foulkes Prize (London), the Hestrin Prize, the Teva Prize, the Kaye Prize, the Milken Prize, the ACTO Award and the Katzir Prize.