Ruth Arnon
Immunologist, Copaxone co-developer and a leader of Israel’s scientific community
Ruth Arnon, born in 1933, helped connect an understanding of the immune system with the development of medical tools. Her work at the Weizmann Institute combined molecular design, experimentation and an interest in practical applications. Best known as a co-developer of Copaxone, she also made substantial contributions through research, scientific training and institutional leadership.
Investigating how recognition works
Arnon grew up in Tel Aviv and studied chemistry and biochemistry at the Hebrew University. She undertook doctoral research under Michael Sela. Her scientific questions concerned the features that enable the immune system to recognize molecules and respond to them. Synthetic materials offered a controlled way to investigate which structures trigger responses and how those responses might be influenced.
Her research extended to vaccine approaches, parasites and infectious disease. Combining chemistry with biology allowed her to investigate mechanisms closely while asking how the resulting knowledge might eventually benefit health.
A discovery requiring years of development
With Michael Sela and Dvora Teitelbaum, Arnon participated in the research that produced Copaxone. A synthetic material tested in an animal model of an MS-like disease unexpectedly suppressed disease activity. The route from that finding to a medicine required further experiments, medical partnerships and industrial development. US approval in 1996 became a landmark in translating Israeli research into treatment. The drug helps reduce relapses in appropriate forms of multiple sclerosis; it does not cure the disease.
Science as a public undertaking
Arnon held leadership positions at Weizmann and in international scientific organizations. From 2010 to 2015, she served as the first woman president of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities. The Wolf Prize in Medicine, shared with Sela, and the Israel Prize in medical sciences recognized the significance of her work.
Why this legacy belongs in Moreshet
Arnon’s place in Moreshet rests on the connection between discovery, persistence and public responsibility. Moreshet.com records a career that contributed both to treatment with international reach and to the scientific community capable of making future discoveries. Her achievements are also an important chapter in women’s participation in the leadership of Israeli science.