Long time ICIS member, David Wallace, was the last President of the International Cytokine Society (ISC) in 2011 before the merger with the International Society for Interferon and Cytokine Research (ISICR) which become the International Cytokine & Interferon Society (ICIS) in 2012. He was co-president of the newly merged ICIS, together with Charles Samuel in 2012. On Wednesday 8 December 2021 at 3pm honorary degrees of the University of Dublin were conferred on David Wallach, James Ivan McGuire and Deirdre McLoughlin at a Commencements Ceremony in the Public Theatre.On Wednesday 8 December 2021 at 3pm honorary degrees of the University of Dublin were conferred on David Wallach, James Ivan McGuire and Deirdre McLoughlin at a Commencements Ceremony in the Public Theatre.
David Wallach (Sc.D.)
David Wallach is Professor of Molecular Biology at the Weizmann Institute, Israel. A pioneering researcher in the fields of inflammation and the mechanisms of cell-death, his seminal work led to biological therapies that improve the quality of life of millions of patients with chronic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease, and yielded insight to some of the major molecular mechanisms by which the death of cells is regulated. He was of the first to isolate the cytokine Tumour Necrosis Factor (TNF) and the first to isolate its receptors, discovering that TNF receptors could be used to inhibit inflammation; the basis for the development of subsequent therapies. A student of Joyce and in particular Ulysses, he was instrumental in fostering closer links between Trinity and the Weizmann Institute, leading to active scientific collaborations and the exchange of scientists. This also led to the organisation of two joint research conferences which hosted five Nobel Laureates in Dublin. He has received many international awards including The Rappaport Prize for BioMedical Research, for work that advances the health of mankind. He recently received the Paul Erhlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize (2018), in memory of the Nobel laureate Paul Erhlich.