Hebrew University start-up wins Asper Prize for approach to cancer treatment

A biotechnology start-up developing a way to turn the body’s immune system against cancer has won Hebrew University’s 2026 Asper Prize, taking the top honor in a competition showcasing ventures emerging from the university community.

ViVac Pharma received the “Hebrew University Rising start-up” title and a NIS 100,000 award for its work on RNA-based immunotherapies. Its current programs focus on liver and ovarian cancers, with a broader ambition to develop a programmable platform for treating solid tumors.

The early-stage Israeli company was founded by Prof. Chezy Barenholz of Hebrew University, co-inventor of the pioneering cancer treatment Doxil, and Dr. Lior Nissim, head of the university’s Synthetic Biology Laboratory at the Faculty of Medicine. Led by CEO Keren Leshem, it combines synthetic biology with engineered lipid nanoparticles, which carry genetic instructions into cells.

The goal is to make tumors recognizable to the immune system and prompt an attack against them. The company is pursuing that goal by drawing on the immune response associated with viral infection.

ViVac’s platform uses redesigned viral genetic blueprints to create synthetic RNA replicons: Genetic instructions engineered with limits on their ability to replicate. According to the company, these are designed to reproduce the immune-stimulating effects of an infection inside a tumor without using a live virus.

The intended result is a coordinated response involving both immune cells and antibodies, alongside immune memory that could help the body recognize cancer cells in the future. Those aims remain part of the company’s development program; the prize recognizes the venture’s promise rather than establishing its effectiveness as a treatment.

For Nissim, the scientific work is driven by a vision extending far beyond the competition.

“I believe that our grandchildren’s grandchildren will look back on this era with sorrow and wonder how people once died from cancer,” he said.

The annual Asper Prize is organized by ASPER-HUJI Innovate, Hebrew University’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, in partnership with The Asper Foundation. It supports entrepreneurship among the university’s students, faculty and alumni, helping promising companies move from research and early development toward businesses capable of bringing their ideas to market.

Following a rigorous review process, six finalists presented their ventures to an international gathering of the university’s governing community. Alongside ViVac Pharma were ATED Therapeutics, developing a blood test for Parkinson’s disease; HEQA Security, specializing in quantum-safe communications; Itay&Beyond, combining brain organoids and AI to assess drug efficacy; Pickommerce AI Robotics, developing autonomous warehouse picking and packing systems; and Plas-Free, advancing blood transfusion technologies for severe bleeding.

The range reflected a common challenge facing research-based start-ups: Translating specialized knowledge into something that can address a practical need. For medical ventures, that means turning an idea with scientific potential into a treatment or technology whose performance can be assessed.

Hebrew University President Prof. Tamir Sheafer said the finalists demonstrated the breadth of innovation taking shape across the institution.

“These ventures show how ideas developed through research can become solutions for some of the world’s most urgent challenges,” he said.

“This competition is not only about selecting one winner. It is about recognizing the creativity, scientific depth, and entrepreneurial spirit of our students, faculty, alumni, and partners, and the University’s responsibility to help bring that work into the world.”

The competition also highlights ventures aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, placing their commercial ambitions alongside their potential contribution to wider social needs.

For ViVac, the award provides financial support as it continues developing its technology and pursuing growth. The platform’s programmable design is central to its ambition: The company is seeking to establish an approach that could be adapted to different solid tumors.

Its work brings together two areas of biotechnology: Engineering genetic instructions to produce a desired biological response, and designing delivery systems to carry those instructions where they are needed.

Gail Asper, a trustee of The Asper Foundation and president of The Gail Asper Foundation, said the finalists shared a determination to apply ambitious technologies to significant problems.

“Across medicine, cybersecurity, AI and robotics, these entrepreneurs are not simply developing impressive technologies – they are working to change what is possible,” she said. “That combination of excellence, purpose and entrepreneurial determination is exactly what the Asper Prize was created to celebrate.”

Dr. Amnon Dekel, executive director of ASPER-HUJI Innovate, similarly emphasized the work required to move an idea beyond the research setting.

“The finalists of this year’s Asper Prize demonstrate what innovation is ultimately about: Taking ambitious ideas, deep scientific knowledge and technological ingenuity and turning them into solutions to real problems,” he said.

For the winning company, the next chapter will be defined by the development of its cancer programs. The Asper Prize offers recognition and resources along that path. For ViVac’s team, the work is guided by a clear ambition: Helping the immune system identify and destroy cancers that remain difficult to treat.

This article was written in cooperation with The Hebrew University