Sonia Newell – Development Officer

Mazal Tov to one of our parents, Sarah Kummerfeld, who is also an Emanuel School graduate (Head Madricha, Class of 1997).

A recent post on the Garvan Institute Facebook page announced: “A/Prof Sarah Kummerfeld, Head of Science of the Kinghorn Centre for Clinical Genomics at The Garvan Institute, was part of a team to publish a study in the prestigious journal, Science. While working at @Genentech in the US, she helped reveal how variants in the gene BAP1 predispose individuals to certain types of cancers. 
https://science.sciencemag.org/content/364/6437/283

Sarah says “I am thrilled to have this work published in Science. It was a huge team effort over more than five years and a fair share of challenges along the way making it all the more exciting to see it finally out in print.” The paper, “Intrinsic apoptosis shapes the tumor spectrum linked to inactivation of the deubiquitinase BAP1” as Sarah says, is not the catchiest title, but with a few definitions it may be less cryptic? 

“BAP1 is the gene we were studying, it encodes a protein that we knew was important for stopping cancer. People without a properly working BAP1 gene develop cancers in their 20s (especially some Melanomas and Mesothelioma). Apoptosis is a type of cell death, it can be a good thing when it kills off cells that would have become cancers. Deubiquitinases are proteins that take ubiquitin molecules off DNA which then turns the genes nearby on.  We were trying to understand what it is that BAP1 is doing to stop cancer cells from growing and why it works so well in some types of cells but not in others.”

Sarah is not the only Emanuel alumn involved with research work in the field of cancer.  We are also reminded about “Remember September”: https://rememberseptember.gofundraise.com.au started by Ben Wilheim (Class of 2008) to raise awareness and much needed funding towards finding a cure for pancreatic cancer, and also David Mizrahi (Class of 2005) who heads off to Tennessee soon on his Fullbright Commission Postdoctoral Fellowship Award to further investigate exercise in the management of oncology (cancer) patients. 

YOU could be the one to give the GIFT of LIFE to a blood cancer patient: www.giftoflifeaustralia.org.au

The late Shula Endrey-Walder OAM

As announced on their recent Facebook post, “Join the Aussie stem cell and Bone Marrow Donor Registry as a potential life-saving blood stem cell donor at the Yom Ha’atzmaut carnival to celebrate Israel’s 71^st birthday on Sunday 5 May @ Moriah College from 4pm to 7pm.” All it takes is completing a medical questionnaire and giving a 6ml blood sample.  You need to be healthy, 18 to 45 years old, 50+kg, neither pregnant nor breastfeeding, and be willing to save a life!  “Let’s do this in honour and memory of Shula Endrey – Walder OAM, through whose passion and dedication many lives have been saved.”  Shula who sadly passed away in January this year, was an Emanuel grandparent.

If you cannot attend on Sunday, testing is also available at The Wolper Jewish Hospital in Woollahra.  Please phone 9328 6077 for more details.

Max Guerry (Class of 2008) with Garry Case, Natalie Lijovic and Tina Greenhill

We are always thrilled to see alumni back at Emanuel School, even if it is only for a short visit.  Max Guerry (Head Madrich, Class of 2008) who now lives in Canada, was back in Sydney visiting family last month and he attended our Primary Pesach celebrations on 11 April  2019 with his nieces Lily Foltyn (Year 4) and her sister Matilda (Year 1),  whose mother Eve Guerry is also an alumna and Head Madricha, Class of 1998.  Max managed to also catch up with some of his teachers which was a nice surprise for them all.

Save the Date

Breakfast with Emanuel – 12 June 2019 in Bondi Junction, and19 June 2019 in the CBD, hosted by KPMG.

Time: 7:30am to 9:00am

Topics: Driving for Deep Learning and welfare and well-being of our students.

More details out soon. 

If you have photos and/or news to share, please send it to me at: snewell@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au