Assaf Zinger

Assistant Professor Assaf Zinger ’12, Ph.D. ’18 returned to his alma mater in October 2021, joining the Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering. He is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Cardiovascular Science and Neurosurgery departments at the Houston Methodist Academic Institute in Texas.

One of Israel’s rising stars in the areas of chemical and biomedical engineering and nanotherapeutics, Prof. Zinger leads a team developing personalized biomimetic nanotechnology (inspired by nature) platforms for drug delivery and regenerative medicine. They are specifically trying to target atherosclerosis plaque to remedy coronary disease; glial cells to find a cure for the deadly brain cancer glioblastoma; and human neurons to treat RETT syndrome, a rare postnatal disorder. Driven by some brothers in arms suffering traumatic brain injuries in battle, Prof. Zinger is also exploring new ways of targeting therapeutics to the injured brain.

Prof. Zinger received his bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering and his master’s and doctoral degrees in Associate Professor Avi Schroeder’s Laboratory for Targeted Drug Delivery and Personalized Medicine Technologies. One of their many outstanding achievements entailed combining enzymes with nanoscale drug delivery systems to perform localized procedures that would have required surgery, in a more effective and non-invasive manner.

As a student, he served as Chairman of the Technion Student Association and an academic assistant in both biomedical and chemical engineering. Recently, he was invited to join the prestigious “Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting” as a young scientist.

The grandson of a Holocaust survivor, Prof. Zinger served the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in three wars and operations during the 2000s. As a reservist, he serves as the Executive Officer of the Armored Corps Headquarters.

Prof. Zinger lives in “Kfar Hamishtalmim” at the Technion, with his wife, Noa, an occupational therapist, and their daughters Ayala and Tamara.