Marta Weinstock-Rosin

Marta Weinstock-Rosin was born in 1935

Weinstock-Rosin was born in Vienna in 1935. In 1939 her family fled to England, where her father was detained as a citizen of an enemy state. She decided as a child on a career in drug research.

She studied pharmacy and pharmacology at the University of London. In 1961 she earned a doctorate in pharmacology from St. Mary's Hospital Medical School, where she later became a lecturer.

In 1969 she moved to Israel with her husband, Arnold Rosin, and joined Tel Aviv University. In 1977 she joined the Hebrew University School of Pharmacy, became a full professor in 1981 and head of pharmacology in 1983.

While studying how opiates suppress breathing, she and colleagues developed rivastigmine, which acted in brain regions linked to memory. The drug was sold to Sandoz and came into use as Exelon in 1997. Her role was kept secret for years, reportedly over the Arab boycott.

She became professor emerita in 2003 and later worked on a treatment for mild cognitive impairment. She received the Israel Prize in 2014.