In 2010, soon after the passing of the late Mr. Bruce Rappaport, Prof. Smadar Cohen was selected as the first recipient of the Prize for Biomedical Research. From 2002 to 2010, she was the Head of the Department of Biotechnology Engineering at Ben Gurion University. Professor Cohen invented and developed an innovative and pioneering product for the treatment of heart disease. The product is extracted from the natural sugar called alginate, an algae-based substance, which enhances the recovery of damaged heart tissue. Cohen developed both the product that acts as a scaffold on which new tissue can grow, and the elements necessary for it to crystallize from liquid to gel in the required area.

The product addresses the difficulty in restoring damaged organs and tissues. Its key innovative factor aids in the reconstruction of the skeleton or the scaffold, by introducing into the body natural material that has healing properties, which initially prevents deterioration in myocardial infarction, and later renews and restores normal operation. At the 2013 Biomed exhibition, Professor Cohen and her team revealed an innovative treatment administered by injection to speed up the simultaneous regeneration of cartilage and bone tissue by using innovative biomaterials.