The Technion mourns the loss of Alfred E. Mann, of Beverly Hills, CA. A noted scientist, and entrepreneur, Mann was a loyal supporter who established the Alfred Mann Institute for Biomedical Development at Technion (AMIT), focused on enabling commercialization of innovative biomedical technologies that improve human health.
Together with his wife, Claude, Al Mann was a Technion Guardian – a designation reserved for those who have reached the highest level of commitment. Alfred E. Mann was a biomedical industry pioneer, an innovative scientist, and a noted philanthropist. The son of parents who immigrated to the US from Russia, he received a BSc and MSc from the University of California, Los Angeles.
In 1969, along with a research team at Johns Hopkins University, Al Mann developed the first rechargeable cardiac pacemaker which led to his establishing Pacesetter Systems for the development, manufacture, and distribution of cardiac pacemakers.
Mann’s creativity in the medical device field was unbounded and he went on to found several other companies. Citing two from an impressive listing: Minimed, a manufacturer of microinfusion systems and continuous glucose monitoring systems; and Medical Research Group Inc., a manufacturer of implantable medication infusion systems and developer of a longterm glucose monitoring system and prosthetic artificial pancreas. Alfred Mann served as Chairman of the Board and CEO of MannKind Corporation, a diversified biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel therapeutics and drug delivery technologies for treatment of diabetes, cancer, autoimmune, and inflammatory diseases.
Al Mann was awarded a Technion Honorary Doctorate in 2005.