In a thought-provoking seminar delivered by renowned marine biologist and immunologist Prof. Baruch Rinkevich, the lab welcomed a compelling exploration into the biological paradox of natural chimerism. Despite the immune system’s evolutionary design to reject foreign elements, chimerism—where genetically distinct cells coexist within one organism—persists across more than ten phyla, including humans.

Prof. Rinkevich’s talk, titled after the biblical verse “Will two walk together except they have agreed?”, challenged our understanding of immune tolerance, evolutionary trade-offs, and regenerative potential. He introduced chimerism as a “double-edged sword”—one that enables genetic complementation and ecological resilience, while also exposing hosts to developmental instability, immune conflict, and somatic parasitism.

The lecture sparked enthusiastic discussion about the implications of chimerism for regenerative medicine, offering insights into how these naturally occurring biological phenomena might be harnessed for therapeutic applications.

With over 400 peer-reviewed publications and decades of pioneering work in invertebrate immunology and marine biology, Prof. Rinkevich’s visit and scholarly contribution were deeply appreciated by the IRBM community.