Elezer Rapaport

Eliezer Rapaport, 80, of Belmont, MA, passed away on February 16, 2024, from complications subsequent to his courageous battle with a long-term illness.
Dr. Rapaport was born in Tel Aviv on March 30, 1943 and received his B.Sc. in Physics and Chemistry and his M.Sc. in Organic Chemistry from The Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He
came to the United States in 1967 when he was awarded a graduate fellowship at Johns Hopkins University, where he received his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry. He served on the
faculties of Harvard Medical School at the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston University School of Medicine and the Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology. He also served for
25 years as a member of the Board of Tutors in Biochemical Sciences at Harvard College, where in addition to engaging students in discussions on important research, helped countless
students gain entry into medical school. In 2006 Dr. Rapaport founded ATP Therapeutics. Dr. Rapaport was a curious scientist passionate about original discovery. His interests ranged
from the phenomenon of phosphorescence in fireflies to finding cures for serious diseases. Beginning in the late 70's, Dr. Rapaport was the first to identify that extracellular adenosine
triphosphate (ATP) exists in blood plasma, which he further discovered had pharmacological potential to treat diseases such as cancer and HIV/AIDS. His work has been cited in numerous
published articles addressing diverse ATP treatments such as use in recovery from knee replacement surgery and helping curtail opiate addiction. He also successfully developed
effective supplements that were championed by both amateur and professional body builders. Dr. Rapaport held numerous patents, domestic and international, based upon his scientific
work.
Eli had a kind heart, a quick wit and a broad intellectual curiosity that made him well loved by family, friends and colleagues. A devoted father, a lover of music, especially opera, Eli was both
a talented athlete and an avid sports enthusiast. In addition to numerous friends and extended family members around the world, he is survived by his wife, Margaret Eagle of Belmont, MA,
his daughter, Sarah Rapaport, MD, of Philadelphia, PA and his son, Jesse Rapaport, and daughter in-law, Nisha Balsara of Los Angeles, CA. Donations in his memory may be made to
the Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory at the MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease, for research on movement disorders under the direction of Dr. Michael Schwarzschild
at the Massachusetts General Hospital.
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