Immunology and Cancer Research

עברית
ResearcherResearch Focus
Prof. Barda-Saad Mira
  1. Investigating the molecular mechanisms regulating the immune response by using advanced molecular imaging technologies.
  2. Developing novel immunotherapeutic approaches to treat cancer.
  3. Studying primary immunodeficiencies and developing therapeutic strategies.
  4. Boosting natural killer cell immune response in pathologies.
Prof. Ben-Aroya Shay 
  1. Understanding how eukaryotic cells keep their genome stable
  2. How eukaryotic cells distinguish properly folded from misfolded proteins, to prevent proteotoxic stress, and neurodegenerative diseases.
  3. Molecular genetics and cell biology of the model system, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Prof. Cohen Cyrille
  1. Development of novel immunotherapies for cancer and viral diseases.
  2. Genetic engineering and editing of immune cells to express chimeric receptors (CAR-T and CCR-T cells).
  3. Utilization of the tumor environment to enhance anti-tumor immunity.
  4. Study of immune exhaustion mechanisms and their inhibition to improve immunity.
  5. Development of theranostic approaches and use of antibody-targeted nanoparticles (in collaboration with Prof. Popovtzer - Faculty of Engineering).
  6. Characterization of the anti-tumor immune response and identification of novel immune targets.
  7. Enhancement of T-cell motility to tumors and metastasis.
Prof. Cohen Haim
  1. The molecular base of aging, the role of deacetylases in life longevity.
  2. The molecular pathways that regulate the response for caloric restriction.
  3. The molecular and cellular biology of sirtuin deacetylases.
  4. Isolating new proteins that regulate longevity in mammals.
Prof. Efroni Sol
  1. The T-cell Repertoire
  2. Single-cell RNA sequencing
  3. Networks in Cancer Genomics
  4. Predicting drug response through cancer genomics
Prof. Ginsberg Doron
  1. Elucidation of the molecular mechanism that mediates the effects of E2F on cell fate and intracellular signaling.
  2. Studying the mechanisms by which E2F1 sensitizes cells to chemotherapeutic treatments.
  3. Studying the crosstalk between E2Fs and signal transduction pathways.
  4. Isolation and characterization of novel E2F-regulated genes that affect autophagy. Elucidating the role of E2Fs in the regulation of autophagy.
  5. Identification of novel molecular links between E2F1 and the tumor suppressor p53.
Dr. Knisbacher Binyamin
  1. RNA aberrations that drive cancer
  2. Neoantigens derived from RNA aberrations for immunotherapy applications
  3. Integrating sequencing and drug screen data for personalized medicine
  4. Identifying cancer cell vulnerabilities
  5. Cancer and immune heterogeneity via single-cell RNA-seq analysis
Prof. Okun Eitan

  1. The functional role of the immune system in Alzheimer's disease

  2. How fetal development influences maternal cognitive decline
  3. Developing vaccines for Alzheimer’s disease and Down syndrome
Prof. Opatowsky Yarden
  1. Structural biology - X-ray crystallography
  2. Drug design
  3. Axon guidance - the Slit-Robo signaling system
  4. Molecular basis for human brain evolution
Dr. Roichman Asael
  1. Metabolite discovery using state-of-the-art HPLC and high-resolution LC-MS platforms coupled with advanced computational pipelines
  2. Identifying bioactive metabolites formed at the diet–gut microbiota–host interface, with a focus on metabolites found in plant-based foods (phytochemicals)
  3. Understanding how diet and the microbiome shape liver function
  4. Revealing mechanisms by which diet–microbiome interactions modulate cancer development and therapeutic response
Prof. Shav-Tal Yaron
  1. Following mRNAs in living cells using high-resolution fluorescence microscopy
  2. Examining gene expression and transcription of single alleles in living cells in real-time
  3. Studying RNA processing factors in time and nuclear space
  4. Following long non-coding RNAs in the nucleus under normal and stress conditions
  5. Tracking the exit of mRNAs from the nucleus and through the nuclear pore using super-resolution microscopy and live-cell imaging
  6. Following signal transduction pathways that induce the activation of genes expressed in normal and cancer cells
  7. Examining stress-induced cytoplasmic granules and understanding their function in cells
Dr. Yissachar Nissan
  1. Mechanisms of host-microbiome communications
  2. Intestinal neuro-immune-microbiome interactions
  3. Effects of the gut microbiota on autoimmunity and cancer
  4. Computational biology / bioinformatics – analysis of host and microbiome transcriptomics
Prof. Emeritus Brodie Chaya
  1. Cancer stem cells from brain tumors for analyzing disease mechanisms and for drug and cell therapy screening
  2. Three dimensional human cultures - novel models of neural rare disorders and muscular dystrophies
  3. Exosomes in intercellular communication and drug delivery in neural and muscle diseases and brain tumors.
  4. Non-coding RNAs in cancer and degenerative disorders
  5. Unique signaling pathways in brain tumors and neurodegenerative diseases
Prof. Emeritus Nir Uri
  1. Studying the reprogrammed metabolic and enrgy generation systems of cancer cells.
  2. Studying the regulatory role of the FerT kinase, which is solely present in the mitochondria of sperm and cancer cells.
  3. Development of new anti-cancer drugs, which selectively target the reprorammed mitochondria of cancer cells in general, and metastatic malignant cells in particular.
Prof.  Emeritus Shredni Benjamin
  1.  Prevention of Chemotherapy-Induced Hematopoietic Damage by Oral Administration of SAS : Potential Role of VLA-4 Inactivation by the Compound
  2. Effect of the Tellurium compound SAS on PD-L1 Expression in AML: Mechanism of Action and Clinical Aspects
  3. Effect of the Tellurium Compound SAS on the Reciprocal leukemia- Stroma VLA-4-Dependent Activation of NF-kB Mediated Chemoresistance
  4. Effect of Tellurium Compound AS101 on PD-L1 Expression on Human NSCLC : Mechanism of Action and Correlation with Clinical Results in NSCLC Patients
  5. Effect of the Tellurium Compound SAS on PD-L1 Expression on Human and Murine Melanoma: Mechanism of Action and Clinical Aspects

 

 

Prof. Mira Barda-Saad

Reprogramming the immune system to mitigate cancer and other pathologies

Why do immune cells fail within tumors, and how can we break down the physical and molecular barriers that limit immunotherapy success to improve patient outcomes?

Research Focus: Successful immune responses require coordinated signaling, cytoskeletal remodeling, and mechanical force. In cancer, these processes are disrupted, causing immune exhaustion and therapy resistance. The lab studies how mechanotransduction pathways regulate immune cell activation and dysfunction within the tumor microenvironment. By identifying molecular checkpoints that control immune mechanics, the research aims to enhance immunotherapy efficacy and guide the design of combination treatments.

Highlighted Takeaway: Targeting the mechanical control systems of immune cells offers a new therapeutic axis to improve cancer treatment.

Methods: Advanced Microscopy · Flow Cytometry · Proteomics · Tumor Immunology Models· Mechanobiology Assays · Genetic Engineering · Clinical Collaborations

Hobbies: Reading and biking

Prof. Cyrille Cohen

Cancer Immunotherapy and Immune-System Engineering

How do you truly train the immune system to fight cancer? By helping it recognize tumors precisely and persistently.

Research focus:  The lab develops strategies to make immune responses stronger, more specific, and longer-lasting against cancer and viral diseases. Research includes T-cell engineering, understanding tumor immune evasion, protein design using machine learning and designing new immunotherapy approaches that connect basic immunology to clinical translation. The lab has advanced several immunotherapy treatments for multiple myeloma, amyloidosis and solid tumors into clinical stages, showing the path from academia to life-saving medicine.

Highlighted takeaway: Immunotherapy is reshaping the future of cancer treatment.

Methods: Immunology · Genetic engineering · Molecular biology · Cell culture · Animal models · Protein design · Clinical collaborations

Hobbies: Music (playing on several instruments), Street Photography, Science Fiction

Prof. Doron Ginsberg

Cell Growth, Cancer Biology and Gene Regulation

What controls the balance between cell growth and death? Cells use tightly regulated gene networks to decide whether to divide, survive, or die — and when these controls fail, cancer can take hold.

Research focus: The lab investigates the molecular mechanisms that govern cell proliferation, survival, and death, with a particular focus on the E2F family of transcription factors and long non-coding RNA transcripts (lncRNAs). Research explores how long non-coding RNA transcripts regulate genes needed for the cell cycle, how they interact with major signaling pathways, how they influence apoptosis, and how disruptions in these networks contribute to cancer development and treatment responses.

Highlighted takeaway: Understanding the effects of lncRNAs on cell fate reveals why normal growth goes awry in cancer and points to new ways to sensitize tumors to therapy.

Methods: Molecular and cellular biology · Gene regulation analysis ·Cell cycle analysis · Apoptosis assays · Signal transduction studies · Functional genomics · Cancer cell models

Hobbies: Biking and swimming

Dr. Binyamin Knisbacher

Computational Biology, Cancer Genomics and Personalized Medicine

How can a computer use big data to help a doctor choose a more precise cancer treatment? By translating genomes into decisions.

Research focus: Every cancer patient has a unique genetic story, the challenge is turning massive datasets into one actionable clinical choice. The lab integrates multi-omic sequencing data (DNA, RNA & epigenetics), clinical information and computational modeling (AI, ML & statistics) to detect patterns that explain what goes wrong in each patient and how it opens opportunities for therapy and precision medicine.

Highlighted takeaway: The future of oncology is integrating clinical and molecular data for personalized medicine - treatment plans tailored to the person.

Methods: Computational cancer genomics · Machine learning · Big data · Single-cell sequencing · Clinical data integration

Hobbies: Hiking, running and telling my kids dad jokes.

Prof. Eitan Okun

Mechanism of how Sex and Pregnancy affect Neuroimmunology and Age-related Brain Diseases

How does the immune system influence how we think, remember, and age? The brain does not work alone. It is in constant communication with the immune system, and this dialogue powerfully shapes cognition across life and during disease.

What the lab explores. The lab studies how immune activity outside the brain influences memory, aging, and vulnerability to brain disorders such as Alzheimer disease and Down syndrome, and how biological sex modulates these effects. A unique line of research investigates how pregnancy and fetal development leave lasting marks on the mother’s brain. This work shows how immune signals transferred during pregnancy can reshape brain function and affect cognition many years later, opening new possibilities for prevention. The lab views brain disease as a whole body process that connects immunity, development, and aging.

The lab utilized methods that include Cell sequencing, advanced whole-brain imaging, unique transgenic mouse models, immunology, and behavioral studies.

Hobbies:  Classic rock, guitars, and everything in between.

Dr. Asael Roichman

Nutrition, Microbiome, and Metabolites in Cancer and Health

How does what we eat influence cancer? Not just calories - chemistry and microbes.

Research focus: The lab studies how diet interacts with gut bacteria to produce metabolites that affect physiology and disease. We identify bioactive food-derived molecules, track how microbes modify them, and test their effects on liver function, systemic metabolism, and cancer development. A key focus is uncovering hidden nutrition chemistry that may explain why diet influences health and treatment response.

Highlighted takeaway: Nutrition and the microbiome are central to personalized medicine. Understanding active metabolites can reshape disease prevention, diagnosis, and therapy.

Methods: High-resolution metabolomics · HPLC separations · Multi-omics · Cellular & mouse models · Gut microbiology · Advanced computational tools

Hobbies: Hiking, Music, Reading, Having good time with family and friends

Prof. Yaron Shav-Tal

RNA Biology and Cellular Dynamics

What happens to RNA from birth to death? Much more than ‘message delivery.’

Research focus: RNA is dynamic: it moves, changes, responds to the environment, and shapes cellular behavior. The lab tracks RNA life cycles, synthesis, processing, transport, export, storage, and degradation, often in real-time inside living cells. By imaging single RNA molecules, the research links RNA dynamics to stress responses, cancer, and disease.

Highlighted takeaway: Disrupted RNA dynamics are implicated in many diseases, from cancer to neurodegeneration, understanding RNA adds a deeper layer to cell biology.

Methods: Advanced fluorescence microscopy · Live-cell imaging · Biochemistry · Cell biology

Hobbies: Reading and hiking

Prof. Nissan Yissachar

Host–Microbiome Interactions and Immune Decision-Making

Can gut microbes direct immune choices? The trillions of microbes in our gut communicate with immune and nervous systems, influencing whether the body tolerates or fights inflammation, in health and disease.

Research focus: The lab investigates the cellular, molecular and genetic mechanisms that enable communication between the gut microbiome, the intestinal immune system, the enteric nervous system and the epithelium. Research aims to map how these communication networks guide immune decision-making — balancing inflammation and tolerance — in health and in autoimmune or chronic inflammatory diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease. Studies combine unique gut organ culture systems, microscopy, genomics and systems biology approaches in real time ex-vivo.

Highlighted takeaway: Gut microbiome–host cross-talk is a central regulator of immune behavior, with implications for inflammation, autoimmunity, cancer and systemic health.

Methods: Gut organ culture · High-resolution microscopy · Genomics · Molecular biology · Systems biology · Multi-omics analysis · Host–microbiome signaling assays

Hobbies: Music (classic rock, guitars…), cooking and eating!