עברית

Prof. Eitan Okun

Vice Dean for Research Infrastructure Development
Vice Dean for Research Infrastructure Development
Telephone
972-3-7384671 (office); 972-3-7384670 (lab)
Email
eitan.okun@biu.ac.il
Office
Gonda (Goldschmidt) Brain Research Building 901, 3rd floor, Room 312
Fields of Interest

Neuroimmunology, Alzheimer disease, Down syndrome, Meningeal immunity, Neurodegeneration, Aging, Adaptive immunity, Microchimerism, Women's Brain Health, Sex-Specific Mechanisms of Disease

Reception Hours
By prior arrangement via email
Personal Website
Research Categories
CV

Prof. Eitan Okun is a Professor of Life Sciences and Vice Dean for Research Resource Development at Bar-Ilan University. He earned his bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees at Bar-Ilan University, specializing in immunology. He completed his postdoctoral research at the National Institute on Aging, part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), in Baltimore, Maryland. His academic career encompasses multidisciplinary research and the leadership of collaborative research projects, with dozens of publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

CV_Prof. Eitan Okun

Research

Neuroimmunology in Brain Aging and Neurodegenerative Disease

Prof. Eitan Okun’s laboratory investigates the biological mechanisms that shape brain aging and susceptibility to neurodegenerative diseases, with a particular focus on Alzheimer’s disease. The laboratory integrates neuroscience, neuroimmunology, molecular biology, and systems physiology to understand how processes occurring within the brain and throughout the body influence cognitive function, brain resilience, and disease development across the lifespan.

A major research focus examines interactions between the immune system and the brain, including how adaptive immune responses, antibodies, and inflammatory processes contribute to Alzheimer’s disease pathology. This research also investigates meningeal immunity, including lymphoid structures in the membranes surrounding the brain and their relationship to aging and neurodegeneration. In parallel, the laboratory investigates the role of the microbiome and the gut–brain axis, including studies involving fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), as well as vascular mechanisms and cerebral blood flow associated with aging and neurodegeneration.

Another distinctive research direction explores the long-term effects of pregnancy on women’s brain health and susceptibility to cognitive decline. This work investigates the association between pregnancies involving a fetus with Down syndrome and maternal risk of Alzheimer’s disease, focusing on fetomaternal communication, microchimerism, and the transfer of cells and biological factors, including extracellular vesicles, from fetus to mother. The laboratory examines how these pregnancy-related processes may influence maternal brain function and contribute to cognitive decline later in life, providing insight into sex-specific mechanisms of neurodegenerative disease.

The laboratory combines experimental models, human samples, and clinical studies with molecular, immunological, and imaging approaches to investigate fundamental biological mechanisms and their implications for understanding and addressing neurodegenerative diseases.

Courses

Semester 1

  • Elective Course: Biological Mechanisms of Learning and Memory Course number: 80-3331-01

This asynchronous course is open to students from all disciplines. It explores different types of learning and the biological and molecular mechanisms underlying memory formation.

Scheduled hours: Sundays, 2:00–4:00 PM.

Semester 2

  • Required Course: Biochemistry B Course number: 80-202-01

This asynchronous course is required for students in the Faculty of Life Sciences. It focuses on the regulation of metabolic pathways involved in energy production.

Scheduled hours: Sundays and Tuesdays, 12:00–2:00 PM.

  • Elective Course: Molecular Mechanisms of Neurodegenerative Disease Course number: 80-971-01 | Language of instruction: English

This course is designed for advanced students (M.Sc. and Ph.D.) interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying age-related neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, frontotemporal dementia, and vascular dementia.

Schedule: To be determined.
 

Publications

Selected Publications

1. Fruitman Davidi, A., Shirenova, S., Michaelovich, D., Benedetti, G., Shtrasberg, H., Shoval, I., Hauschner, H., Oz, G., Vardy, K., Hirsh, T., Madar, R., Stern, E. A., Rosenmann, H., Biragyn, A., & Okun, E. (2025). Dural ectopic lymphatic structures accumulate during aging and exhibit dysregulation in neurodegenerative diseases. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122(33), e2425081122.

https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2425081122

Demonstrates that immune-cell aggregates in the meninges change with age, biological sex, and neurodegenerative pathology in mouse models, identifying meningeal immune organization as a potentially important indicator of brain aging and disease.

2. Wang, X., Campbell, B., Bodogai, M., McDevitt, R. A., Patrikeev, A., Gusev, F., Ragonnaud, E., Kumaraswami, K., Shirenova, S., Vardy, K., Alameh, M.-G., Weissman, D., Ishikawa-Ankerhold, H., Okun, E., Rogaev, E., & Biragyn, A. (2024). CD8+ T cells exacerbate AD-like symptoms in mouse model of amyloidosis. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 122, 444–455.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2024.08.045

Identifies a pathogenic population of CD8+ T cells associated with microglia and amyloid pathology, showing that manipulating these immune cells can influence Alzheimer's-like neurodegeneration in mice and highlighting adaptive immunity as a potential therapeutic target.

3. Illouz, T., Nicola, R., Ben-Shushan, L., Madar, R., Biragyn, A., & Okun, E. (2021). Maternal antibodies facilitate Amyloid-β clearance by activating Fc-receptor-Syk-mediated phagocytosis. Communications Biology, 4, 329.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-021-01851-6

Demonstrates that antibodies transferred from immunized mothers to their offspring can promote amyloid-β clearance and improve memory-related outcomes in a mouse model, providing experimental evidence for maternal immunization as a potential preventive strategy against early amyloid-associated pathology.

4. Kim, K., Wang, X., Ragonnaud, E., Bodogai, M., Illouz, T., DeLuca, M., McDevitt, R. A., Gusev, F., Okun, E., Rogaev, E., & Biragyn, A. (2021). Therapeutic B-cell depletion reverses progression of Alzheimer’s disease. Nature Communications, 12, 2185.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-22479-4

Shows that depleting B cells reduces amyloid-β accumulation and improves memory-related deficits in mouse models of Alzheimer's disease, revealing a disease-promoting role for B cells and suggesting a potential immune-based therapeutic approach.

5. Illouz, T., Madar, R., Biragyn, A., & Okun, E. (2019). Restoring microglial and astroglial homeostasis using DNA immunization in a Down Syndrome mouse model. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 75, 163–180.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2018.10.004

Demonstrates that DNA vaccination targeting amyloid-β reduces amyloid-related pathology and neuroinflammation, restores features of microglial and astroglial homeostasis, and improves learning and memory in a Down syndrome mouse model, supporting further investigation of preventive immunotherapy.

Media

Prof. Eitan Okun discusses current treatments for Alzheimer's disease and explores the prospects for future therapies, including the possibility of developing a vaccine.

An article examining how immune-cell structures in the meninges change with aging and neurodegeneration, and their possible roles in Alzheimer's disease.

Prof. Eitan Okun discusses advances in Alzheimer's diagnosis and treatment, including early detection, emerging therapies, and the potential of vaccination strategies.

A television interview featuring Prof. Okun on intermittent fasting. 

A science news article about Prof. Okun's research investigating whether amyloid-related proteins transferred from a fetus during pregnancy may contribute to the mother's risk of Alzheimer's disease.

A popular science article by Prof. Eitan Okun exploring the role of APOE4, genetic risk factors, and brain cells in Alzheimer's disease and neurodegeneration.

Last Updated Date : 14/10/2026