Research

Focal Adhesions

In the 1970's, electron microscopy of focal adhesions revealed the close (~15 nm) association of the plasma membrane with the underlying substrate, and multiple filaments, mostly actin microfilaments, running along the cytoplasmic faces of the ventral membrane.

Adhesion, Migration, Cytoskeleton

Focal adhesions and related adherens-type junctions are tightly associated with the actin cytoskeleton and display a complex interplay between them. Both are mechanosensitive structures, and play key roles in maintaining tissue integrity and functionality.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that can lead to damage to the optic nerve. The optic nerve transmits visual information from the eye to the brain. Glaucoma may cause vision loss if left untreated. It has been called the "silent thief of sight" because the loss of vision usually occurs slowly over a long period.

Bone & Osteoclasts

Bone is a dynamic tissue constantly built and remodeled through the action of two major cell types: osteoblasts that deposit new bone matrix and osteoclasts that resorb old and damaged bone. The fine balance between bone formation and resorption is essential for physiological bone formation and homeostasis, and disruption of that balance leads to severe pathological states, such as osteoporosis (loss of bone) and osteopetrosis.

Immunology

Cellular immunotherapy, a leading form of cancer treatment, enlists the “warriors” of our immune system, our T-cells, in the war on cancer. During preparations for the treatment, physicians take a sample of T-cells from the patient and activate them to make them divide rapidly and form a massive army of cancer-killing cells that are then injected back into the patient.

Cancer & Invasion

Invadopodia are actin-based protrusions of the plasma membrane that penetrate the extracellular matrix (ECM) and enzymatically degrade it. Invadopodia and podosomes, often referred to collectively as “endosomes,” are actin-based membrane protrusions that facilitate matrix remodeling and cell invasion across tissues, processes that occur under specific physiological conditions such as bone remodeling (see more in the “Bone and Osteoclasts” section), as well as under pathological states such as cancer invasion and metastasis.

COVID-19: Where will COVID-19 strike next?

leading lab – Eran Segal, Weizmann Institute of Science.

In December 2019, a novel coronavirus was isolated after a cluster of patients in China were diagnosed with pneumonia of unknown cause1. This new isolate was named ‘SARS-CoV-2’ and is the cause of the disease COVID-19.