Biological Regulation

2023 research activities

Overview

The Department of Immunology and Regenerative Biology (IRB) currently comprises
17 research groups and a total of over 200 people. We are located on the Weizmann
campus in the Candiotty, Britannia and Wolfson buildings.

Research activities of the IRB Department span a broad spectrum of basic and clinically
relevant questions. Topics range from fundamental aspects of cancer, hematopoiesis, cell
differentiation, metabolism, inter-cellular communication, extracellular matrix remodeling and
the genetic and epigenetic changes that contribute to these processes. With a unique focus
on immune cell development and function, we study a wide range of physiological and
pathophysiological settings, including the host-pathogen interface, embryonic development,
inflammation, tissue regeneration post infection and injury, and vascular and lymph
angiogenesis. State-of-the-art approaches developed by our members include intra-vital
and whole organ 3D imaging, multiplexed ex vivo staining, conditional gene manipulation in
animal models, organoid research, advanced genomics and proteomics, and human-derived
samples and their bioinformatic analysis at the single cell level. Combining pre-clinical
mouse models and patient samples, we also develop novel therapeutic strategies for
improved immunotherapies and vaccinations.

The main projects that are currently performed in the department are:

Host-pathogen interactions - Dr. Roi Avraham

Gut tissue dynamics -Dr. Moshe Biton

Studying Tissue Macrophage Function in Health and Disease - Prof. Steffen Jung

Protein degradation by the ubiquitin/proteasome system - Prof. Ami Navon

Vascularization during pregnancy and cancer development - Prof. Michal Neeman

Leukocyte trafficking and differentiation in inflammation and cancer- Prof. Ronen Alon

ECM remodeling: from biophysical principles to drug design - Prof. Irit Sagi

Intracellular signaling cascades in health and disease - Prof. Rony Seger

Epigenetics in stem cells and cancer: developing and applying single-molecule imaging technologies to study the epigenetic code - Dr. Efrat Shema

Cellular functions of long noncoding RNAs - Dr. Igor Ulitsky

The development of the vascular system - Dr. Karina Yaniv

xxx -Prof. Tsvee Lapidot

Growth factors and their receptors in cancer - Prof. Yossi Yarden

Cellular structural biology of human amyloid proteins - Prof. Philipp Selenko

xxx Prof. Benny Geiger

Investigating functional, metabolic and architectural features of normal and malignant tissues with magnetic resonance techniques - Prof. Hadassa Degani

The meiotic cell cycle, angiogenic events associated with follicle development and embryo plantation - Prof. Nava Dekel

Investigating ovarian follicle physiology, regulation and demise in mammals with emphasis on the ovulatory response, including the control of oocyte maturation, transformation of the follicle into corpus luteum and culminating with the release of the fertilizable ovum - Prof. Alex Tsafriri

Elucidation of the mechanisms by which a synthetic tolerogenic peptide ameliorates autoimmune disease manifestations in animal models and in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and Sjogren Syndrome - Prof. Edna Moses

Recognition and Signaling by Immunoreceptors. Electron Transfer and Transport Mechanisms Through Protein Matrices - Prof. Israel Pecht

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