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Tel Aviv University Researchers Present New Treatment for Ovarian Cancer

Written by AUFTAU on . Posted in Newsroom.

Using RNA-based nanodrugs the researchers achieve 80% survival rate in lab models.

Ovarian cancer ranks fifth in cancer deaths among women, accounting for more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system. In a study conducted at Tel Aviv University researchers used protein CKAP5 (cytoskeleton-associated protein) for the first time as a therapeutic target for RNA-based nanodrugs. After identifying a genetically unstable mutation resistant to both chemotherapy and immunotherapy in the tissues of ovarian cancer, the researchers targeted these cells with lipid nanoparticles containing RNA for silencing CKAP5 – causing the cells to collapse and achieving an 80% survival rate in animal models.

 

“The lipid nanoparticles developed by Prof. Peer enabled us for the first time to silence [the CKAP5] protein through targeted delivery of an RNA drug. We proved that CKAP5, a protein responsible for the cell’s stability, can be silenced, and that this procedure collapses and destroys the entire cancer cell.” – Dr. Sushmita Chatterjee

 

Targeted Delivery of RNA Drug

The breakthrough was achieved by a TAU research team led by Prof. Dan Peer of The Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, a global pioneer in the development of RNA-based drugs, Head of the Laboratory of Precision Nanomedicine, and TAU’s VP for R&D; and by Dr. Sushmita Chatterjee, post-doctoral student from India at Prof. Peer’s lab, in collaboration with Prof. David Sprinzak of The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences and Prof. Ronen Zaidel-Bar of the Sackler Faculty of Medicine. The study was funded by the Rivkin Foundation for Ovarian Cancer Research and the Shmunis Family Foundation. The results were published in the leading scientific journal Science Advances.

“The protein CKAP5 has never been studied with relation to the fight against cancer, simply because there was no known way to silence it,” explains Dr. Chatterjee. “The lipid nanoparticles developed by Prof. Peer enabled us for the first time to silence this protein through targeted delivery of an RNA drug. We proved that CKAP5, a protein responsible for the cell’s stability, can be silenced, and that this procedure collapses and destroys the entire cancer cell.”

 

Prof. Dan Peer

“Something Like a Dominoes Game”

At the second stage of the study the researchers tested the new CKAP5-silencing RNA drug on 20 types of cancer. Some cancer cells proved more sensitive than others to this procedure. Cancers displaying high genetic instability, which are usually highly resistant to chemotherapy, were found to be especially sensitive to the silencing of CKAP5.

 

“As researchers, we are involved in something like a dominoes game: we always look for the one piece in the cancer’s structure that is so important, that if we pull it out the entire cell will collapse. CKAP5 is such a domino piece, and we are already working on more applications (…)” – Prof. Dan Peer

 

“All cancer cells are genetically unstable,” says Dr. Chatterjee. “Otherwise, they would be healthy, not cancerous. However, there are different levels of genetic instability. We found that cancer cells that are more unstable, are also more affected by damage to CKAP5.  Our drug pushed them to their limit, and essentially destroyed their structure. Our idea was to turn the trait of genetic instability into a threat for these cells, by using RNA to silence the flawed protein. We demonstrated for the first time that CKAP5 can be used to kill cancer cells, and then observed the biological mechanism that causes the cancer cells to collapse in the protein’s absence.”

Equipped with these insights, the researchers tested the new drug in an animal model for ovarian cancer, achieving a survival rate of 80%.

“We chose ovarian cancer because it’s a good target,” explains Prof. Peer. “While highly resistant to both chemotherapy and immunotherapy, this type of cancer is very sensitive to the silencing of CKAP5. It should be emphasized that the CKAP5 protein is a new target in the fight against cancer. Targeting cell division is not new, but using RNA to target proteins that make up the cell’s skeleton (cytoskeleton) – this is a new approach and a new target that must be further investigated. As researchers, we are involved in something like a dominoes game: we always look for the one piece in the cancer’s structure that is so important, that if we pull it out the entire cell will collapse. CKAP5 is such a domino piece, and we are already working on more applications, this time in blood cancers.”

Jack Ma joins Tel Aviv University as Visiting Professor

Written by AUFTAU on . Posted in Newsroom.

We are delighted to announce that Mr. Jack Ma, renowned entrepreneur and philanthropist, will join the University as a Visiting Professor.

Mr. Jack Ma, who holds an Honorary Doctorate from Tel Aviv University, is expected to contribute to the University’s research efforts on sustainable agriculture and food. The University’s faculty and students are also enthusiastic about the opportunity to learn from one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world. Mr. Ma’s long-time advocacy of global sustainability and his lifelong passion for education make him uniquely positioned to enrich research and studies in Israel.

“We are honoured and excited to welcome Mr. Jack Ma to Tel Aviv University,” said Prof. Ariel Porat, President of Tel Aviv University. “His appointment is a testament to the importance of collaboration between academia and industry, and we look forward to learning from his insights and experience.”

Tel Aviv University Halts Studies to Mark Israel’s Memorial Day

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University students and faculty members attend moving ceremony for fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism.

Israel will mark this year’s Memorial Day beginning this evening (Monday night) when a siren will sound across the country. According to tradition, Tel Aviv University organized a university-wide break in studies for its Yom Hazikaron Memorial Ceremony which was held on campus this afternoon. The ceremony was attended by hundreds of students, University staff and faculty members.

 

“Even when wars are fought far from the civilian home front, the feeling is always that we are all participating in the war.” – Prof. Ariel Porat

 

“We Are All Participating in the War”

Prof. Ariel Porat, President of Tel Aviv University, opened the ceremony with a recognition of both the personal and national pain of loss caused by war and terror attacks. “Even when wars are fought far from the civilian home front, the feeling is always that we are all participating in the war…parents, children, siblings and relatives – they all take part in it.”

 

Prof. Ariel Porat

“Many of us have strong personal memories from wars, accompanied by worries on the one hand, and for most of us, a sense of relief once everything was seemingly over. But there are those who do not get to enjoy any sense of relief. Those who pay the ultimate price. For them, the end of the war only marks the beginning of their pain. They are then faced with the worst of all: the loss of a loved one.”

“In addition to personal bereavement, which is without a doubt the most horrendous of all, we also mourn collectively.”

 

“One day each year, the bereaved families let everyone else join them. One day a year, the bereaved families allow their fellow citizens to feel that they too are the bereaved.” – Eyal Magini

 

Eyal Magini

One Day Each Year

Eyal Magini, father of Eytam Magini and Tal Morad, sister of Tomer Morad, two TAU students who were murdered in last year’s terror attack in the heart of Tel Aviv, fondly remembered their loved ones in speeches and expressed the difficulty of the past year without them. 

Eyal Magini spoke warmly about his son Eytam, who was abruptly taken from him. He described how the lives of the Magini family were changed forever, as they were left with the pain of knowing that Eytam would never return. Despite this, Eyal finds some comfort on this day, when he says: “One day a year, the bereaved families let their fellow citizens share in their pain and feel that they too are the bereaved. On Memorial Day, everyone wants to try to offer the bereaved families some relief by carrying some of their pain, even throughout the rest of the year. “

 

Miri Kadmiel

 

“Each of us have the privilege to do what we can for a better future for Israel and our future generations, for a good, decent, and solidary society.” – Miri Kadmiel

 

Also speaking at the event was Miri Kadmiel, Chairwoman of the Tel Aviv branch of Yad Lebanim, the organization delegated by Israel to commemorate the memory of fallen Israeli soldiers and to support bereaved families. As a bereaved mother herself, she emphasized the important task of Tel Aviv University’s “talented and highly capable young people to continue to shape the future State of Israel,” saying that “we find ourselves in a very complex and challenging period, with many concerns and apprehensions. Each of us has the privilege to do what we can for a better future for Israel and our future generations, to work towards a society based on mutual respect and solidarity.”

Also speaking at the event were Daniel Zilber, Chairwoman of TAU’s Student Union and event moderator Itzik Ziat. Music by Tel Aviv University’s The Buchmann-Mehta School of Music and sign language translation by Iris Ben Moshe were also featured.   

 

 

Bats Get “Pregnancy Brain” Too

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New study finds that pregnancy affects bats’ sensing capabilities.

“Pregnancy brain” – sometimes called “brain fog” or “mommy brain” – refers to a pregnant woman’s forgetfulness during and shortly after pregnancy. And there have indeed been several studies pointing to an impairment of the cognitive abilities of pregnant women. Apparently, the condition does not just affect us humans: a new Tel Aviv University study reveals that bats, too, experience a decline in their ability to hunt and orient in space during pregnancy.

This impairment stems from the fact that they produce about 20 percent fewer calls, the sounds that allow them to orient themselves using echolocation, on top of flying at a slower pace and at a lower altitude. The researchers highlight the fact that, to the best of their knowledge, this is the first evidence of pregnancy affecting mammals’ sensory abilities.

 

“When a bat makes fewer calls, it gathers less information about the environment, its chance of colliding with objects increases, and its chance of finding food decreases — and this is at a time when the bat needs extra food to sustain the fetus in its womb.” Prof. Yossi Yovel

 

Affecting Bats’ Safety and Hunting

The study was led by Mor Taub, a research assistant in the laboratory of Prof. Yossi Yovel, head of Tel Aviv University’s Sagol School of Neuroscience and faculty member of the School of Zoology at The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences. The study’s findings were published in the journal BMC Biology.

Mor Taub explains: “At the peak of pregnancy, bats carry about 20 percent more than their normal body weight, and it is clear that this excess weight impacts their flying capacity. In this study, we wanted to check whether and to what extent pregnancy affects bats’ echolocation ability, their sonar.”

“Bats’ sonar is based on the emitting and receiving of strong and frequent sounds in order to map their surroundings. To make these sounds, bats, like us humans, need to transfer high-pressure air from the lungs through the vocal cords, or vocal membranes, which involves many muscles, such as the chest and diaphragm. We wanted to see if the excess weight from pregnancy affects the production of sounds.”

 

Prof. Yossi Yovel

To this end, Prof. Yovel and his colleagues taught bats to search for and land on a small landing pad in a flight room in the bat laboratory at Tel Aviv University’s Garden for Zoological Research. They recorded the echolocation of two groups: pregnant bats and non-pregnant bats. The researchers found that the rate at which the pregnant bats emitted sounds was significantly lower than that of the control group, with 20% greater intervals between each sound.

Prof. Yovel explains that “bats change the rate of the sounds they make in accordance with the level of difficulty of the task. The average rate is about ten calls per second, but when the bat lands, this rate can increase to 100 calls per second. The pregnant bats produced sounds at a rate of only about seven per second and flew a little slower and lower.”

“Obviously, this slowing down is likely to affect their hunting. When a bat makes fewer calls, it gathers less information about the environment, its chance of colliding with objects increases, and its chance of finding food decreases — and this is at a time when the bat needs extra food to sustain the fetus in its womb. In the second phase of the study, we used a computer simulation to simulate the effect of the decreased rate of calls on the bats’ performance, and indeed, we saw that the slowed rate makes it more difficult for the bats to locate prey.”

 

“This is the only evidence we found in the professional literature showing that pregnancy affects mammals’ sensory abilities.” – Mor Taub

 

Preserving the Vulnerable

The bats in the experiment were of the Kuhl’s pipistrelle species, tiny bats that weigh only about six grams (when they are not pregnant). These bats are very common in Israel, and feed mainly on mosquitoes. Despite their weight, bats can live for decades, and their pregnancies are therefore also relatively long, lasting about four months.

Previous studies conducted on other species of bats have shown that during pregnancy, bats tend to change their diets. To date, the assumption was that this change in diet was due to the bats’ difficulty in flying, but the current study raises the possibility that the change may also be due to their sensory difficulty in detecting certain types of prey.

“This is the only evidence we found in the professional literature showing that pregnancy affects mammals’ sensory abilities,” says Mor Taub. “We assume that there are similar cases in other species as well, but this is the first time that researchers have been able to measure and demonstrate the impairment empirically. Beyond the scientific interest, it is important to preserve mammal species in the wild, especially during pregnancy and newborn care, since animals are particularly vulnerable during this period.”

Haredi Jews – The Main Target of Antisemitic Assaults

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The Annual Report on Antisemitism Worldwide – 2022.

On the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day 2023, The Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry at Tel Aviv University published its 22nd annual Antisemitism Worldwide Report in collaboration with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

Attacking The Most Vulnerable

According to the Report, visibly identifiable Jews, particularly Haredi Jews, are the main victims of antisemitic assaults in the West, including beatings, being spit on, and having objects thrown at them.

The Report examines dozens of assaults reported in New York (the city that recorded the most assaults in the United States), in London (which saw the largest number of attacks in Europe), and several other cities. The comparative study suggests physical attacks on Jews tend to occur in a small number of areas in major urban centers, usually on the street or on public transportation rather than near or in synagogues or Jewish establishments. Most attacks appear not to be premeditated.

 

“Our research indicates that effective policing, indictments, and educational campaigns in a small number of urban areas in various Western countries can lead to a significant reduction in the number of violent antisemitic attacks.” – Prof. Uriya Shavit

 

Haredi Jews are the main victims not only because they are easily identifiable as Jews, but also because they are perceived as vulnerable and unlikely to fight back. While the attacks examined in the Report are legally defined as antisemitic hate crimes, the motivations of the perpetrators are not easy to discern and could be driven by a deeply held antisemitism, hatred for Israel, bullying, or a combination of the three.

Prof. Uriya Shavit, Head of the Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry at Tel Aviv University, says “our research indicates that effective policing, indictments, and educational campaigns in a small number of urban areas in various Western countries can lead to a significant reduction in the number of violent antisemitic attacks. The fight against antisemitism must include more practical, measurable, and transparent objectives and fewer declarations and cries of ‘Gevald!’.”

Dr. Carl Yonker, Senior Researcher at the Center, who led the research on the nature of the antisemitic attacks, notes: “It was very disturbing to discover during fieldwork in London that some Haredim regard antisemitism as the inescapable fate of Jews in the diaspora, sometimes even blaming members of their own communities for the situation.”

WATCH: The Annual Report on Antisemitism Worldwide 2022: Haredi Jews – Main Target of Antisemitic Assaults

“Normalization of Crazy Conspirations” in the U.S.

Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL): “The data contained in this survey is very troubling. It is alarming to see the significant increase in antisemitic incidents and trends across the US and in several other countries.”

“Equally concerning is that unlike in 2021, there were no specific events which can be linked to a rise in antisemitism, which speaks to the deeply seated nature of Jew Hatred around the world. We are proud to partner with Tel Aviv University on this important annual report which will be used to educate governments and civil society and help push back against antisemitic trends.”

According to the Annual Report, 2022 saw a sharp rise in the number of antisemitic incidents in the United States and other countries, alongside a decline in several countries. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) recorded 3,697 antisemitic incidents in the United States, compared to 2,717 in 2021 – a record year in its own right. The NYPD registered 261 hate crimes against Jews compared to 214 in 2021, the LAPD recorded 86 in 2022 compared to 79 in 2021, and the Chicago Police 38 in 2022 compared to 8 in 2021.

The authors of the Report point to a disturbing trend of the ‘normalization of crazy conspirations’ in public discourse in America. The spreading of antisemitic propaganda by white supremacists in the United States almost tripled compared to 2021, reaching a total of 852 incidents.

Does the Current Wave Run Deeper?

A rise in recorded antisemitic incidents compared to 2021 was also found in several other Western countries, including Belgium, Hungary, Italy, and Australia. In Belgium, 17 antisemitic attacks were recorded in 2022 compared to only 3 in 2021 – the highest number since seven attacks were recorded in 2016.

On the other hand, other countries, including Germany, Austria, France, the UK, Canada, and Argentina, saw a decline in the number of antisemitic incidents compared to 2021. In Germany, 2,649 ‘political crimes with an antisemitic background’ were documented, less than the record of 3,028 reached in 2021, but still significantly higher than the figures for 2020 and 2019. In France, 436 incidents were documented compared to 589 in 2021, 339 in 2020, and 687 in 2019.

Prof. Shavit and Dr. Yonker noted that the record numbers registered in 2021 were attributed to the social tensions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as reactions to Israel’s military operation in Gaza, “Guardian of the Walls.”

 

“In 2022 it was demonstrated once again that antisemitism does not require any real Jewish presence or direct rivalry with Israel in order to find supporters.” – Antisemitism Worldwide Report for 2022

 

The data for 2022 alarmingly suggest that the roots of the current wave of antisemitism probably run deeper, especially in the United States.

They point to three intertwining factors:

  1. Intensified social and cultural tensions
  2. Rise of radicalism, both right- and left-wing, at the expense of the political center
  3. Proliferation of ‘echo chambers’ on social media, where conspiracy theories spread as if they were undeniable truths (“A reality in which big companies make big money by spreading big lies must be rectified,” cautions Prof. Shavit.)

Reviewing the situation in Russia, the Report notes troubling antisemitic remarks by officials and intellectuals close to the Putin administration, as well as the cynical distortion of the memory of the Holocaust by the regime. This raises concerns that Russian Jews might become scapegoats for the regime’s military failures in Ukraine. “Fascists are never reliable allies for religious minorities or in the fight for human rights,” notes the Report.

Two of the in-depth essays included in the Report discuss the extreme antisemitic propaganda espoused by the Houthis in Yemen, and two small antisemitic parties that won seats in the upper house of the Japanese Parliament. “In 2022 it was demonstrated once again that antisemitism does not require any real Jewish presence or direct rivalry with Israel in order to find supporters,” notes the Report.

Other essays describe the failed coup of an antisemitic group in Germany, white Christian nationalist antisemitism in the United States, antisemitic tendencies in the Hebrew Israelite movement in the United States, and legal controversies in America regarding hate speech and the First Amendment.

“Soul-searching is required in Israel as well,” says the Head of the Center, Prof. Uriya Shavit. “In recent months, several Jewish Members of Knesset have made chilling racist remarks that would have immediately terminated their careers in any other Western democracy. It is sad that this needs to be said on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, but Jewish racism is no better than any other kind of racism. It must be condemned, banned, and eradicated.”

 

Read the full report here >>

Drug-Free Alternative for People with Social Anxiety

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Technology-driven treatment found to be as effective as psychiatric medications.

A new clinical trial conducted at Tel Aviv University has demonstrated an effective technology-driven alternative to psychiatric medications for people with social anxiety. The groundbreaking study found that Gaze-Contingent Music Reward Therapy (GC-MART) is as effective in treating social anxiety disorder as drugs from the SSRI family. The innovative treatment developed at TAU relieved the symptoms of about 50% of the study participants. The researchers hope that this therapy will soon be available as an effective alternative to psychiatric medications.

Affecting 4-12% of the Population

The study was led by Prof. Yair Bar-Haim, Director of the Adler Center for Child Development and Psychopathology, and of the Center for Traumatic Stress and Resilience at Tel Aviv University, together with research students Gal Arad and Omer Azriel from The School of Psychological Sciences at the Gershon H. Gordon Faculty of Social Sciences at Tel Aviv University Other collaborators included the NIH, the Tel Aviv Sourasky (Ichilov) and Sheba Medical Centers, and Prof. Amit Lazarov of TAU. The paper was published in the prestigious American Journal of Psychiatry.

 

“About 4-12% of the population will develop social anxiety disorder at some stage of their lives. Quite often, people with this disorder avoid social situations – at a heavy interpersonal, professional, and economic price.” Prof. Yair Bar-Haim

 

Prof. Bar-Haim explains that “about 4-12% of the population will develop social anxiety disorder at some stage of their lives. Quite often, people with this disorder avoid social situations – at a heavy interpersonal, professional, and economic price. At present, psychiatry and psychology offer sufferers two types of treatment: SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) drugs, such as Cipralex, and CBT (Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy). CBT requires 12-20 sessions with a qualified clinical psychologist, in which symptoms are relieved through gradual exposure to the cause of anxiety. Thus, while effective, CBT is a complex treatment necessitating the presence of a highly skilled therapist and requiring patients to face their deepest fears, a requirement that often leads to treatment dropout.

“Because CBT is demanding, expensive, and not readily accessible, many patients turn to medication. However, psychiatric drugs like Cipralex have their own drawbacks: first, some patients prefer not to use psychiatric drugs; second, entire populations, such as young children, pregnant women, and individuals with specific diseases, cannot take SSRI drugs; and third, in some cases the drug has certain side effects.”

 

The research team (left to right): Prof. Yair Bar-Haim Gal Arad and Omer Azriel

Simple and Patient-friendly

Now, researchers from TAU have developed a third option, which is easy-to-use, quick and simple, and apparently no less effective than psychiatric drugs. Moreover, since the treatment is highly patient-friendly, a much lower dropout rate may be expected.

In the clinical trial, 105 Israeli adults with social anxiety disorder were assigned into three groups: one group was treated with SSRI drugs, in this case Cipralex; a second group was treated with GC-MART; and a control group. After ten 30-minute training sessions, about 50% of the patients provided with the new therapy demonstrated significant improvement in their symptoms – a result similar to the outcome reported for patients who took Cipralex.

 

“With efficacy similar to that of an existing first line drug treatment, the new treatment does not require the patient to take medications regularly. The new treatment is simple and patient friendly.” Prof. Yair Bar-Haim

 

“The therapy we developed is based on eye-tracking combined with a musical reward,” explains Prof. Bar-Haim. “The patients choose the music they would like to hear – Israeli, classical, hip hop, etc., and is shown a simulation of a crowd on a computer screen. Usually, individuals with social anxiety disorder tend to dwell on scowling or threatening facial expressions, quickly picking them out and unable to look away. Consequently, they often interpret the crowd or social situations as hostile, negative, or critical. People without social anxiety disorder, on the other hand, prefer to focus on positive or neutral faces in a crowd. In the new therapy, the music chosen by the patient provides positive feedback for a normal focus of attention on facial expressions in the crowd presented on the screen. Gradually, through training, patients’ biased attention is normalized, and symptoms recede. All participants in our trial underwent a comprehensive clinical assessment both before and after the treatment and were also asked to report on the symptoms and their severity. Results indicated that the new treatment significantly reduced symptoms of social anxiety, with an efficacy that is similar to that of SSRI drugs.”

“Our findings are encouraging for both therapists and patients. With efficacy similar to that of an existing first line drug treatment, the new treatment does not require the patient to take medications regularly. The new treatment is simple and patient friendly. It does not necessitate the prolonged intervention of a highly skilled psychologist, but rather interaction with social images on a screen, and therefore potentially offers accessible, effective, and convenient treatment for social anxiety disorder,” concludes Prof. Bar-Haim.

“Family Smoking” on The Porch

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Six out of ten children whose parents restrict their smoking to the porch are at risk for being harmed by tobacco smoke.

Many parents think that they are protecting their children by smoking on the porch or next to the window in a room. However, a new study by Tel Aviv University finds that, in contrast to such beliefs, restricting smoking to the porch does not protect most children from exposure to tobacco smoke. The research team tested for the presence of nicotine in the hair of children whose parents restrict their smoking to the porch or outside the house. Their findings are worrisome: nicotine was found in the hair of six out of ten children.

The researchers emphasize that “in Israel, home porches should be regarded as part of the environment of the home. Smoking next to a window or in another specific place in the home does not protect most children from exposure. Our recommendations are unequivocal: to reduce children’s exposure to tobacco smoke, smoking should be entirely avoided within a range of ten meters from the house. Likewise, in open areas, smokers should maintain a distance of at least ten meters from the children.”

 

“The Israeli situation is of great concern because in many cases, porches in Israel are directly adjacent to the living areas and may even be partially open some of the time (…) The parents mistakenly believe that the porch offers a ‘safe’ place to smoke.” Prof. Leah (Laura) Rosen

 

The Porch is No ‘Safe’ Place

The study was led by Prof. Leah (Laura) Rosen from the School of Public Health in Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University. Also participating in the study: Prof. David Zucker from the Department of Statistics and Data Science, Hebrew University, Jerusalem; Dr. Shannon Gravely from the Department of Psychology, Waterloo University, Canada; Dr. Michal Bitan from the Computer Science Department, the College of Management; Dr. Ana Rule from the Department of Health and Environmental Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore; and Dr. Vicki Meyers from the Gertner Institute for Epidemiology and Public Policy Research, Sheba Medical Center. The study was published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

In the first stage of the study (published about two years ago), the research team studied hair samples of the children of smoking parents for the presence of nicotine. This provides an estimate of their exposure to tobacco smoke over the past months. It was found that 70% of the children of smoking parents had measurable hair nicotine.

In the current stage of the study, the researchers examined the data by the location of parental smoking. Analysis of the data showed that in families in which the parents restricted their smoking to the porch or outdoors, 62% of the children were still exposed to tobacco smoke.

Prof. Leah (Laura) Rosen

“It is known that smoking outside the house, even when the doors and windows are fully closed, does not completely protect children from exposure to tobacco smoke,” says Prof. Rosen. “The Israeli situation is of great concern because in many cases, porches in Israel are directly adjacent to the living areas and may even be partially open some of the time. The proximity allows smoke to drift from those areas to the interior of the house. The parents mistakenly believe that the porch offers a ‘safe’ place to smoke.”

“In fact, the children are likely to be directly exposed when they come out to the porch and someone is smoking, or when smoke drifts into the house. Once in the home, the smoke is absorbed into the environment, for example, into the furniture or walls or rugs, and is then gradually discharged into the air over weeks or months.”

“Further, this residual smoke, known as third hand smoke, can be absorbed into the body from the environment via swallowing or through the skin, especially among infants and small children. In addition, smoking parents transmit the toxins from the tobacco smoke on their skin, on their hands, in their hair, on their clothing. Therefore, it is recommended to brush teeth, wash hands, and change clothes after smoking, before contact with children.”

 

“85% of tobacco smoke is invisible, and our sense of smell is not reliable, so many parents mistakenly believe that they are protecting their children, while in fact they are exposing them to substantial health risks.” Prof. Leah (Laura) Rosen

 

Plea to Israel’s Health Ministry

Prof. Rosen notes that this new information is directly relevant to Case 1416/21 on neighbor smoking, currently being heard in the Supreme Court. The appeal against the Ministries of the Environment, Health, and Interior concerns the tobacco smoke that penetrates apartments as an environmental hazard, a claim that is supported by the definition of an environmental hazard in the Clean Air Law, the Hazard Prevention Law, and the Penal Code.

Prof. Rosen: “The results of this study show that among smoking families, restricting smoking to the porch does not protect most children from exposure to tobacco smoke. Therefore, the Health Ministry’s approach, which opposes protection for individuals from smoke incursion into their own homes to protect the smokers’ children, does not protect the children of smokers, and in addition it can cause substantial harm to neighbors and the children of neighbors.  We ask the Health Ministry to reconsider its stand in light of these findings.”

“The State of Israel must make the reduction of parental smoking a national goal and invest the appropriate resources in this issue. Unfortunately, there are many misconceptions regarding when and how the exposure occurs. 85% of tobacco smoke is invisible, and our sense of smell is not reliable, so many parents mistakenly believe that they are protecting their children, while in fact they are exposing them to substantial health risks. As a society, we must safeguard citizens and distance everyone from the risks of tobacco smoke exposure, especially infants and children, pregnant women, and all vulnerable populations,” concludes Prof. Rosen.

Three TAU Professors Awarded Israel Prize 2023

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Prof. Yoram Dinstein, Prof. Emanuel Peled and Prof. Avital Gasith are all recipients of the prestigious award.

Three TAU professors were awarded the Israel Prize in the fields of law, chemistry and environmental sciences research. The Israel Prize is the State of Israel’s highest cultural honor and is awarded annually in a public ceremony on Israel’s Independence Day.

The 2023 Award Recipients:

Prof. Yoram Dinstein, President of TAU from 1991 to 1999, has won the 2023 Israel Prize for legal research. Prof. Dinstein was recognized as one of the founding fathers of the field of international law in Israel. He served as Rector of TAU from 1980 to 1985 and as Dean of The Buchmann Faculty of Law at Tel Aviv University from 1978 to 1980, among numerous other academic, national and international leadership roles.

Prof. Emanuel Peled of the School of Chemistry at the Raymond & Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences has won the 2023 Israel Prize for chemistry research. He was recognized for his pioneering work in lithium batteries and fuel cells that has influenced the energy field all over the world. Among his many distinctions, Prof. Peled is the recipient of the Israel Chemical Society Outstanding Scientist Award for 2016 and is a Fellow of the International Society of Electrochemistry.

Prof. Avital Gasith of the School of Zoology at The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences has won the 2023 Israel Prize for environmental sciences and sustainability research. The prize was awarded for his pioneering work in the protection of nature in Israel, especially freshwater aquatic systems, and his active civic involvement in promoting conservation. He was former Head of the Environmental Studies Master’s Program at the Porter School of the Environment and Earth Sciences.

Plants Emit Sounds – Especially When Stressed

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In a world first, Tel Aviv University researchers record and analyze sounds distinctly emitted by plants.

Do you talk to your plants? While you may not be able to hear them, yaour plants could very well be chatting away as well (perhaps they are not such great listeners after all), and that’s especially true if they are having a bad day (did you forget to water them again?). For the first time in the world, TAU researchers recorded and analyzed sounds distinctly emitted by plants. The click-like sounds, resembling the popping of popcorn, are emitted at a volume similar to human speech, but at high frequencies, beyond the hearing range of the human ear. The researchers: “We found that plants usually emit sounds when they are under stress, and that each plant and each type of stress is associated with a specific identifiable sound. While imperceptible to the human ear, the sounds emitted by plants can probably be heard by various animals, such as bats, mice, and insects.”

 

“From previous studies we know that vibrometers attached to plants record vibrations, but do these vibrations also become airborne soundwaves – sounds that can be recorded from a distance? Our study addressed this question, which researchers have been debating for many years.” Prof. Lilach Hadany

 

Resolving Old Scientific Controversy

The study was led by Prof. Lilach Hadany from the School of Plant Sciences and Food Security at The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, together with Prof. Yossi Yovel, Head of the Sagol School of Neuroscience and faculty member at the School of Zoology and the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, and research students Itzhak Khait and Ohad Lewin-Epstein, in collaboration with researchers from the Raymond and Beverly Sackler School of Mathematical Sciences, the Institute for Cereal Crops Research, and the Sagol School of Neuroscience – all at Tel Aviv University. The paper was published in the prestigious scientific journal Cell.

“From previous studies we know that vibrometers attached to plants record vibrations,” says Prof. Hadany. “But do these vibrations also become airborne soundwaves – sounds that can be recorded from a distance? Our study addressed this question, which researchers have been debating for many years.”

WATCH: Prof. Yossi Yovel and Prof. Lilach Hadany on their findings

 

At the first stage of the study the researchers placed plants in an acoustic box in a quiet, isolated basement with no background noise. Ultrasonic microphones recording sounds at frequencies of 20-250 kilohertz (the maximum frequency detected by a human adult is about 16 kilohertz) were set up at a distance of about 10cm from each plant. The study focused mainly on tomato and tobacco plants, but wheat, corn, cactus and henbit were also recorded.

 

 

“Our findings suggest that the world around us is full of plant sounds, and that these sounds contain information – for example about water scarcity or injury (…) We believe that humans can also utilize this information, given the right tools – such as sensors that tell growers when plants need watering.” – Prof. Lilach Hadany

 

 

Mapping Plants’ Complaints with AI

Before placing the plants in the acoustic box, the researchers subjected them to various treatments: some plants had not been watered for five days, in some the stem had been cut, and some were untouched. Prof. Hadany explains that their intention was to test whether the plants emit sounds, and whether these sounds are affected in any way by the plant’s condition: “Our recordings indicated that the plants in our experiment emitted sounds at frequencies of 40-80 kilohertz. Unstressed plants emitted less than one sound per hour, on average, while the stressed plants – both dehydrated and injured – emitted dozens of sounds every hour.”

The recordings collected in this way were analyzed by specially developed machine learning (AI) algorithms. The algorithms learned how to distinguish between different plants and different types of sounds, and were ultimately able to identify the plant and determine the type and level of stress from the recordings. Moreover, the algorithms identified and classified plant sounds even when the plants were placed in a greenhouse with a great deal of background noise.

In the greenhouse, the researchers monitored plants subjected to a process of dehydration over time and found that the quantity of sounds they emitted increased up to a certain peak, and then diminished.

“In this study we resolved a very old scientific controversy: we proved that plants do emit sounds!” says Prof. Hadany. “Our findings suggest that the world around us is full of plant sounds, and that these sounds contain information – for example about water scarcity or injury. We assume that in nature the sounds emitted by plants are detected by creatures nearby, such as bats, rodents, various insects, and possibly also other plants – that can hear the high frequencies and derive relevant information. We believe that humans can also utilize this information, given the right tools – such as sensors that tell growers when plants need watering. Apparently, an idyllic field of flowers can be a rather noisy place. It’s just that we can’t hear the sounds.”

In future studies the researchers will continue to explore a range of intriguing questions, such as: What is the mechanism behind plant sounds? How do moths detect and react to sounds emitted by plants? Do other plants also hear these sounds? Stay tuned. 

 

The research team

Tiny Robot Navigates in Physiological Environment and Captures Targeted Damaged Cells

Written by AUFTAU on . Posted in Newsroom.

Meet the hybrid micro-robot: innovative technology only 10 microns across.

Researchers at Tel Aviv University have developed a hybrid micro-robot, the size of a single biological cell (about 10 microns across), that can be controlled and navigated using two different mechanisms – electric and magnetic. The micro-robot is able to navigate between different cells in a biological sample, distinguish between different types of cells, identify whether they are healthy or dying, and then transport the desired cell for further study, such as genetic analysis. The micro-robot can also transfect a drug and/or gene into the captured targeted single cell. According to the researchers, the development may help promote research in the important field of ‘single cell analysis’, as well as find use in medical diagnosis, drug transport and screening, surgery, and environmental protection.

Inspired by Biological Micro-swimmers

The innovative technology was developed by Prof. Gilad Yossifon from the School of Mechanical Engineering and Department of Biomedical Engineering at Tel Aviv University and his team: post-doctoral researcher Dr. Yue Wu and student Sivan Yakov, in collaboration with Dr. Afu Fu, Post-doctoral researcher, from the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology. The research was published in the journal Advanced Science.

 

“Developing the micro-robot’s ability to move autonomously was inspired by biological micro-swimmers, such as bacteria and sperm cells. This is an innovative area of research that is developing rapidly, with a wide variety of uses in fields such as medicine and the environment, as well as a research tool.” – Prof. Gilad Yossifon

 

Prof. Gilad Yossifon explains that micro-robots (sometimes called micro-motors or active particles) are tiny synthetic particles the size of a biological cell, which can move from place to place and perform various actions (for example: collection of synthetic or biological cargo) autonomously or through external control by an operator. According to Prof. Yossifon, “developing the micro-robot’s ability to move autonomously was inspired by biological micro-swimmers, such as bacteria and sperm cells. This is an innovative area of research that is developing rapidly, with a wide variety of uses in fields such as medicine and the environment, as well as a research tool”.

 

WATCH: The Hybrid Micro-Robot

 

As a demonstration of the capabilities of the micro-robot the researchers used it to capture single blood and cancer cells and a single bacterium, and showed that it is able to distinguish between cells with different levels of viability, such as a healthy cell, a cell damaged by a drug, or a cell that is dying or dying in a natural ‘suicide’ process (such a distinction may be significant, for example, when developing anti-cancer drugs).

After identifying the desired cell, the micro-robot captured it and moved the cell to where it could be further analyzed. Another important innovation is the ability of the micro-robot to identify target cells that are not labeled – the micro-robot identifies the type of cell and its condition (such as degree of health) using a built-in sensing mechanism based on the cell’s unique electrical properties.

Effective in Physiological Environments

“Our new development significantly advances the technology in two main aspects: hybrid propulsion and navigation by two different mechanisms – electric and magnetic,” explains Prof. Yossifon. “In addition, the micro-robot has an improved ability to identify and capture a single cell, without the need for tagging, for local testing or retrieval and transport to an external instrument. This research was carried out on biological samples in the laboratory for in-vitro assays, but the intention is to develop in the future micro-robots that will also work inside the body – for example, as effective drug carriers that can be precisely guided to the target”.

 

“… the technology will support the following areas: medical diagnosis at the single cell level, introducing drugs or genes into cells, genetic editing, carrying drugs to their destination inside the body, cleaning the environment from polluting particles, drug development, and creating a ‘laboratory on a particle’ – a microscopic laboratory designed to carry out diagnostics in places accessible only to micro-particles.” – Prof. Gilad Yossifon

 

The researchers explain that the hybrid propulsion mechanism of the micro-robot is of particular importance in physiological environments, such as found in liquid biopsies: “The micro-robots that have operated until now based on an electrical guiding mechanism were not effective in certain environments characterized by relatively high electrical conductivity, such as a physiological environment, where the electric drive is less effective. This is where the complementary magnetic mechanism come into play, which is very effective regardless of the electrical conductivity of the environment”.

Prof. Yossifon concludes: “In our research we developed an innovative micro-robot with important capabilities that significantly contribute to the field: hybrid propulsion and navigation through a combination of electric and magnetic fields, as well as the ability to identify, capture, and transport a single cell from place to place in a physiological environment. These capabilities are relevant for a wide variety of applications as well as for research. Among other things, the technology will support the following areas: medical diagnosis at the single cell level, introducing drugs or genes into cells, genetic editing, carrying drugs to their destination inside the body, cleaning the environment from polluting particles, drug development, and creating a ‘laboratory on a particle’ – a microscopic laboratory designed to carry out diagnostics in places accessible only to micro-particles.”

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