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Tag: Life Sciences

Researchers Produce Highly Efficient, Low-cost “Green” Hydrogen

Written by AUFTAU on . Posted in Newsroom.

Initial hope for mass production of green hydrogen, which will dramatically reduce global CO2 emissions.

Tel Aviv University researchers have achieved a groundbreaking milestone by successfully producing highly efficient and low-cost “green” hydrogen. By harnessing the power of green electricity and utilizing a highly efficient biocatalyst, this innovative process generates hydrogen without any air pollution.

Hydrogen plays a vital role as raw material in both agriculture and industry. However, most of the hydrogen produced globally, approximately 95%, falls in the “black” or “gray” category. These types of hydrogen are derived from coal or natural gas, emitting a significant 9-12 tons of carbon dioxide for every ton of hydrogen produced.

Over 90% Efficiency

The new method was developed by doctoral student Itzhak Grinberg and Dr. Oren Ben-Zvi, under the guidance of Prof. Iftach Yacoby of the School of Plant Sciences and Food Security at the Faculty of Life Sciences and Prof. Lihi Adler-Abramovich of the School of Dental Medicine and the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. The promising research results were published in the prominent journal Carbon Energy, focusing on advanced materials and technology for clean energy and CO2 emission reduction.

“Hydrogen is very rare in the atmosphere,” explains Itzhak Grinberg, “although it is produced by enzymes in microscopic organisms, which receive the energy for this from photosynthesis processes. In the lab, we ‘electrify’ those enzymes, that is, an electrode provides the energy instead of the sun. The result is a particularly efficient process, with no demand for extreme conditions, that can utilize electricity from renewable sources such as solar panels or wind turbine. However, the enzyme ‘runs away’ from the electric charge, so it needs to be held in place through chemical treatment. We found a simple and efficient way to attach the enzyme to the electrode and utilize it.”

The researchers used a hydrogel (a water-based gel) to attach the enzyme to the electrode and were able to produce green hydrogen using a biocatalyst, and with over 90% efficiency; that is, over 90% of the electrons introduced into the system were deposited in the hydrogen without any secondary processes.

 

 

“We hope that in the future, it will be possible to employ our method commercially, to lower the costs, and to make the switch towards using green hydrogen in industry, agriculture, and as a clean energy source.” – Dr. Oren Ben-Zvi

 

Prof. Iftach Yacoby explains that, “The material of the gel itself is known, but our innovation is to use it to produce hydrogen. We soaked the electrode in the gel, which contained an enzyme for producing hydrogen, called hydrogenase. The gel holds the enzyme for a long time, even under the electric voltage, and makes it possible to produce hydrogen with great efficiency and at environmental conditions favorable to the enzyme — for example, in salt water, in contrast to electrolysis, which requires distilled water.

Prof. Lihi Adler-Abramovich adds: “Another advantage is that the gel assembles itself — you put the material in water, and it settles into nanometric fibers that form the gel. We demonstrated that these fibers are also able to stick the enzyme to the electrode. We tested the gel with two other enzymes, in addition to the hydrogenase, and proved that it was able to attach different enzymes to the electrode.”

“Today, ‘green’ hydrogen is produced primarily through electrolysis, which requires precious and rare metals such as platinum along with water distillation, which makes the green hydrogen up to 15 times more expensive than the polluting ‘grey’ one, says Dr. Oren Ben-Zvi. “We hope that in the future, it will be possible to employ our method commercially, to lower the costs, and to make the switch towards using green hydrogen in industry, agriculture, and as a clean energy source.”

Researchers Induce Cancer Cell “Suicide”

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Tel Aviv University’s breakthrough study unleashes self-produced toxin, targeting and eliminating cancer cells with impressive results.

For the first time in the world: researchers at Tel Aviv University encoded a toxin produced by bacteria into mRNA (messenger RNA) molecules and delivered these particles directly to cancer cells, causing the cells to produce the toxin – which eventually killed them with a success rate of 50%.

 

“Our idea was to deliver safe mRNA molecules encoded for a bacterial toxin directly to the cancer cells – inducing these cells to actually produce the toxic protein that would later kill them. It’s like placing a Trojan horse inside the cancer cell.” – Prof. Dan Peer

 

“It’s like placing a Trojan horse inside the cancer cell”

The groundbreaking study was led by PhD student Yasmin Granot-Matok and Prof. Dan Peer, a pioneer in the development of RNA therapeutics and Head of the Nanomedicine Laboratory at The Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, also serving as TAU’s VP R&D. The study’s results were published in Theranostics.

Prof. Peer explains: “Many bacteria secrete toxins. The most famous of these is probably the botulinum toxin injected in Botox treatments. Another classic treatment technique is chemotherapy, involving the delivery of small molecules through the bloodstream to effectively kill cancer cells. However, chemotherapy has a major downside: it is not selective, and also kills healthy cells. Our idea was to deliver safe mRNA molecules encoded for a bacterial toxin directly to the cancer cells – inducing these cells to actually produce the toxic protein that would later kill them. It’s like placing a Trojan horse inside the cancer cell.”

Prof. Dan Peer

Impressive Results

First, the research team encoded the genetic info of the toxic protein produced by bacteria of the pseudomonas family into mRNA molecules (resembling the procedure in which genetic info of COVID-19’s ‘spike’ protein was encoded into mRNA molecules to create the vaccine). The mRNA molecules were then packaged in lipid nanoparticles developed in Prof. Peer’s laboratory and coated with antibodies – to make sure that the instructions for producing the toxin would reach their target, the cancer cells. The particles were injected into the tumors of animal models with melanoma skin cancer. After a single injection, 44-60% of the cancer cells vanished.  

 

“With a simple injection to the tumor bed, we can cause cancer cells to ‘commit suicide’, without damaging healthy cells. Moreover, cancer cells cannot develop resistance to our technology as often happens with chemotherapy – because we can always use a different natural toxin.” – Prof. Dan Peer

 

“In our study, the cancer cell produced the toxic protein that eventually killed it,” says Prof. Peer. “We used pseudomonas bacteria and the melanoma cancer, but this was only a matter of convenience. Many anaerobic bacteria, especially those that live in the ground, secrete toxins, and most of these toxins can probably be used with our method. This is our ‘recipe’, and we know how to deliver it directly to the target cells with our nanoparticles. When the cancer cell reads the ‘recipe’ at the other end it starts to produce the toxin as if it were the bacteria itself and this self-produced toxin eventually kills it. Thus, with a simple injection to the tumor bed, we can cause cancer cells to ‘commit suicide’, without damaging healthy cells. Moreover, cancer cells cannot develop resistance to our technology as often happens with chemotherapy – because we can always use a different natural toxin.”

Other contributors to the study included: Dr. Assaf Ezra, Dr. Srinivas Ramishetti, Dr. Preeti Sharma Dr. Gonna Somu Naidu and Prof. Itai Benhar, Head of the Antibody Engineering Lab at the Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research at TAU. The study was funded by the Shmunis Family Foundation for Biomedicine and Cancer Research.

Metabolomics – A New Frontier in Preventive Medicine

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Tel Aviv University’s new Metabolite Medicine Division at the BLAVATNIK Center for Drug Discovery poised to revolutionize the field.

Even the simplest blood tests of today – which monitor about 20 substances in our body – have powerful predictive and diagnostic power. For example, high cholesterol suggests possible heart trouble, and abnormal glucose could indicate pre-diabetes.

Now imagine that routine and low-cost bloodwork could check for thousands of compounds all at once, as well as calculate the balance between them. Such a real-time status check would provide doctors with unparalleled knowledge for diagnosing patients and creating personalized profiles for the most effective treatment of disease.

 

“Metabolomics is poised to revolutionize the field of preventive medicine. It holds tremendous potential (…) not only for detecting diseases but also for enabling individuals to proactively monitor their overall physiological well-being even before the onset of illness.” – Prof. Ehud Gazit

 

The Super Blood Test

We are entering such an era at TAU’s new Metabolite Medicine Division at the BLAVATNIK CENTER for Drug Discovery. This suite of labs is the most advanced at an Israeli university for the emerging science of metabolomics – the study of small molecules called metabolites that our bodies produce every second of our lives as part of ongoing cell processes. Sometimes, all that is required is to identify the one metabolite culprit that is throwing the body off balance.

“Metabolomics is poised to revolutionize the field of preventive medicine. It holds tremendous potential as a cornerstone and indispensable tool, not only for detecting diseases but also for enabling individuals to proactively monitor their overall physiological well-being even before the onset of illness,” explains Prof. Ehud Gazit, the Founding Director of the Metabolomic Medicine division.

“Unlike genetics, which cannot be easily altered, the composition of metabolites provides a valuable reflection of the body’s physiological state, making it possible to optimize towards an ideal state through dietary interventions, physical activity, and lifestyle modifications,” he says. 

 

“The establishment of the Metabolite Medicine division at the BLAVATNIK CENTER for Drug Discovery is highly important for the entire biomed framework of Tel Aviv University.” – Dr. Ludmila Bozhansky

 

Driving Real-Life Implementation

Using state-of-the-art equipment, scientists will be able to identify specific metabolic signatures in laboratory and patient cell culture samples, learn about their mechanisms of action, and develop AI-aided data analysis tools. The ultimate aim of the Metabolite Division is to connect promising university discoveries with Israeli hospitals for clinical samples and testing, and with the pharma industry for creating or repurposing drugs. 

“The establishment of the Metabolite Medicine division at the BLAVATNIK CENTER for Drug Discovery is highly important for the entire biomed framework of Tel Aviv University,” says Dr. Ludmila Buzhansky, the Managing Director of the BLAVATNIk Center for Drug Discovery. “By leveraging the capabilities of metabolomics and benefiting from the exceptional expertise now available at TAU in this field, our researchers develop interdisciplinary collaborations that drive innovation and knowledge dissemination across diverse domains within the university community and beyond.”

Source: TAU Review

Older Bats do Suffer from Age-related Hearing Loss

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Recent study challenges the prevailing belief that bats are immune to age-related hearing loss, suggesting the existence of unique adaptations that may slow down the deterioration process.

A new study from Tel Aviv University disproves the prevailing scientific assumption that bats are immune to age-related hearing loss. This assumption led researchers to mistakenly believe that because hearing is so critical to the bats’ echolocation system, they preserve a good hearing ability, enabling orientation even at an advanced age.

“Turn left at the next tree! Hey, did you catch that??”

In the present study the researchers found that the bats’ sense of hearing does in fact deteriorate with age, but at a relatively slow rate – compared to humans and other mammals. Since they live in very noisy colonies, where more rapid hearing loss might have been expected, the researchers hypothesize that the bats may have developed special adaptations that slow down the process.

The study was led by PhD student Yifat Tarnovsky from the laboratory of neuro-ecologist Prof. Yossi Yovel of the School of Zoology at The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Head of TAU’s Sagol School of Neuroscience, in collaboration with Prof. Karen Avraham, Dean of TAU’s Faculty of Medicine, Dr. Shahar Taiber from her lab and Prof. Jerry Wilkinson from the University of Maryland. The paper was published in Life Science Alliance.

Prof. Yovel explains that the ability to discern high frequencies is critical for the survival of bats, which rely on it to orient themselves in their surroundings. However, to date no study has systematically examined the effects of aging on hearing in bats.

The researchers used DNA methylation accumulation to assess the age of 47 wild Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus), and then tested their hearing by monitoring auditory brainstem responses to sounds of varying frequency and intensity. The recordings clearly indicated age-related hearing loss, and just like in humans, this deterioration was more marked in the higher frequencies. The rate of deterioration was found to be similar to hearing loss observed in aging humans.

 

Prof. Yossi Yovel with two winged friends

Additional tests showed that like in humans, hearing loss in bats is related to the structure and function of the cochlea, alongside slower processing by the auditory nerve. Tarnovsky explains: “In humans, this last symptom can affect speech comprehension. In older bats it can be detrimental to echolocation. The Egyptian fruit bats we studied rely on echolocation to perform various tasks, but whenever possible they also rely substantially on eyesight. Therefore, our tests should be replicated in bats with poor eyesight, that rely almost exclusively on echolocation to orient themselves.”

New Discoveries About the Process of Hearing Loss

The researchers assume that one cause of hearing loss in Egyptian fruit bats could be cumulative exposure to high noise levels in their environment. Like many other bat species, Egyptian fruit bats live in large colonies and use loud and frequent social vocalizations to communicate. By placing several microphones inside the fruit bats’ cave, Tarnovsky and her colleagues discovered that the bats are frequently exposed to a sound intensity of over 100 dB, equal to that of a motorcycle or power saw. Surprisingly, the loudest noise was found in low frequencies, while the tests indicated that hearing loss occurs mostly in high frequencies.

“The relatively slow rate of age-related hearing loss (similar to the rate in humans) despite lifelong exposure to very high noise levels may indicate that bats have developed special adaptations for coping with their noisy surroundings,” says Prof. Yovel. The researchers hope that understanding these adaptations can provide new insights about the mechanisms of age-related hearing loss in humans.

Operation Guardian of the Walls: Women, Young People and Residents of the South Paid the Heaviest Price

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Smartwatches prove that residents of the south suffered significantly more harm than the rest of the population.

During Operation Guardian of the Walls, which took place in May 2021, researchers from Tel Aviv University carried out a groundbreaking study by equipping Israelis with smartwatches and a dedicated mobile application. The study aimed to examine the impact of the operation on the well-being of citizens by monitoring various objective and subjective indicators. The findings revealed that residents of Israel’s southern region suffered significantly more than the rest of the population.

Assessing Impacts, as well as Resilience

The innovative study was conducted by a team of researchers from Tel Aviv University: Prof. Erez Shmueli, Prof. Dan Yamin, and Ph.D. students Merav Mofaz and Matan Yechezkel of The Iby and Aladar Fleischman Faculty of Engineering; Prof. Noga Kronfeld-Schor of The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences; and Prof. Haim Einat of the Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yafo. The findings of the groundbreaking study were published in the journal Communication Medicine from the Nature group.

According to Prof. Erez Shmueli, the study was part of a broader initiative called PerMed (Personalized Medicine), aimed at early diagnosis of infectious diseases like COVID-19. However, the timing of Operation Guardian of the Walls presented a unique opportunity to examine the physiological and mental changes experienced by civilians during wartime.

By May 2021, the researchers had enrolled 954 Israelis in the experiment, equipping them with smartwatches to assess the impact of the war on the home front. The data collected from the smartwatches and participants’ reports through the app revealed a significant deterioration in various metrics during the war compared to normal circumstances. Notably, after the war ended, all indicators returned to their previous levels on average, showcasing the mental resilience of Israelis. Nevertheless, the researchers observed notable differences among Israeli citizens: with residents of the southern areas (near Gaza), exposed to frequent and dangerous rocket attacks, enduring more significant mental and physiological effects compared to those in the central regions. Furthermore, central region residents suffered more than those in the north.

 

“In future research, it is crucial to identify individuals who experienced significant adversity during the war and did not fully recover following its conclusion. We believe that providing prompt and targeted support to these individuals may prevent the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).” – Prof. Erez Shmueli

 

The findings highlighted several key differences among the citizens. For example, residents of the southern areas spent more time (6.2 hours) looking at their screens compared to central region residents (5.3 hours), and central region residents spent more screen time than those in the north (5 hours). Similar patterns emerged in other metrics, such as mood (3.24 in the south versus 3.45 in the center and 3.75 in the north, on a scale of 1 to 5), stress (2.8 in the south versus 2.6 in the center and 2.3 in the north, on a scale of 1 to 5), physical activity (20 minutes in the south compared to about 34 minutes in the center and in the north), sleep duration (6.1 hours in the south compared to 6.2 hours in the center and 6.5 hours in the north) and quality of sleep (2.9 in the south compared to 3.3 in the center and 3.5 in the north, on a scale of 1 to 5). Women and young people experienced more deviation from their normal patterns during the conflict compared to men and adults.

Since Operation Guardian of the Walls, there have been subsequent rounds of fighting between Israel and factions in Gaza, as well as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Prof. Shmueli believes that wearable technology holds immense potential in monitoring the consequences of such conflicts and providing aid to populations in need: “In the past, wars were fought at the borders,” says Prof. Shmueli. “Today, they are fought deep within the country. Therefore, monitoring the resilience of citizens is crucial, both as groups and as individuals. The state needs to know what happens to its citizens during war, as well as provide special support to groups that are more prone to harm. In future research, it is crucial to identify individuals who experienced significant adversity during the war and did not fully recover following its conclusion. We believe that providing prompt and targeted support to these individuals may prevent the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).”

Due to Climate Change, More Animals will Become Extinct Outside of Nature Reserves than Within Them

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According to int’l study surveying more than 14,000 species of amphibians and reptiles.

A new international study has found that amphibians and reptiles inhabiting the world’s nature reserves, or Protected Areas (PAs), will be better protected against climate change than species found outside of these areas, but are still likely to be harmed.

The research findings provide evidence, on a global scale, of the crucial role Protected Areas play in conserving amphibian and reptile biodiversity under human-induced climate change scenarios. The study reveals that more animals will become extinct because of climate change outside of Protected Areas than inside them — in the world in general and on most individual continents.

Protected Areas as Refuges

Prof. Shai Meiri of Tel Aviv University’s School of Zoology, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences and The Steinhardt Museum of Natural History took part in the study, in collaboration with leading researchers from 19 countries. The study was published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications.

 

“Approximately 91% of the amphibian and reptile species we examined are protected, to some degree, in Protected Areas, and this proportion will remain unchanged under future climate change.” – Prof. Shai Meiri

 

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of existing Protected Areas in protecting the amphibians and reptiles living within them under future climate scenarios, as well as to identify conservation gaps in order to outline a road map for the development of conservation actions based on the current global network of Protected Areas.

“In this study, we collected distribution data for more than 14,000 species of amphibians and reptiles — about 70% of the known species — to perform a global assessment of the conservation effectiveness of Protected Areas in an era of climate change, using species distribution models,” explains Prof. Meiri. “Our analyses revealed that approximately 91% of the amphibian and reptile species we examined are protected, to some degree, in Protected Areas, and that this proportion will remain unchanged under future climate change. Furthermore, species protected in Protected Areas will lose smaller portions of their distribution ranges inside the nature reserve than outside of them. Therefore, the proportion of species within reserves is expected to increase.”

Relative Optimism

However, Prof. Meiri points out, “We predict that more than 300 of the amphibian species and 500 of the reptile species we studied will become extinct due to climate change in the coming decades, and probably also hundreds of species for which we did not have sufficient data to model. Our research highlights the importance of Protected Areas in providing refuge for amphibians and reptiles in face of climate change and points out areas where there are not enough nature reserves that can better preserve biodiversity around the world.”

 

“Despite the relative optimism emerging from the new research, the models still predict extremely high rates of loss of species and habitats due to climate change. Protected Areas do indeed protect the animals living within them, but nothing is foolproof.” – Prof. Shai Meiri

 

He adds: “We compiled a comprehensive global database with more than 3.5 million observation records spanning 5,403 amphibian species and 8,993 reptile species from online databases, fieldwork data, museum collections, and published references. For all species in our database, we predicted habitat availability according to current (1960–1990) climate data and future scenarios (for the years 2060–2080) at a high spatial resolution (1 km × 1 km) using species distribution models. Then, we evaluated the effectiveness of Protected Areas in conserving amphibians and reptiles by calculating the coverage of their distribution range inside and outside of Protected Areas, as well as the proportion of species for whom a significant portion of their distribution range (for example, 15% or 30%) is protected in PAs under current and future climate conditions (assuming that the future use of the land remains unchanged over the years — that is, that there will be no conversion of nature reserves into agricultural, industrial, or urban areas.)”

Prof. Meiri concludes: “Our evidence shows that the current global network of Protected Areas already plays an important role in preserving the global biodiversity of amphibians and reptiles, and will continue to do so under the expected future climate. However, many species do not live in the existing Protected Areas. These include, for example, many amphibians and reptiles in Mexico, Jamaica, the Andes, West Africa, South Africa, the southern and northern coast of Turkey, Yemen and other places. Moreover, in our study we could create a model for only about two-thirds of reptile and amphibian species. Good models can’t be created for the rarest species, which are known to be more vulnerable to extinction and less protected in Protected Areas. At the same time, it is important to remember that despite the relative optimism emerging from the new research, the models still predict extremely high rates of loss of species and habitats due to climate change. Protected Areas do indeed protect the animals living within them, but nothing is foolproof.”

From a Dark Bunker in Ukraine to Graduation Ceremony at Tel Aviv University

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Kirill Drik’s remarkable journey towards a Master’s Degree amidst war.

Kirill Drik, a master’s degree student at Tel Aviv University’s School of Political Science, Government, and International Affairs, experienced an incredible ordeal during the war between Russia and Ukraine. For ten months, he hid from the Ukrainian army, who sought to recruit him, in a desolate bunker filled with the constant sounds of explosions, rats, and a repugnant stench. Thankfully, his partner made sure to bring him food every day.

Studying in a Dark, Abandoned Shelter

Despite the bunker’s unstable internet, Kirill persevered with his studies using Zoom, with the dedicated support of the University’s Coordinator of Advanced Degrees, the Head of the School, and the entire teaching staff. They were all committed to assisting Kirill in completing his degree even under such challenging circumstances.

Last month, Kirill’s dream became a reality as he proudly stood on the stage of Tel Aviv University, ready to receive his hard-earned degree.

 

“Russian planes were constantly bombing the area and there were lots of alarms. I was scared and didn’t know if I would ever be able to return to my normal life.” – Kirill Drik

 

Facing Unimaginable Difficulties

Reflecting on his experience, Kirill shared, “The war in Ukraine presented countless obstacles for me, particularly in meeting course requirements and submitting assignments.” He continued, brimming with excitement, “The bunker in the city of Dnipro, where I recided, was a dark, abandoned shelter with only a small night lamp. The lack of internet access, the terrible smell of sewage, rats scurrying around my feet, and the echoes of explosions constantly haunting the background made it a terrifying environment. The bunker was situated near an ammunition factory, resulting in incessant bombings by Russian planes. I was scared, uncertain whether I would ever return to a normal life.”

The Mission to Graduate Kirill Drik

Just a few months before this dire situation, Kirill had been living in Israel, pursuing his master’s degree at Tel Aviv University’s School of Political Science, Government, and International Affairs.

In 2017, Kirill had immigrated to Israel from Ukraine as a lone soldier and had served full-time in the IDF as a volunteer in a commando unit, despite facing health challenges. After completing his military service, he commenced his studies at Tel Aviv University. In February 2022, during a semester break, he traveled to his hometown, Dnipro, in eastern Ukraine, to visit his parents. However, his stay extended due to his mother’s sudden illness and hospitalization, until February 25th.

 

“I asked the lecturers to report to us regularly if he missed classes, and we all tried to prepare study materials so he would be prepared for the classes that took place on Zoom.” – Prof. Hanna Lerner

 

When the war broke out between Russia and Ukraine on the eve of his flight back to Israel, Kirill, holding both Israeli and Ukrainian citizenship, found himself unable to leave. As all citizens were obligated to join the army, he had no choce but to flee and seek refuge in a bunker for ten long months, with his partner providing him essential provisions.

A Ray of Light Amidst Darkness

During those arduous days, Kirill maintained regular contact with Sigal Shachar, the Coordinator of Advanced Degrees at Tel Aviv University’s School of Political Science, Government and International Affairs. Additionally, Professor Hanna Lerner, the Head of the School, wholeheartedly supported Kirill and rallied the entire teaching staff for Operation “Graduation of Kirill Drik “.

Despite the unbearable conditions, confined to the bunker, Kirill persisted with his studies, attending Zoom classes, completing exams, adn working on projects.

Prof. Lerner shares that, “once we learned that Kirill was hiding in Ukraine, it became paramount for us to maintain daily contact wtih him. I requested lecturers to keep us informed if he missed any classes, and we all diligently prepared study materials to ensure he could keep up with the Zoom sessions. It couldn’t have been easy for him, and we are immensely proud of Kirill for his unwavering determination to continue studying, even amid the sounds of shelling and alarms, while hiding in the bunker for days on end.”

 

“For the rest of my life I will never stop being thankful for everything Tel Aviv University has done for me. I am sure we will meet again when I pursue my Ph.D.” – Kirill Drik

 

“When I received my degree I felt that I had finally returned to my homeland.” Kirill receives his degree. Pictured with Prof. Hanna Lerner (left) and Sigal Shachar.

Gratefulness and Hope for the Future

After ten challenging months in Ukraine, including four failed attempts to escape through the border, Kirill received a phone call from Sigal who shared the happy news that after much effort the University, in cooperation with Tel Aviv University’s Lowy International School, had managed to arrange all the documents that were missing in order for him to leave Ukraine and return to Israel.

Kirill’s journey came full circle when he finally received his degree, a moment that made him feel like he had returned home. Standing on stage, he received his diploma, accompanied by Prof. Hanna Lerner and Sigal Shachar. 

“My homeland is Israel,” Kirill declared. Reflecting on his experience he said, “For the rest of my life, I will forever be grateful for everything Tel Aviv University has done for me. I know we will meet again when I pursue my Ph.D.” With tears of joy, Kirill expressed his gratitude to the audience, stating, “My story is a testament to triumph. Never let anything hold you back. With determination, technology, and the suppport of good-hearted people, you can overcome any obstacle.”

Discovery May Lead to Personalized Medicine for Infectious Diseases

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Tel Aviv University researchers open new doors for applying personalized medicine to infectious diseases, moving beyond cancer and Alzheimer’s.

In the world of healthcare, personalized medicine has made significant strides in certain disease areas, notably cancer. However, when it comes to infection diseases, the application of personalized medicine tools remains largely unexplored. Thanks to a groundbreaking scientific breakthrough, researchers at Tel Aviv University have set their sights on expanding the realm of personalized medicine to encompass infectious diseases as well. This newfound potential holds the promise of delivering more targeted and effective treatments to patients in need.  

Until now, the medical world studied the immune response as a single unit, but a team of researchers at Tel Aviv University discovered a way, using experiments and computational tools, to classify two central components of the immune response that operate as a result of severe infectious disease. The importance of the discovery is that it provides a doorway to the world of personalized medicine in the field of infectious diseases and the provision of more effective treatments for patients. For example, instead of deciding to give a uniform medicine to all patients (i.e. an antibiotic like penicillin) the physician will be able to determine precisely which medicine he should give the patient and at what dosage, according to the classification of the infection based on analysis of the ratio between two key markers found in the patient’s blood.

Infectious Disease

An infectious disease is a condition in which a microorganism (virus, bacterium, or parasite) manages to penetrate and multiply in the human body, causing direct damage to the body’s cells.

The damage to the body may also be indirect, as a result of the reaction of the immune system, for example, the creation of inflammation against the same disease-causing agent (pathogen).

Zooming in on the Immune System

The research was led by Prof. Irit Gat-Viks and Prof. Eran Bacharach, with the doctoral students Ofir Cohn and Gal Yankovitz from the Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research in The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences. The study was published in the prestigious journal, Cell Systems.

 

“From simple blood tests, we can learn a lot about the health status of people who became ill and give them more comprehensive treatment according to the development of the infection in their bodies.” – Prof. Irit Gat-Viks

 

“In the general population, people react differently to infections, and therefore there is a need for medical tools to indicate how each person is expected to react to a certain infectious disease,” explains Prof. Gat-Viks. She explains that, “until now, there have been only very general indicators to characterize these diseases, such as inflammatory markers, fever, urine tests, etc. Based on these indicators, analyses of the response to the infection that appeared rather uniform can be divided into different responses according to the new classification. In extreme cases, as we saw in the Corona epidemic, a person’s immune response to the virus can result in lethality, and preliminary identification of their response can help us save lives. Our new observations and more precise classification of the inflammatory response has allowed us to identify new indicators and markers in our bloodstream. What all this means is that from simple blood tests, we can learn a lot about the health status of people who became ill and give them more comprehensive treatment according to the development of the infection in their bodies.”

 

Prof. Eran Bacharach and Prof. Irit Gat-Viks

 

The researchers were able to observe the response of the immune system with high resolution, and identify two main types of responses. Prof. Bacharach outlines the first response as one in which, “the immune system fights a pathogen that has entered the body,” and the other type and one in which “the damage to the body ‘after the war’ with the pathogen is repaired.” In their research, they used disease models in animals, computational tools, and information collected from people with different markers in their bodies that are indicators of the type of response to the pathogen.

 

“People with extreme reactions to infection with microorganisms such as viruses or bacteria lack an adequate medical response today.” – Prof. Irit Gat-Viks

 

Prof. Gat-Viks explains that “in fact, personalized medicine exists today for ‘regular’ diseases such as cancer, but there is almost no use of personalized medicine methods in the field of infectious diseases. People with extreme reactions to infection with microorganisms such as viruses or bacteria lack an adequate medical response today. We believe that thanks to our research, doctors will be able to better diagnose the patient’s condition and, as a result, provide effective treatment that will improve the patient’s chances of recovery. We aim to continue the research and discover more subgroups with different reactions among the population so that we can help doctors make their diagnosis more precise and thus provide proper treatment for their patients.”

The Secret Sauce of Academic Growth

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Post-doc researchers propel cross-pollination of ideas around the globe.

How do universities worldwide expand academic ties, develop new research approaches, and tap into emerging ideas? One of the best ways to achieve these goals is to attract a talented and diverse group of recent PhD graduates for post-doctoral positions, which have long been considered as powerful engines for growth.

The main purpose of a post-doc is to develop the professional and academic skills of new PhDs, while providing them a “home” under the mentorship of an experienced researcher. The skills, experience and networking ties the young researchers gain at this stage can be key in helping them secure tenure-track faculty positions in the future. At the same time, the innovative ideas the researchers develop and pursue, and the academic ties they provide, position the hosting institution ahead of the curve in academic progress.

Recognizing the importance of supporting post-doc researchers’ foundations and private donors have created fellowship programs offering sponsored positions in various disciplines and creating a pool of talented young scientists and thinkers at the world’s top universities.

Tapping into the Expertise Network

Dr. Joshua Barrow is a post-doc scholar supported by the binational US-Israel Zuckerman STEM Leadership Program. He holds a joint appointment at Tel Aviv University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, working at the intersection of nuclear and particle physics research.

 

Dr. Joshua Barrow hooking up cables for a new experiment at the MicroBooNE data acquisition subsystem

“In the field of particle physics specifically, collaborative work proves absolutely necessary. The experiments we build to study the most fundamental properties of matter—our colliders, accelerators, and detectors—are gigantic machines that require a team effort deep with cooperative knowledge. We bounce ideas off a lot of people and expertise is distributed throughout our large networks,” he says.

 

“Meeting other like-minded people allows us to fast-track the development of ideas and cross-pollinate them across disciplines.” – Dr. Joshua Barrow 

 

Originally from Tennessee, Barrow “caught the research bug” in college, when he decided that physics was the optimal discipline that combined “philosophy, logic, and the ultimate question of how things work in the universe.” He works with Prof. Or Hen at MIT and with Dr. Adi Ashkenazi at Tel Aviv University’s Raymond & Beverly Sackler School of Physics and Astronomy. “These professors were interested in working together. I aligned with both of their research interests and provided a bridge between principal investigators in both countries,” he explains.

Barrow, who started his Zuckerman Fellowship in the fall of 2021, met the 2021 cohort of Zuckerman Scholars in Israel from other fields and universities. “Meeting other like-minded people allows us to fast-track the development of ideas and cross-pollinate them across disciplines,” he muses.

Barrow, who hopes to continue working at national laboratories or as a university professor, plans to continue collaborations with TAU into the future, wherever he lands professionally. “The problems we’re trying to solve at TAU are interesting, and the undergraduate students are very bright.”

Discovering the Local Perspective

Post-doctoral exchange is no less vital in social science than in hard sciences. Dr. Lior Birger [featured on the article’s main image] is a Bloomfield post-doc researcher at Tel Aviv University’s Bob Shapell School of Social Work. She researches best practices in working with displaced populations, refugees, and asylum seekers. As part of her PhD research, Birger conducted fieldwork in Germany, where she initiated contact with the Alice Salomon University (ASH) School of Social Work in Berlin. Thanks to this connection and the support from the German-Israeli Future Forum, Birger and her colleague at the Bob Shapell School, Dr. Nora Korin-Langer later created two joint courses in migration between ASH and TAU.

 

“The post-doc is a critical phase for all scholars, but for women, especially. Women and mothers face more intense challenges that require additional flexibility and compromises.” Dr. Lior Birger

 

“Our students, both graduate, and undergrads, Jews and Arabs, get to learn about forced migration and meet displaced populations on the ground in both countries, which helps broaden their horizons and grasp the problem as a global issue, while providing different perspectives on the challenges of social exclusion and marginalization,” Birger says. The courses include a two-day preparation in Tel Aviv and then a week in Berlin.

In September 2022, Birger started another post-doc position in Sussex, UK. “The post-doc is a critical phase for all scholars, but for women, especially. Women and mothers face more intense challenges that require additional flexibility and compromises,” she says. “Programs providing post-doc fellowships alleviate some of the financial burdens on young researchers and allow them to develop independently – providing flexibility and much-needed support at this challenging stage,” she concludes.  

Nurturing Ties

Prof. Ralf Metzler, the current Chair for Theoretical Physics at the University of Potsdam, Germany, arrived in Israel in 1998 for his post-doc at Tel Aviv University after connecting with TAU chemistry professor Joseph Klafter after a seminar.

“Post-doc positions prevent you from steaming in your own juice. The best post-docs are the ones where you get really different perspectives, both in science and society,” he says.

 

“The best post-docs are the ones where you get really different perspectives, both in science and society.” Prof. Ralf Metzler

 

Metzler spent two and a half years at TAU, where he met some of his “best friends in science,” and he continues his collaboration with Israeli scientists today, and even hopes to come back to Israel to work sometime.

“I’ve become an advocate for Israel—I love the place,” he says. Metzler transfers his admiration of Israel to his students, many of whom come from countries such as China and Iran. “I hope that they go back changed, in a way,” he concludes.

 

Prof. Ralf Metzler (left) and Prof. Joseph Klafter

Moving Forward

Boosting the number of post-doctoral positions on campus has been one of Tel Aviv University’s organizational priorities. The number of post-doc fellows at TAU has risen 25% over the last five years to 477 fellows in 2022. 

“In contrast to science in the US and Europe, Israeli science traditionally relied on Ph.D. students and not on post-docs,” explains Prof. Yossi Yovel, the head of TAU’s Sagol School of Neuroscience and senior lecturer at The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, who is always on the lookout for strong post-docs.

“In the past few years, however, we are observing a change in this pattern with more and more Israeli and international candidates looking to do their post-doc fellowship in Israel. The value and contribution of a strong post-doc can be instrumental in propelling progress at TAU, and in Israel, in general,” he adds. 

Source: TAU Review

CRISPR Unveils Plant Gene Potential

Written by AUFTAU on . Posted in Newsroom.

Breakthrough method revolutionizes agricultural crop improvement for enhanced properties.

Since the agricultural revolution, mankind has strived to enhance plant varieties through genetic diversity. However, until recently, our understanding was limited to the functions of individual genes, which account for just 20% of the genome. The remaining 80%, comprised of genes grouped in families, remained a mystery on a large genomic scale.

 

In a groundbreaking achievement, Tel Aviv University researchers have harnessed the power of CRISPR technology to develop an innovative and scalable genetic modification method. This breakthrough allows us to uncover the roles and characteristics of duplicated genes in plants. As a result, the team has successfully identified numerous overlooked features, paving the way for a revolutionary approach to crop improvement. This remarkable development has the potential to revolutionize agricultural practices across a wide range of crops and traits, including increased yields and enhanced resistance to drought and pests.

 

Overcoming Genetic Redundancy

This groundbreaking research was led by postdoctoral student Dr. Yangjie Hu, under the guidance of Prof. Eilon Shani and Prof. Itay Mayrose from the School of Plant Sciences and Food Security at TAU’s The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences. Collaborating with scientists from France, Denmark, and Switzerland, the team utilized the CRISPR gene editing technology along with bioinformatics and molecular genetics methods to develop this novel gene-location method. The research was published in the prestigious journal Nature Plants.

 

 

“We wanted to apply this technique to improve the control of creating mutations in plants for the purposes of agricultural improvement, and specifically to overcome the common limitation posed by genetic redundancy.” – Prof. Itay Mayrose

 

 

Genetic redundancy, caused by gene families, has long posed a challenge in plant research. Previous methods of genetic intervention were limited by the inability to precisely identify genes responsible for specific traits. The accepted method to address this challenge is to produce mutations, that is, to modify genes in different ways, and then to examine changes in the plant’s traits as a result of the mutation in the DNA and to learn from this about the function of the gene.

 

Thus, for example, if a plant with sweeter fruit develops, it can be concluded that the altered gene determines the sweetness of the fruit. This strategy has been used for decades, and has been very successful, but it also has a fundamental problem: an average plant such as tomato or rice has about 30,000 genes, but about 80% of them do not work alone but are grouped in families of similar genes. Therefore, if a single gene from a certain gene family is mutated, there is a high probability that another gene from the same family (actually a copy very similar to the mutated gene) will mask the phenotypes in place of the mutated gene. Due to this phenomenon, called genetic redundancy, it is difficult to create a change in the plant itself, and to determine the function of the gene and its link to a specific trait.

 

The research team

 

The team addressed this challenge by using CRISPR and designing sgRNA sequences that guide an enzyme called Cas9 found naturally in bacteria to cut specific genetic sequences associated with entire gene families. Prof. Mayrose explains that “this genetic editing method allows us to design different sgRNA sequences to allow Cas9 to cut almost any gene that we want to change. We wanted to apply this technique to improve the control of creating mutations in plants for the purposes of agricultural improvement, and specifically to overcome the common limitation posed by genetic redundancy.”

 

In the first stage, a bioinformatics study was carried out on a computer, which, unlike most studies in the field, initially covered the entire genome. The researchers chose to focus on the Arabidopsis plant, which is used as a model in many studies and has about 30,000 genes. First, they identified and isolated about 8,000 individual genes, which have no family members, and therefore no copies in the genome. The remaining 22,000 genes were divided into families, and for each family appropriate sgRNA sequences were computationally designed. Each sgRNA sequence was designed to guide the Cas9 cutting enzyme to a specific genetic sequence that characterizes the entire family, with the aim of creating mutations in all family members so that these genes can no longer overlap each other. In this way, a library was built that totaled approximately 59,000 sgRNA sequences, where each sgRNA by itself can simultaneously modify 2-10 genes at once from each gene family, thereby effectively neutralizing the phenomenon of genetic redundancy.

 

In addition, the sgRNA sequences were divided into ten sub libraries of approximately 6,000 sgRNA sequences each, according to the presumed role of the genes – such as coding for enzymes, receptors, transcription factors, etc. According to the researchers, establishing the libraries allowed them to focus and optimize the search for genes responsible for desired traits, a search that until now has been largely random.

 

 

“We believe that this is the future of agriculture: controlled and targeted crop improvement on a large scale. Today, we are applying the method we developed to rice and tomato plants with great success, and we intend to apply it to other crops as well.” – Prof. Eilon Shani

 

 

In the next step, the researchers moved from the computer to the laboratory. Here they generated all 59,000 sgRNA sequences designed by the computational method and engineered them into new plasmid libraries (i.e., circular DNA segments) in combination with the cutting enzyme. The researchers then generated thousands of new plants containing the libraries – where each plant was implanted with a single sgRNA sequence directed against a specific gene family.

 

The researchers observed the traits that were manifested in the plants following the genome modifications, and when an interesting phenotype was observed in a particular plant, it was easy to know which genes were responsible for the change based on the sgRNA sequence that was inserted into it. Also, through DNA sequencing of the identified genes, it was possible to determine the nature of the mutation that caused the change and its contribution to the plant’s new properties.

 

In this way, many new traits were mapped that until now were blocked due to genetic redundancy. Specifically, the researchers identified specific proteins that comprise a mechanism related to the transport of the hormone cytokinin, which is essential for optimal plant development.

 

Commercialization and Future Impact

Prof. Shani concludes: “The new method we developed is expected to be of great help to basic research in understanding processes in plants, but beyond that, it has enormous significance for agriculture: it makes it possible to efficiently and accurately reveal the pool of genes responsible for traits we seek to improve – such as resistance to drought, pests, and diseases, or increasing yields. We believe that this is the future of agriculture: controlled and targeted crop improvement on a large scale. Today we are applying the method we developed to rice and tomato plants with great success, and we intend to apply it to other crops as well.”

 

Recognizing the transformative potential of this breakthrough, Tel Aviv University’s technology commercialization company, Ramot, partnered with the AgChimedes group to establish DisTree, a company dedicated to applying this technology to different crops. This collaboration, along with financial investment and professional support, aims to revolutionize agricultural genetics and ensure nutritional security in the face of climate crises.

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