Research - Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry
The Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry has a varied and rich repertoire of ongoing research in the biomedical field. Researchers in the Department collaborate extensively, both with physicians in Israeli hospitals and researchers from other Israeli scientific institutions, as well as with scientists at major medical and research centers abroad.
The various techniques used include molecular biology, genetics, cell biology, and biochemistry. Progress has been made in addressing the underlying mechanisms of both monogenic and multigenic human disease and disorders such as diabetes, ataxia-telangiectasia, atherosclerosis, cancer, deafness, blindness, Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, and premature aging.
A significant proportion of funding in the Department comes from outside agencies, including the National Institutes of Health, the European Commission, the Israel Science Foundation, The Leukemia Research Foundation, the Israel Ministry of Health, the Israel Ministry of Science, the German-Israeli Foundation, the US-Israel Binational Science Foundation, the A-T Medical Research Foundation, the A-T Children's Project, the Israel Cancer Association, the Israel Cancer Research Fund, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and D-Cure (Israel), the Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ) and Israel's Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) Collaboration Program in Cancer Research. Industrial support is also provided through Ramot, the University Authority for Applied Research and Industrial Development.
Basic research performed includes specific topics such as DNA repair and DNA damage signaling, molecular cytogenetics and chromosome structure, RNA processing, gene regulation and signalling pathways in development, stem cell manipulation, biological clocks, molecular motors in sensory systems, biochemistry of red blood cells, and the use of computational biology to study protein structure. The research is done employing molecular, cellular and whole tissue technologies, in vitro and in vivo. Trials are done to induce tissue regeneration and repair, using the updated innovative technologies of cell culturing, microscopy, molecular and cellular biology, as well as tissue engineering and molecular transfections, manipulations and creation of "smart" cells. The scientific work performed by the various research teams includes also problems related to ischemia-reperfusion damage; inborn errors in purine metabolism; function and therapy concerning disorders of nervous system, of skeletal elements, muscles and joints; disorders of man sterility; cancerous processes associated with pathological expressions of hormones, growth factors and their receptors; signal transduction pathways and correction of pathological developmental pathways by signalling molecules; and attempts to slow down the aging and degenerative disorders processes. Drug design toward neuroprotection for Alzheimer's disease and cognitive impairments is also being developed.
Implemented techniques include a wide variety of cell biology and molecular biology techniques, functional studies by gain- and loss-of-function approaches in transgenic and mutant mouse models, microarray analysis, yeast 2-hybrid screens, mass spectrometry, and genome scans. Bioinformatics provides a crucial component for almost all biomedical and genomic research performed today, and the department combines both experimentation and bioinformatics solutions for research.
Equipment and facilities within the Department provide the basis for experimentation, including light and fluorescent microscopy, autoradiographic film developing, tissue culture facilities, a cold laboratory, and a room dedicated to work with radioactivity and viruses. Faculty and University units provide automated sequencing, fluorescence activated cell sorter (FACS), confocal laser scanning microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and microarray analysis.
Several specialized research units are located in the Department, including a microinjection room for production of transgenic mice, a P2 tissue culture facility, and the National Laboratory for the Genetics of Israeli Populations.
The USAID-ASHA Center for Middle Eastern Genetic Diseases studies genetic diseases endemic to the Jewish and Arab populations. Equipment funded by the Center is distributed throughout the Sackler Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Life Sciences at Tel Aviv University. Director: Prof. Karen Avraham
The Adams Super Center for Brain Studies joins together leading scientists combining a multidisciplinary approach to brain research. Studies and teaching are aimed at deciphering the secrets of the brain and solving devastating diseases. Director: Prof. Ilana Gozes. http://www.brain.tau.ac.il
