Prof. Ruth Ashery-Padan

Ruth Ashery-Padan is a full Professor at Tel Aviv University, Head of the Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry and leading the Yoran Institute of Human Genome Research. She received her B.A. in Psychology and Biology, followed by MSc and Ph.D. from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

Her postdoctoral studies took place at the Max Planck Institute of Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen, Germany. 

Her research team focuses on the complex gene networks that convert embryonic cells into fully differentiated organs, with a particular emphasis on eye development as a model for organogenesis.

Her team utilize advanced technologies, including mouse genetic tools (Cre/loxP), molecular biology techniques, stem cell methods, and epigenetic analyses, to identify and functionally characterize the genes key to mammalian eye development.

Understanding the normal developmental regulation of eye structures is essential for addressing visual disorders and developing treatments for ocular conditions such as retinal degeneration, glaucoma, and cataracts, which are among the leading causes of blindness.