Prof. Illana Gozes

• Professor Emerita of Clinical Biochemistry, Gray Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
• Former Lily and Avraham Gildor Chair for the Investigation of Growth Factors
•  Director, Dr. Diana and Zelman Elton Laboratory for Molecular Neuroendocrinology
•  Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Molecular Neuroscience (Springer-Nature)
•  Vice President Drug Development, ExoNavis Therapeutics Ltd.
• Past President, European Society for Neurochemistry
•  President Summer Neuropeptide Conference
• Former Member, The Council for Higher Education (CHE), Israel

Neuronal Plasticity and Nerve Cell Protection in Disease

Our research is characterized by a multi-level approach to the study of brain function, behavior, memory, and drug discovery, from molecules to cures. Targeting autism, schizophrenia, as well as Alzheimer’s disease and related neurodegeneration, and utilizing a multidisciplinary approach, our group investigates different aspects of neuronal plasticity and nerve cell protection at the molecular, cellular, and system levels. 

 

A major focus in the laboratory is on nerve structure and transport mechanisms. We have discovered novel families of proteins associated with cross-talk among nerve cells and their support cells, including activity-dependent neurotrophic factor (ADNF) and activity-dependent neuroprotective proteins (ADNPs, with ADNP being a major gene mutated in autism and somatically mutated in Alzheimer’s disease. Small ADNP derivatives are in clinical development. The lead compound, the investigational drug davunetide, is planned for an advanced Phase II-III clinical trial in ADNP syndrome with ExoNavis Therapeutics Ltd..

 

Davunetide has shown sex-dependent efficacy in several Phase II clinical trials (i.e., in patients suffering from mild cognitive impairment, preceding Alzheimer's disease, and in schizophrenia patients, protecting activities of daily living) and further efficacy in a Phase II-III study in women suffering from the neurodegenerative disease progressive supranuclear palsy.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Gozes+i&sort=date

 

 

Published interviews with and by others:

 

1] The role of vasoactive intestinal peptide in neuroprotection: Interview with Professor Illana Gozes

Quigley, E and Gozes, I Expert Opinion on Therapeutics Drugs. Jun 2007 | 11 (6), pp.733-736

 

2] From the Editors Desk: Angela Zawacki-Downing Writing to Professor Illana Gozes, Editor-in-Chief Journal of Molecular Neuroscience-Speaking from a Mother's Heart, AD's ADNP Syndrome. Zawacki-Downing A. J Mol Neurosci. 2019 Aug;68(4):511-514 (Cited 2 times)

 

3] Profiles of women in science: Illana Gozes, Professor Emerita of Clinical Biochemistry, Tel Aviv University. Helmreich DL. Eur J Neurosci. 2023 Jul;58(2):2431-2436.

 

4] INNOVATORS & IDEAS: RESEARCH LEADER Illana Gozes: From the pivotal discovery of activity-dependent neuroprotective protein (ADNP) through its investigational drug davunetide: brain molecular medicine providing hope for autism, schizophrenia, and Alzheimer’s disease. Brain Medicine October, 2024 (Cited in Feature Story | 4-Oct-2024 Molecular neuroscience Israeli visionary: Illana Gozes' quest for brain disorder solutions (eurekalert).

 

Books

 

I Gozes (ed.) Neuropeptide Techniques, 2007 Humana Press (Neuromethods Vol. 39)

Chapters 1-5. 

Neuroprotection in Alzheimer's Disease, 1st Edition

https://www.elsevier.com/books/neuroprotection-in-autism-schizophrenia-and-alzheimers-disease/gozes/978-0-12-814037-6

Editor: Illana Gozes

Neuroprotection in Autism, Schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease

https://www.elsevier.com/books/neuroprotection-in-autism-schizophrenia-and-alzheimers-disease/gozes/978-0-12-814037-6, 1st Edition

Editors: Illana Gozes Joseph Levine

 

 

 

1977                            Landau Prize (Miphal Ha-Pais) For Tel Aviv, Israel. Excellent Ph.D. Thesis

1982-1985                    The Bergmann Memorial Fund Research Prize. For an excellent US-Israel Binational Science Foundation Grant Application

1991                            The Juludan Prize for outstanding research achievement, which shows promise of having valuable scientific-technological application and is channeled to enhance man's welfare and prolong the human life span.

1992, 1993                  The Israeli Society for Clinical Biochemistry, Best poster award.

1993                            Teva Founders Prize for opening new horizons in medical research in Israel (shared with Prof. M. Fridkin). 

1997                            The Israeli Society for Clinical Biochemistry, best poster awards 

2000                            Best Scientist Award, the Israeli Society for Laboratory Studies 

2000-2003                   The Neufeld Research Award for excellent BSF grant application, Health Science

2011-                           Gayle A. Olson and Richard D. Olson Prize for the most meritorious original research article on the behavioral effects of peptides published in Peptides in 2010

2013-                           Meitner-Humboldt Research Award and a Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg fellow

2014-                           Recipient of the Landau Prize for Life Science 

2015-22 –                    Yearly recipient of the best publication award in the field of research, Medicine (TAU) 

2016-                           Champion of Hope – Science International -2016 – Global Genes, USA

2019-                           Recipient of a continuation Humboldt Research Award

2020-                           Honorary Member, Israel Society for Neuroscience, Silver Medal, Bulgarian Academy of Science

2021-2023                   Healthy Longevity Catalyst Award (part of the Healthy Longevity Global Competition, supported by the National Academy of Medicine, USA, and partners) in collaboration with Professor Victor OK Li and team (Hong Kong University) 

2003                            Excellent Poster Award, VIP, PACAP and Related Peptides (Hakone, Japan)

2008-                           Tel Aviv University Vice President Prize (2007) for Innovative Research (University-wide)

2009-                           Fleur Strand Neuropeptide Festival, outstanding research on VIP and related peptides, Austria.

2025-                           Golden Medal, for joint contribution with Hong Kong University investigators at the vanguard of Alzheimer’s research, artificial intelligence for drug reposition (DeepDrug), from Invention Geneva, Salon International Des Inventions.

Travel Awards

1976                            International Biology Course in Greece (Ph.D. student)

1977                            Awarded a Katzir Fellowship.  Rehovot, Israel.  

1977                            Synaptic Structure and Function course (Cold Spring Harbor, USA), Brain tissue culture course (Upsala, Sweden, Ph.D. student)

1978                            European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), Heidelberg, Germany                     

First EMBO meeting on Molecular Neuroscience (Ph.D. student)

2013                            Fellowship of the Hanse Wissenschaftskolleg (Institute for Advanced Study). The Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg (HWK) is a foundation of the federal states of Bremen and Lower Saxony and the city of Delmenhorst. As an independent Institute for Advanced Study, the HWK promotes the disciplinary and interdisciplinary collaboration of internationally renowned scientists and young investigators by offering guest scholars (Fellows) the opportunity to concentrate on research projects for a certain period of time without the distractions of their regular academic responsibilities.

2022                            Neurodevelopmental Disorders - Cognitive Genetics Conference, University of Antwerp, Belgium (Speaker, Symposium Chair, and Scientific Committee Member)

Scholarships, research awards/fellowships

1978-1980                   Awarded the Chaim Weizmann Fellowship, Rehovot, Israel. 

1982-1984                   Jewish Agency Award. Jerusalem, Israel. 

1995-1996                   Fogarty International Scholar at the NIH - (stipend for a year of subsistence in the US)

2003/2004                      SAIA Doctoral Prize and Scholarship Fund for HIV and Parkinson's Diseases Research, Tel Aviv University 

2010-                           The Hendrik and Irene Gutwirth Research Prize in Diabetes Mellitus for New Horizons in the Treatment of diabetic retinopathy at Tel Aviv University

Professor Gozes Student Scholarship (not direct, for student fellowships)                   

1984-1988                   Jerusalem, Israel, Levi Eshkol Fellowship: Eliezer Giladi 

2004/2005 -                 Tel Aviv Univ. Dan David Scholarship, Shmuel Mandel - 

2005 -                          Tel Aviv Univ. Buchmann Doctoral Scholarship Fund 

Jerusalem, Israel, Levi Eshkol Fellowship, Natalia Shiryaev (-2009) 

2010-                           Jerusalem, Israel, Levi Eshkol Fellowship, (for the student)

Jerusalem, Israel, Zevulun Hamer Fellowship – Yanina Ivashko - 

Tel Aviv University: Joseph Sagol Fellowship, Shmuel Goldberg 

Levi-Edersheim-Gitter Functional MRI Fellowship, Yan Jouroukhin 

2015 –2016                  Y. Ivasshko-Pachima, Joseph Sagol Fellowship; S. Sragovich, Bloomfield, McGill-TAU

2017-2019                   Shlomo Sragovich and Gal Haochen-Kleiman, Eshkol Fellowships.

2019-2020-                  Dr. Y. Ivashko-Pachima, the Aufzien Family Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease (APPD) postdoctoral fellowship and scholarship donated by Sandra Fischer, in the field of Alzheimer’s research, in memory of Nettie and Manuel Fisher. Dr. S. Sragovich and Ms. O. Kapitansky, Israeli BioInnovators Fellowship and Mentors by Teva.

2021-                           Maram Ganaeim - Neubauer PhD scholarship

Professor Gozes Student Prizes (from the year 2000 on)

2000                            Best thesis award, Adams Super Center for Brain Studies at TAU, Dr. R. Zamostiano

2003/4                           Best student, best paper, Brain Research (Dr. Albert Pinhasov, USA). Price of 

2006-                           Boaz Moav Prize for Development. Biology, Switzerland Inst. at TAU, Shmuel Mandel 

2007-                           Poster Award (Yan Jouroukhin)/Scholarship -AWARD (Shmuel Mandel) ILMAR

2011 -                          Boaz Moav Prize for Development. Biology, Switzerland Inst. at TAU, Efrat Dresner

2012-                           Best Poster Award, Brain Plasticity Symposium – Inauguration of the Sagol School for Neuroscience, Adams Super Center Awards- Tel Aviv University, Yan Jouroukhin

2014-                           Best Paper/Posters Award, A. Merenlender-Wagner, A. Malishkevich, Y. Ivashko-Pachima 

2015-                           Best department paper, Faculty of Medicine, TAU (A. Merenlender-Wagner)

2017-                           Yanina Ivashko-Pachima, best article award, travel and symposium young scientist symposium speaker (travel funds to Paris, France, International Society for Neurochemistry Meeting); Gal-Hocohen Kleim, Rami Rahamimof Travel Award (BSF)

2018-                           Yanina Ivashko-Pachima – best student lectures, Alzheimer meeting, Tel Aviv University; Adva Hadar (Sagol School of Neuroscience Travel award – for the Human Brain Project Course on Brain Medicine – Berlin, Germany); Shlomo Sragovich, Naomi Foundation Award for collaborative Research, Adva Hadar, Psychobiology

2019-                           Gidon Karmon, Switzerland Institute of Developmental Biology Excellence Travel Award, Developmental Biology Travel Scholarship + Mediterranean Society for Neuoscience Travel Scholarship. The Joan and Jaime Constantiner Institute for Molecular Genetics Travel Fellowship, Adams Super Center for Brain Studies travel award, Valentina De Castro fellowship for young symposium speakers, and the Claire & Amedee Martier Institute for the Study of Blindness & Visual Disorders travel grant. Adva Hadar, best paper, Israel Society on Biological Psychiatry, best paper award. Shlomo Sragovich, ESN Young Investigator Award, Travel Scholarships to the VIP-PACAP meeting US, Psychobiology Award

2020-                           Dr. Adva Hadar, European Society for Neurochemistry (ESN) Mini Conference at Virtual FENS

2021-                           Dr. Yanina Ivashko-Pachima, first prize for Best Publication 2019-2020, by the Israel Society for Biological Psychiatry.

2022-                           Dr. Adva Hadar, first prize for Best Publication 2019-2020, by the Israel Society for Biological Psychiatry. Maram Ganaiem (Ph.D. student) and Alexandra Lobyntseva (M.Sc. student)  “The Prajs-Drimmer Institute for the Development of Anti-Degenerative Drugs Travel Awards” and meeting scholarships for the Neurodevelopmental Disorders - Cognitive Genetics Conference, University of Antwerp, Belgium (each gave a lecture). Adams Super Center travel award for the Israel Society for Neuroscience Meeting (Eilat, Israel). All covering meeting expenses.

2023-                           Shaked Turk, best poster award, Sagol School of Neuroscience. 

Over the years, several Trotsky Awards at Tel Aviv University for students, Wolf awards for students (One – Dr. Jacob Romano), Summer Neuropeptide Travel Awards, and Adams Super Center Travel Awards