OUR PEOPLE

Dani Offen, Ph.D.

Principle Investigator

danioffen@gmail.com

Tali Ben-Zur, Ph.D.

Lab Manager

tali_ben_zur@yahoo.com

Shay Herman

Ph.D. Student

The Role of Exosomes in the Progression and Pathology of Parkinson’s Diseases

Recent in-vitro and in-vivo studies support the idea of transcellular spread of misfolded alpha-synuclein in a prion-like transmission of protein aggregation. It has been established that pathogenic alpha-synuclein can pass from cell to cell via exosome secretion. To better understand the implications of alpha-synuclein propagation via exosomes we would like to inhibit exosome synthesis by chemical and genetic methods such as CRISPR/Cas9 system to reduce alpha-synuclein spread as a therapeutic target and halt the progression of the disease.

herman.shay@gmail.com

67830129_10157725983315087_4710398651950

Reut Horev

M.Sc. Student

Therapeutic effect and mechanism of mesenchymal stem cells-derived exosomes in genetically modified autism model mice Shank3.

Exosomes are small nanovesicles containing molecular information of proteins and RNAs. It has been shown that exosomes derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSC-Exo) are candidate sources for the therapeutic purposes of various neurological and psychiatric conditions, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In my study, I examine the effects of MSC-Exo administration on the behavioral symptoms in the Shank3 mouse model of autism and investigate the molecular mechanism of the MSC-Exo on Shank3 mice.

reuthorev@gmail.com

Hadas Tsivion

M.D-Ph.D. Student

The role of glutamatergic dysfunction in schizophrenia models

Schizophrenia involves impairments in cognition, perception and motivation.

Recent evidence implicate alterations in glutamatergic neurotransmission in the pathology of schizopgrenia. Our research focuses on this glutamatergic system dysfunction and its role in the pathophysiology of the disease. By utilizing different mouse models for schizophrenia as well as human tissue from individuals with schizophrenia, we aim to offer insight into the pathophysiological processes underlying schizophrenia, and point to future therapeutic targets or biomarkers.

hadas.tsivion@gmail.com

Reut Guy

Ph.D. Student

Effects of Modified Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Exosomes in Murine Models of Stroke

Stroke is the second most common cause of death, and the third most common cause of disability worldwide.Research shows MSC-derived exosomes retain some of the characteristics of their parent MSCs, such as immune system modulation, regulation of neurite outgrowth, promotion of angiogenesis, and the ability to repair damaged tissue. In my research a modified MSC-derived exosomes system will be established, in which different molecular agents will be encapsulated into exosomes. Protective effects and therapeutic potential of the modified MSC-derived exosomes will be assessed both in vitro and in various murine models of stroke in vivo

rg.reutguy@gmail.com

Rotem Volkman

Ph.D. Student

Assessing the role of Neutrophils in Alzheimer's

Recent studies implicate neutrophils in mediating secondary tissue damage in alzheimer's disease. In this work we aim at assesing the role of key neutrophil proteins implicated in the pathologesis of alzheimer's.

v.rotem@gmail.com

Roy Rabinowitz

Ph.D. Student

Allele-specific correction of disease causing mutations: The CRISPR/Cas system can be employed to specifically target a pathogenic allele and generate an allele-specific double-stranded break. In heterozygous patients such breaks may be corrected by gene conversion as the homologous chromosome serves as the correction template. Otherwise the break will lead to knockout of the pathogenic allele via NHEJ repair pathway. To increase the specificity of the CRISPR system to a single nucleotide we design the gRNAs according to the SNP-derived PAM approach.
Bioinformatic tools for gRNA design: The tools CrisPam and BE-FF were developed from the need of experimentalist researchers to treat specific single-nucleotide variations (SNVs). CrisPam identifies novel PAMs generated by SNVs to design allele-specific alleles. BE-FF (Base editors Functional Finder) identifies base editors that can precisely correct SNVs. Both tools are available as online web tools and were used to generate databases of human pathogenic SNPs that can be edited by SNP-derived PAM or base editing.

rabinowitz.roy@gmail.com

Shani Poleg

M.D.-Ph.D. Student

The Endocannabinoid (EC) system acts as a neuromodulating network involved in the regulation of emotional responses, behavioral reactivity to context, and social interaction. In addition, medical cannabis was proven as beneficial in several studies for the treatment of chronic pain, emesis and pain in cancer, relieving epilepsy seizures etc. In my research I study the effects of cannbinoid singaling enhancement in mouse models for ASD and pain.

shanipoleg@gmail.com

Alumni Lab Members