Congratulations to Dr. Asael and the team of researchers from Hebrew University who were chosen from among several hundred applicants, to receive one of the grants for half a million dollars from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation towards their research on early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s using a blood test.
Dr. Lubotsky explained: “There are more than two hundred different types of cells in our bodies, and when these cells die, they release free DNA segments into the bloodstream. By conducting a liquid biopsy – that is, a blood test and its unique analysis – much information can be found about the origin of the cells that died…In the lab, we tried to characterize not only the genetic sequence but also an additional control layer on the DNA, what is called epigenetics, so that we could find unique markers of what cell type and DNA segment they came from – for example, a cell that originated in the brain or liver – and from this to identify which cells have increased mortality. ”
In addition to this grant, this past summer, Dr. Lubotsky was awarded the James Sivartsen Prize in Cancer Research by Hebrew University for his innovative work in the field of cancer research. He was recognized for his study on circulating cfDNA as cancer diagnostic markers.
