Personal Biographical Information

I received B.Sc. degree in Medicinal Chemistry from Bar-Ilan University (1996) and direct Ph.D. (Summa cum laude) degree in Pharmacology/Medicinal Chemistry (2003) from Pharmacy School, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In between 2003-2007, I was a post-doctoral research fellow at the Department of Physiology, Medical School, at UCSF and in California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute at San Francisco (biochemistry of ALS and prostate cancer). From 2009 I am a faculty member in Department of Chemistry at Bar-Ilan University. My research topic is medicinal chemistry in general and in particular: development of the drug candidates against diabetes, ALS, autoimmune diseases and prostate cancer.

Research Lab

Our group uses a multidisciplinary approach to develop new drug candidates. We apply pharmacology, molecular biology, biochemistry, computer molecular modeling and nanotechnology methods in our research. We believe that an optimal drug-development project begins with a deep understanding of molecular pharmacology and choice of a key target protein which plays an important role in the pathogenesis of a specific disease. Then, based on computer molecular modeling and the 3D structure of the target protein, possible small organic molecules that might interact with the protein are identified in silico. Dozens of new molecules are then synthesized and tested in vitro in tissue culture, and finally the therapeutic effect of the lead compounds are investigated in animal models. All these steps we conduct in our lab.

Our research group aims to develop new drug candidates against several devastating human diseases. We believe that medicinal chemists have a chance to improve the health and well-being of human society.