CRACKING CANCER ANEUPLOIDY
Our lab focuses on a unique, understudied trait of cancer. Changes in the chromosomal composition of the cell, also known as aneuploidy, make for a fundamental difference between normal and cancer cells. We combine experimental and computational approaches to uncover the basic biology underlying this hallmark of cancer, track its origins and understand its cellular consequences. By doing so, we strive to expand our understanding of the genetic basis of cancer, and to make aneuploidy a therapeutic target for precision cancer medicine.
OUR RESEARCH INTERESTS
CANCER ANEUPLOIDY
Aneuploidy – the presence of an abnormal number of chromosomes in cancer cells — is characteristic of most tumors, and is rarely observed in normal tissues. It is not fully understood how aneuploidy contributes to tumor formation and progression. Moreover, there are currently no therapeutics that target this hallmark of cancer to eliminate tumors. We apply a variety of genomic and functional approaches to studying this phenomenon.
EVOLUTION OF CANCER MODELS
The study of the complex genetics of human cancer depends on reliable cancer model systems. However, these models reflect the biology of actual human tumors only to a certain extent, and they evolve in ways that pose both risks and opportunities for cancer research. We study the genomic stability and evolution of cancer model systems, in order to improve their use in basic research, with an emphasis on aneuploidy research.
STEM CELLS & CANCER
Human stem cells share fundamental characteristics with human cancer cells, and thus make for a unique model system for the study of cancer genetics. We use human stem cells as a tool for aneuploidy research, taking advantage of their inherent chromosomal instability and of their amenability to genome editing. We also use human stem cells as a tool for the identification of cancer vulnerabilities.
LAB NEWS
Check out our new paper @Genome Biology. A close collaboration w/ the Yeger-Lotem lab. Congrats, Rachel & Juman!
March 28, 2024
Uri has become a full member of the Safra Center for Bioinformatics @TAU. Congrats!
March 28, 2024
Check out Uri's interview (in Hebrew) for the "Sounds like cancer" podcast.
February 26, 2024
Welcome to the lab, Ofir!
January 1, 2024
3 new preprints on bioRxiv, all in close collaboration with fantastic colleagues:
* https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.12.16.571980
* https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.12.20.572490
* https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.12.21.572559
Check them out!
December 24, 2023
WELCOME TO THE LAB, SHLOMIT AND GUY!
November 1, 2023
CONGRATULATIONS TO ERAN FOR BEING AWARDED THE GELMAN CANCER RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP FOR OUTSTANDING PHD STUDENTS!
September 5, 2023
CONGRATULATIONS TO JOHANNA FOR WINNING THE WEINSTAT GRADUATE AWARD IN CANCER RESEARCH!
August 21, 2023
THE BEN-DAVID LAB HAS BEEN AWARDED THE ICRF PROJECT GRANT (2023-2026)!
Jun 22, 2023
CONGRATULATIONS TO TAL FOR WINNING THE BEST POSRER AWARD (3RD PLACE) AT THE TAU BIOINFORMATICS RETREAT!
June 7, 2023
A SHORT PIECE ON THE LAB AT N12 NEWS -- CHECK IT OUT!
May 26, 2023
CONGRATULATIONS TO URI FOR BEING AWARDED THE 2023 KADAR AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING RESEARCH! CHECK OUT THIS MOVIE ABOUT THE WORK OF OUR LAB.
May 19, 2023
CONGRATULATIONS TO URI FOR THE TENURE AND PROMOTION TO ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR!
May 14, 2023
CONGRATULATIONS TO JOHANNA FOR WINNING THE BEST FLASH TALK AWARD (2ND PLACE) AND THE BEST POSTER AWARD (3RD PLACE) IN THE CBRC BIENNIAL MEETING!
May 12, 2023
CONGRATULATIONS TO URI FOR BEING AWARDED THE RECTOR'S AWARD FOR INNOVATION AND CREATIVITY IN TEACHING
March 23, 2023
3 NEW PREPRINTS WITH JOHANNA AS CO-FIRST AUTHOR. CHECK THEM OUT IN THE PUBLICATIONS SECTION.
April 12, 2023
CONGRATULATIONS TO JOHANNA FOR BEING AWARDED THE 2023 PFIZER-WEXLER PHD SCHOLARSHIP!
February 28, 2023
CONGRATULATIONS TO LINOY FOR WINNING A BEST FLASH TALK AWARD AT THE ILANIT 2023 CONFERENCE!
February 23, 2023
CHECK OUT THIS APERIO MAGAZINE ARTICLE DESCRIBING THE RESEARCH OF OUR LAB!
February 15, 2023
NEW GRANTS AWARDED TO THE LAB:(1) THE ISRAELI CANCER ASSOCIATION (ICA) RESEARCH GRANT(2) EMBO YOUNG INVESTIGATOR SMALL RESEARCH GRANT
January, 2023
CONGRATULATIONS TO HAJIME FOR BEING AWARDED BOTH THE JSPS OVERSEAS RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP AND THE UEHARA POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP!
December 01, 2022
CONGRATULATIONS TO YAEL FOR BEING AWARDED THE FACULTY OF MEDICINE "EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH" AWARD!
September 16, 2022
WELCOME TO HAJIME, WHO IS JOINING THE LAB AS A POSTDOC!
June 20, 2022
URI WAS AWARDED THE 2022 KRILL PRIZE FOR EXCELLENCE IN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH!
April 1, 2022
WELCOME TO RACHEL, WHO HAS JOINED THE LAB AS AN M.SC. STUDENT
February 20, 2022
MICHAL'S PAPER ACCEPTED TO NPJ PRECISION ONCOLOGY, AND HER RELATED AVODAT GMAR GOT THE GRADE 100 (!) -- CONGRATULATIONS!
February 15, 2022
URI WAS AWARDED THE CELLS 2021 YOUNG INVESTIGATOR AWARD!
December 14, 2021
THE BEN-DAVID LAB HAS BEEN AWARDED THE FORBECK ACCELERATOR GRANT
November 1, 2021
THE BEN-DAVID LAB HAS BEEN AWARDED THE ISRAEL PRECISION MEDICINE PARTNERSHIP (IPMP) RESEARCH GRANT, IN COLLABORATION WITH PROF. ITTHAI BEN-PORATH AND DR. AMIR SONNENBLICK.
October 7, 2021
WELCOME TO NIR, WHO HAS JUST JOINED THE LAB AS A POSTDOCTORAL FELLOW!
October 3, 2021
OUR NEW PREPRINT IS OUT. IN COLLABORATION WITH THE BARZEL AND MADI LABS, WE DISCOVERED A SURPRISINGLY HIGH PREVALENCE OF ANEUPLOIDY IN HUMAN T CELLS EDITED BY A CLINICAL CRISPR PROTOCOL. CHECK IT OUT HERE.
August 21, 2021
WE'RE HAPPY TO WELCOME TO THE LAB ANOUK SAVIR-KADMON AND TAL BEN-YISHAY AS SUMMER INTERNS!
August 1, 2021
THE ISF HAS AWARDED THE BEN-DAVID LAB THE ISF RESEARCH GRANT AND THE ISF NEW FACULTY EQUIPMENT GRANT!
July 27, 2021
WELCOME TO THE LAB, YONATAN AND LINOY!
June 27, 2021
NEW GRANTS AWARDED TO THE LAB:* THE FORBECK FOUNDATION COVID RECOVERY GRANT* THE SCHREIBER FOUNDATION RESEARCH GRANT* THE SHTACHER AWARD
February 25, 2021
OUR NEW STUDY ON ANEUPLOIDY-INDUCED VULNERABILITIES JUST PUBLISHED IN NATURE! YOU CAN READ IT HERE.
January 27, 2021
OUR NEW PREPRINT ON THE GENOMIC EVOLUTION OF PDXS IS OUT -- READ IT HERE.
January 18, 2021
CHECK OUT DR. BEN-DAVID'S POPULAR SCIENCE TALK AT THE ICRF WEBINAR SERIES
January 14, 2021
OUR PAPER ON "ANEUPLOIDY-INDUCED CANCER VULNERABILITY TO MITOTIC CHECKPOINT INHIBITION" HAS BEEN ACCEPTED TO NATURE! CONGRATS!
Nov 19, 2020
CONGRATS TO MICHAL AND TO KAVYA, FOR SHARING THE SECOND PRIZE OF THE "BEST POSTER AWARD" OF THE SAFRA BIOINFORMATICS RETREAT!
Nov 4, 2020
CONGRATULATIONS TO TOM AND TO GIL, FOR OFFICIALLY STARTING THEIR PHD PROGRAM!
Oct 1, 2020
THE BEN-DAVID LAB IS AWARDED THE ERC STARTING GRANT! SEE HERE FOR THE PRESS RELEASE.
September 03, 2020
DR. BEN-DAVID IS AWARDED THE ICRF GESHER AWARD!
August 21, 2020
DR. BEN-DAVID (TAU) AND DR. AMON (MIT) ARE AWARDED A JOINT BSF RESEARCH GRANT!
July 26, 2020
OUR CAS9/P53 ARTICLE IS FEATURED ON THE COVER OF NATURE GENETICS THIS MONTH! CHECK IT OUT HERE.
July 7, 2020
THE BEN-DAVID LAB IS AWARDED THE DOD CANCER RESEARCH PROGRAM CAREER DEVELOPMENT AWARD!
June 22, 2020
DR. BEN-DAVID IS AWARDED THE 2020 'NEXT GEN STAR' AWARD OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR CANCER RESEARCH (AACR)
March 1, 2020
WATCH DR. BEN-DAVID'S TALK AT:WORLD CANCER DAY, 2020
February 3, 2020
OUR BIG QUESTIONS
WHAT DRIVES ANEUPLOIDY IN CANCER? HOW DOES ANEUPLOIDY CONTRIBUTE TO THE INITIATION AND PROGRESSION OF TUMORS?
WHAT CELLULAR VULNERABILITIES ARE INDUCED BY ANEUPLOIDY? HOW CAN ANEUPLOIDY BE EXPLOITED TO KILL CANCER CELLS?
WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS OF GENOMIC EVOLUTION FOR CANCER MODELING? HOW CAN CANCER MODEL SYSTEMS BE IMPROVED?
RESEARCH FUNDING
ADDRESS
Faculty of Medicine, Room 728
Tel Aviv University
P.O.B 39040
Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv 69978