The Adopt a Researcher program offers the opportunity to sponsor breakthrough research by promising junior MD researchers who practice at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center.
The program enables sponsors to get to know the researchers, learn first-hand about their research, and follow clinical research progress and successes along the way. Sponsorship enables researchers to dedicate themselves to their work and build their future, integrating their clinical work with research for the benefit of patients and society.
Adopt a Researcher enables the Medical Center to encourage and cultivate outstanding quality research, preserve the best talent within its walls, and recruit MD researchers from abroad. Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center is proud to promote quality, excellence, and Zionism among its medical professionals.
Below are highlights of prominent research initiatives that have been awarded program grants, and the MD researchers who have earned this recognition.
Innovative biomarker development
As a tool for diagnosing decreased cognitive function and preclinical Alzheimer's disease
Dr. Elissa Ash, Director, Memory and Attention Disorders Center, Division of Neurology
Specializations: Neurology, memory impairment, dementia and behavioral neurology
About the research project
This project focuses on the development of innovative biomarkers using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) as a tool for earlier diagnosis of the underlying degenerative causes of cognitive impairment. The purpose of the research is to develop new fMRI techniques for accurate, early identification of people with high risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. The objective is to identify individuals susceptible to cognitive impairment early on, before there is a significant decline in function – in an attempt to extend full cognitive function through application of therapeutic and preventative strategies.
Understanding intestinal and others types of cancer
Dr. Revital Kariv, Director of the Digestive System Tumor Service, Gastroenterology and Liver Institute
Specializations: Internal medicine, gastroenterology, and liver diseases
About the research project
Dr. Kariv’s research focuses on:
- The intestinal cancer metastatic process – with the objective of gaining more in-depth knowledge about how cancer metastasizes to the liver, in order to develop treatment method options
- Genetic syndromes that increase the risk of intestinal and other cancers
- The population of intestinal germs and their relationship to intestinal tumors
- Researching the large concentration of patients with Barrett's esophagus, which is a pre-cancerous condition. The objective is to assess the morbidity of the condition in Israel in order to develop targeted prevention and treatment methods
Dr. Kariv completed a research fellowship in Cleveland, Ohio, and was awarded numerous grants and prizes for her research.
Understanding the virulence factors of invasive fungi
Dr. Ronen Ben-Ami, Senior Physician, Infectious Diseases Unit
Specializations: Internal medicine, infectious diseases
Dr. Ben-Ami was a specialist at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York, and completed his specialization in infectious diseases at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center. From 2007 through 2009, Dr. Ben-Ami was a member of the research team at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, where he conducted research on invasive fungal infections in patients with depressed immune systems. Since August 2009, Dr. Ben-Ami has served as a senior physician in the Infectious Diseases Unit at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center.
About the research project
Dr. Ben-Ami established a mission to understand the virulence of invasive fungi, and the codependent system that exists between these fungi and their human host. Dr. Ben-Ami’s research focuses on aspergillus molds (which are a common cause of destructive lung infections in patients with depressed immune systems, such as cancer patients), and yeast infections, such as candida, which cause high morbidity in humans.
Dr. Ben-Ami found that gliotoxin, a toxin produced by aspergillus, depresses production by blood vessels, and disrupts the immune system against the mold. Dr. Ben-Ami is testing the effectiveness of targeted antibodies against the toxin as a treatment for aspergillus. His research won several prestigious prizes, including a grant from the National Institutes of Health, the Bristol-Myers Squibb research prize, the AstraZeneca prize for research from the Israel Society for Infectious Diseases, and a legacy grant from the Israel Science Foundation.
Discovering innovative methods for treating the hepatitis B virus
Dr. Amir Shlomai, Senior Physician, Digestive and Liver Disease Unit
Specializations: Internal medicine and gastroenterology
About the research
Dr. Shlomai’s research focuses on developing innovative methods for treating the hepatitis B virus, as well as understanding the molecular basis of the virus and the reciprocal relationship between the virus and its liver cell host.
At Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Dr. Shlomai continues the research he started at the Weizmann Institute of Science. The hope is that this research will shed light on the pathology caused by the virus to the liver, such as transformations and the development of liver cancer. This understanding can help in the development of medications to treat these difficult conditions.
