Author: Hilary

A Star’s Return? TAU Researchers Offer New Insight into Black Hole Encounters

Written by Hilary on 23 July 2025. Posted in Newsroom.

Similar flares detected two years apart suggest stars may survive black hole disruptions.

Researchers from Tel Aviv University (TAU), together with international collaborators, have identified what may be the first confirmed case of a star surviving an encounter with a supermassive black hole—and returning.

The finding is based on a newly observed flare that closely resembles AT 2022dbl, another flare recorded from the same location about two years earlier, suggesting that both were caused by the same star making two separate passes near the black hole.
According to the research team, this discovery challenges existing assumptions about the fate of stars that wander too close to black holes and may reshape how astronomers interpret these rare and powerful events.

The study was conducted by Dr. Lydia Makrygianni, formaly a postdoctoral at Tel Aviv University and currently a researcher at Lancaster University in the UK. She led the research under the supervision of Prof. Iair Arcavi, a faculty member in the Astrophysics Department at TAU and Director of the Wise Observatory in Mitzpe Ramon.

Additional contributors included Prof. Ehud Nakar, Chair of TAU’s Astrophysics Department, and students Sara Faris and Yael Dgany from Prof. Arcavi’s research alongside multiple international collaborators. The results were published in the July 2025 issue of the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Research team (Left to right): Sara Faris, Yael Dgany & Prof. Iair Arcavi

How Black Holes Reveal Themselves

At the center of nearly every large galaxy lies a supermassive black hole, with mass millions to billions of times greater than that of the sun. One such black hole is located at the center of our own Milky Way Galaxy, and its discovery was recognized with the 2020 Nobel Prize in physics.

Still, much remains unknown about how these black holes form and influence their surroundings. Because they do not emit light, their presence is difficult to detect. In our galaxy, they are identified by the movement of nearby stars. But in distant galaxies, astronomers rely on rare, high-energy events to uncover their existence.

Once every 10,000 to 100,000 years, a star may wander too close to the black hole at the center of its galaxy and get ripped to shreds by its immense gravitating pull. Roughly Half of the star’s material is “swallowed” by the black hole, while the rest is ejected outward.

As the material falls in, it spirals in a circular motion, much like water going down a bathtub drain. Near the black hole, the rotating matter approaches the speed of light, heats up, and radiates intensely. For a few weeks to months, this flare “illuminates” the black hole, giving scientists a rare opportunity to observe its properties.

Yet strangely, many of these flares have not behaved as expected. Their brilliance and temperature have often been much lower than predicted, leaving researchers searching for explanations

Rethinking Stellar Disruption

According to the TAU-led team, the recently observed flare closely resembled AT 2022dbl, an earlier flare detected from the same location about two years prior.

This unusual repetition raises a new possibility: the first flare may have been caused by a partial disruption, in with the star was not fully destroyed and later returned for a second passage.

“The question now is whether we’ll see a third flare after two more years, in early 2026” says Prof. Arcavi. “If we see a third flare”, he continues, “it means that the second one was also the partial disruption of the star. So maybe all such flares, which we have been trying to understand for a decade now as full stellar disruptions, are not what we thought”.

If no third flare is observed, the second event may have been a full disruption. Whether or not a third flare occurs, the findings suggests that partial and full stellar disruptions may appear nearly identical, a prediction previously proposed by Prof. Tsvi Piran and his team at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. “Either way”, adds Prof. Arcavi, “we’ll have to re-write our interpretation of these flares and what they can teach us about the monsters lying in the centers of galaxies”.

First Scientific Evidence of Auditory Interaction Between Plants and Animals

Written by Hilary on 15 July 2025. Posted in Newsroom.

Astounding Discovery at Tel Aviv University: Female moths decide where to lay their eggs based on sounds emitted by nearby plants

A scientific breakthrough at Tel Aviv University: A world-first study shows an acoustic interaction between plants and insects. In this study, the team focused on female moths and found that they make a critical decision—where to lay their eggs—based on sounds emitted by nearby plants. When plants emitted distress sounds, the female moths preferred healthy plants that were not emitting such sounds. These sounds are ultrasonic, beyond the hearing range of the human ear, but moths can hear them.

The study was conducted in the laboratories of Prof. Yossi Yovel from the School of Zoology and Prof. Lilach Hadany from the School of Plant Sciences and Food Security at TAU’s Wise Faculty of Life Sciences. It was led by students Dr. Rya Seltzer and Guy Zer Eshel, in collaboration with scientists from the Plant Protection Institute at the Volcani Institute. The paper was published in the journal eLife.

This study follows the dramatic discovery published by the same researchers about two years ago, which generated worldwide interest: plants under stress emit sounds—at ultrasonic frequencies, above the range of human hearing, but detectable by many animals. The researchers state: “That discovery opened the door to extensive research on acoustic communication between plants and animals. In the present study, we began to explore this subject.”

Prof. Yovel explains: “After proving in the previous study that plants produce sounds, we hypothesized that animals capable of hearing these high-frequency sounds may respond to them and make decisions accordingly. Specifically, we know that many insects, which have diverse interactions with the plant world, can perceive plant sounds. We wanted to investigate whether such insects actually detect and respond to these sounds.”

Prof. Hadany adds: “We chose to focus on female moths, which typically lay their eggs on plants so that the larvae can feed on them once hatched. We assumed the females seek an optimal site to lay their eggs — a healthy plant that can properly nourish the larvae. Thus, when the plant signals that it is dehydrated and under stress would the moths heed the warning and avoid laying eggs on it? To explore this question, we conducted several experiments would the moths heed the warning and avoid laying eggs on it? To explore this question, we conducted several experiments.”

Prof. Yossi Yovel and Prof. Lilach Hadany

In the first experiment, aiming to isolate the auditory component from other plant features like color and scent, the researchers presented the female moths with two boxes: one contained a speaker playing recordings of tomato plants in a state of dehydration, while the other was silent. The moths showed a clear preference for the ‘noisy’ box, which they likely interpreted as a living plant (even if under stress). Conclusion: the moths do indeed perceive and respond to a playback of plant-emitted sounds. When the researchers neutralized the moths’ hearing organs, this preference disappeared and they chose both boxes equally — clear evidence that the preference was specifically based on listening to sounds, and not on other stimuli.

In the second experiment, the female moths were presented with two healthy tomato plants – one with a speaker playing sounds of a drying plant, and one that was silent. Again, they showed a clear preference – but this time for the silent plant, from which no distress sounds were heard, and therefore probably serves as a better site for laying eggs.

In another experiment, the moths again faced two boxes—one silent and the other containing male moths, which also emit ultrasonic sounds at a frequency similar to plant sounds. This time, the females showed no preference and laid their eggs equally on both boxes. The researchers concluded that when deciding where to lay their eggs, the females specifically respond to plant-emitted sounds — and not, for example, to sounds made by males.

The researchers conclude: “In this study, we revealed the first evidence for acoustic interaction between a plant and an insect. We are convinced, however, that this is just the beginning. Acoustic interaction between plants and animals doubtlessly has many more forms and a wide range of roles. This is a vast, unexplored field — an entire world waiting to be discovered.”

World’s First mRNA Vaccine Against a Deadly Bacterium

Written by Hilary on 10 July 2025. Posted in Newsroom.

Groundbreaking collaborative research leads to a novel mRNA-based vaccine targeting a lethal bacterial infection

Researchers from Tel Aviv University and the Israel Institute for Biological Research in Ness Ziona have used the platform developed for COVID-19 vaccines to create the world’s first mRNA-based vaccine against a deadly, antibiotic-resistant bacterium. In this groundbreaking study, the researchers tested the vaccine’s resistance to the virulent pathogen that causes the disease and were able to demonstrate 100% protection against infection in animal models. The researchers now hope that this technology can be used to combat other lethal bacteria as well.

The study was led by Tel Aviv University’s Vice President for Research and Development Prof. Dan Peer, a global pioneer in mRNA drug development and director of the Laboratory of Precision NanoMedicine at the Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research. He worked alongside researchers from the Israel Institute for Biological Research — Dr. Uri Elia, Dr. Yinon Levy, Dr. Emmy Mamroud, and Dr. Ofer Cohen — as well as members of his own laboratory team: Dr. Edo Kon, Dr. Inbal Hazan-Halevy, and doctoral student Shani Benarroch. The study was featured on the cover of the prestigious journal Advanced Science.

The vaccine developed by the team from the Institute for Biological Research and Tel Aviv University is an mRNA-based vaccine delivered via lipid nanoparticles, similar to the COVID-19 vaccine. However, mRNA vaccines are typically effective against viruses like COVID-19 — not against bacteria like the plague.

Dr. Uri Elia explains: “Viruses rely on a host cell to survive and replicate. They infect the cell with an RNA molecule (mRNA) that contains instructions for making viral proteins. The virus uses the cell as a factory to replicate itself. In an mRNA vaccine, this molecule is synthesized and encased in a lipid nanoparticle that resembles human cell membranes. The nanoparticle fuses with the cell, the cell produces the viral proteins, and the immune system learns to recognize and defend against the actual virus upon exposure. Bacteria, however, are a different story: they produce their own proteins and do not rely on human cells. Moreover, due to the different evolutionary paths of humans and bacteria, their proteins are very different from ours.”

In 2023, the researchers developed a unique method for producing the bacterial protein within a human cell in a way that prompts the immune system to recognize it as a genuine bacterial protein and thus learn to defend against it. The researchers from Tel Aviv University and the Institute for Biological Research proved, for the first time, that it is possible to develop an effective mRNA vaccine against bacteria. They chose Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes bubonic plague — a disease responsible for deadly pandemics throughout human history. In animal models, the researchers demonstrated that it is possible to effectively vaccinate against the disease with a single dose.

Prof. Dan Peer: “In the previous study, we developed a vaccine for a form of plague transmitted through the skin — for example, via flea bites. In the current study, we chose a much more ambitious target: pneumonic plague, which spreads from person to person and causes respiratory illness — making it particularly difficult to develop a vaccine against. For this reason, we used two proteins — two antigens — to create the vaccine. We tested it on several animal model strains and found that, after two vaccine doses, we achieved 100% protection against pneumonic plague: the animals infected with the plague did not get sick at all. The success of the current study paves the way for a whole world of mRNA-based vaccines against other deadly bacteria.”

“The plague — a disease that killed about two-thirds of Europe’s population in the Middle Ages (‘The Black Death’) still resurfaces occasionally today, for example in Madagascar. So the potential for a pandemic still exists,” says Dr Uri Elia. “The disease is caused by a bacterium called Yersinia pestis, for which there is no approved vaccine in Western countries. This bacterium is highly contagious and extremely lethal, making it a serious threat. Moreover, this bacterium concerns us as a potential agent of bioterrorism. If one of our enemies tries to use it against us, we want to be prepared with a vaccine.”

Dramatic Discovery at Tel Aviv University: 15th-Century Holy Books of Ethiopian Jewry—the Oldest Found to Date

Written by Hilary on 9 July 2025. Posted in Newsroom.

Two Orit books (the Torah of Beta Israel – Ethiopian Jewry) from the 15th century were discovered by the Orit Guardians program of TAU’s Department of Biblical Studies.

A Rare Discovery: A traveling workshop of TAU’s Orit Guardians program discovered two 15th-century Orit books – the oldest found to date in the possession of Beta Israel. The Orit Guardians Master’s program was established about five years ago, with the primary goal of studying, preserving, and carrying on the Biblical heritage of Ethiopian Jewry. The workshop was held in collaboration with the Ethiopian Jewry Heritage Center and the National Library of Israel, which documented the books and established the Digital Archive of Beta Israel’s Scriptures. Recently, these books were exposed at a special event held at ANU – Museum of the Jewish People, led by the Koret Center for Jewish Civilization (a collaboration between ANU and TAU), which supports and advances the Orit Guardians program.

The program’s initiator, Prof. Dalit Rom-Shiloni from the Department of Biblical Studies, Chaim Rosenberg School of Jewish Studies and Archaeology, explains: “The Orit of Beta Israel includes the Five Books of the Torah, as well as the Books of Joshua, Judges, and Ruth. So far, we have documented four Orit books, including the two from the 15th century, as well as 13 other sacred books. All the sacred books of Ethiopian Jewry are written in Ge’ez, a language known only to the Kessim, and each manuscript has its own fascinating story. They have been passed down through generations from father to son, and some were given to Kessim by their teachers — Jewish monks who taught the sacred traditions in Ethiopia. The books were carefully guarded and preserved, with some of their owners even risking their lives to bring them to Israel. Today, most of these books are privately owned by Kessim and their families and used as “living books” in the prayer houses of Ethiopian Jewish communities across Israel. Until now, they were inaccessible to interested individuals of the general public, nor to the research world, and we intend to locate as many books as possible for preservation, digitization, and academic study.”

To this end, a unique traveling workshop was held in June 2024, with participants including: Prof. Rom-Shiloni, anthropologist Prof. Erica Weiss, linguist Dr. Anbessa Teferra, and students from the Orit Guardians program — all from Tel Aviv University, alongside representatives of the Ethiopian Jewry Heritage Center and the National Library, as well as three international experts in ancient Ethiopian sacred texts: Prof. Loren Stuckenbruck (Ludwig Maximilian University of Münich), Dr. Sophia Dege-Müller and Ted Erho (University of Hamburg). The international experts examined and dated the books using palaeography — based on script forms. To their astonishment, they found that two of the Orit books were written as early as the 15th century — the oldest discovered so far in the hands of Beta Israel. Prof. Rom-Shiloni explains: “Our discovery is causing a stir among experts in the field worldwide. While we are familiar with similar Ethiopian texts from this period or even earlier, all of those are Christian texts, not Jewish. Now, for the first time, it has been revealed that Kessim from Beta Israel possess Orit books that are over 600 years old.”

In total, the workshop yielded four Orit books — two from the 15th century and two from the 18th century, as well as 13 other sacred books from the 17th to 20th centuries. All the discovered books were documented with their owners’ consent and remain in their possession — so they can continue to serve as “living books” in their communities. The documentation now enables academic research and the establishment of a digital archive at the National Library.

Prof. Youval Rotman, Academic Director of the Koret Center and faculty member in the Department of Jewish History at Tel Aviv University, added: “This is an extraordinary finding. Discovering ancient manuscripts is rare, and when they are the oldest of their kind in existence, the find is all the more exceptional. This discovery was made thanks to the Orit Guardians’ emphasis on studying the textual knowledge and interpretive tradition preserved and orally transmitted over centuries within the various Beta Israel communities. The uniqueness of the program lies not only in mapping manuscripts and training students for their research but also in doing so as an integral part of the knowledge preserved within the community — thereby continuing and expanding it. The young researchers form personal connections and earn the trust of the Kessim as successors to the tradition and oral interpretation. In doing so, they connect communal-social knowledge to academic knowledge — and this is our great pride. The program unearths hidden treasures that have so far dwelt within the four walls of local synagogues, then documents and studies them and makes them accessible. Imagine a situation in which the great Bible commentaries were passed down orally through generations.”

Prof. Rom-Shiloni concludes: “Through the traveling workshop of the Orit Guardians program we discovered 17 sacred books of Beta Israel held by Kessim across Israel and still used as “living books” in the prayer houses of Ethiopian Jewry. Among them, we discovered two Orit books — the Torah of Beta Israel — written in the 15th century, the earliest found so far in the hands of Jewish Kessim.
Alongside the excitement, we believe our discovery is only the tip of the iceberg. It is likely that many more sacred books of Beta Israel are held by families and Kessim around the country, and we will continue searching for them. It is important to emphasize that all manuscripts located (like those found through the workshop) will remain in the possession of their owners, while being photographed and documented to make them accessible to interested members of the community, the broader public, and researchers in Israel and around the world. Another, especially urgent task of the Orit Guardians is documenting the scholarly oral traditions of the Kessim in Ethiopia, which includes translation from Ge’ez to Amharic and interpretation of the Orit and other holy books. This heritage, transmitted only orally from generation to generation, has never been set down in writing. Today, only 18 senior Kessim, who were trained in Ethiopia and hold this knowledge, remain active in Israel, and they are aging. If we do not act quickly, we might lose this precious cultural treasure.”

Two out of every three Arab citizens support political partnership between Arabs and Jews

Written by Hilary on 6 July 2025. Posted in Newsroom.

New study by the Moshe Dayan Center at Tel Aviv University examines the views of Arab citizens in Israel – after the war with Iran

A new study by the Konrad Adenauer Program for Jewish-Arab Cooperation at TAU’s Moshe Dayan Center finds that a large majority (73.2%) of Israel’s Arab citizens support the inclusion of an Arab party in the government that will be formed after the next elections. In addition, the turnout of Arab voters is expected to increase.

The study’s main findings:

A large majority (73.2%) support the participation of an Arab party in the next government: 41.8% support joining any government formed, and 31.4% support joining a center-left government. If elections for the Knesset were held today, the expected voter turnout in Arab society would be 57%, slightly higher than the 53.2% turnout in the 25th Knesset elections held in November 2022.

The war between Israel and Iran did not change the priorities of Arab citizens regarding fundamental political issues such as joining the government or support for Arab-Jewish political partnership. However, some impact is evident in the definition of personal identity.

Most of the Arab public (66% of respondents) believe in political cooperation between Arabs and Jews in Israel, but only 40.2% believe that the Jewish public actually supports such cooperation.

A large majority of the Arab public (75.4%) report a low sense of personal security. The two main factors negatively affecting their mood are the high incidence of violence in Arab communities (41.9%) and the ongoing war in Gaza (37.6%). At the same time, 64% of survey participants report that their financial situation is relatively good.

54% of survey respondents stated that the most important issue for the Arab public today is addressing the problem of violence and crime. A significant portion (23.2%) said that ending the war in Gaza is the most important issue.

The personal identity of Israel’s Arab citizens includes three main components: Arab identity (36.2%), Israeli citizenship (30.3%), and religious affiliation (21.4%). For a relatively small portion of this public (9.7%), their Palestinian identity is the most important.

The study was initiated by the Konrad Adenauer Program for Jewish-Arab Cooperation, operating under the German Konrad Adenauer Stiftung at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at Tel Aviv University.

Dr. Arik Rudnitzky, Director of the Konrad Adenauer Program for Jewish-Arab Cooperation at the Moshe Dayan Center: “A large, solid majority of Israel’s Arab citizens support political partnership between Arabs and Jews, as well as the inclusion of an Arab party in the government that will be formed after the next elections. The importance of this political standpoint cannot be overstated”.

“It should be understood against the backdrop of a harsh reality in which the mood in the Arab public is low due to the rampant violence in Arab communities, the negative effects of the war in Gaza, and also the recent brief war with Iran, which starkly exposed the severe lack of protective facilities in Arab communities. Nevertheless, and contrary to expectations, Israel’s Arab citizens refuse to despair and look soberly at the day after the war. According to this survey, voter turnout of Arab citizens in the next Knesset elections will be slightly higher than in the elections of November 2022. Opinions are divided on whether the precedent of the inclusion of Arab party Ra’am in the Bennett-Lapid government (2021-22) was successful, but even those who criticize MK Mansour Abbas (Head of Ra’am) for this move do not necessarily oppose the attempt itself — rather, they believe Ra’am could have achieved more. Thus, precisely in the context of the longest and harshest war in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the survey points to the hope residing in the hearts of Arab citizens for establishing a political partnership between Arabs and Jews in the day after the war”.

Dr Arik Rudnitzky

Empowering Women, Advancing Peace

Written by Hilary on 3 July 2025. Posted in Newsroom.

The MA in Conflict Resolution and Mediation at Tel Aviv University is proud to announce the establishment of a new scholarship fund made possible by a generous donation from Alexandra Seaman, a Class of 2025 program alumna.

The Alexandra Ruth Seaman Scholarship Fund will provide financial assistance to up to 3 deserving female students who demonstrate academic promise and a commitment to making a positive impact in their communities specifically through the arts, culture and women’s empowerment.

“I believe deeply in the power of education, and the knowledge I gained through the program is truly priceless,” says Seaman.

“I want more people to access what I had the privilege to learn. Understanding human nature and the mechanisms of conflict is more crucial than ever—not just for Israel, but for the world at large.”

With an initial contribution of US$25,000 a year for five years, the scholarship will support female students of all backgrounds who seek to become changemakers in their societies.

“I also believe strongly in female empowerment,” she adds.

“I want to see more young women stepping into their unique roles and realizing their full potential.”

The scholarship selection will be coordinated in partnership with the program’s Admission Committee, and the first awards will be granted for the 2025/2026 academic year.

Alexandra Seaman (fourth from left) with Dr. Nimrod Rosler (fifth from left) and classmates in a Conflict Resolution class

Dr Nimrod Rosler, head of the MA in Conflict Resolution and Mediation, welcomed the announcement of the scholarship, thanking Alexandra Seaman for this important and meaningful contribution to future leaders globally striving for peace:

“This scholarship will open doors for students who may not otherwise have the opportunity to pursue their academic dreams. It is an investment not only in education, but in the future leaders globally.”—Dr. Nimrod Rosler.

Seaman’s own path to Tel Aviv University was unexpected, but rewarding: “A year ago I had been accepted into the MA in Global Studies at Berkeley, but I wasn’t able to get my student visa in time. I came to Israel to make Aliyah and began looking for a similar academic program so I wouldn’t lose a year that I have been allocated for studies already.”

“I was immediately drawn to TAU’s Conflict Resolution and Mediation program, and, luckily, admissions were still open. It turned out to be one of the most meaningful decisions I’ve made.”

Seaman recalls that when she originally discovered the MA in Conflict Resolution, she spoke with her professional coach about it and was pleasantly surprised to learn that the program is considered one of the strongest in the field.

Conflict Resolution & Mediation students on one of the field trips that are included on the curriculum

Alexandra praises the program for its academic excellence and community spirit: “Our program truly felt like a family—I felt supported at every step. It went far beyond the professional excellence of Nimrod Rosler and his team, there was a profound sense of community deeply embedded in TAU’s DNA. That feeling of care and belonging became especially meaningful in the aftermath of October 7th.”

“One of the highlights of my experience is that my high expectations were not only met, but exceeded. I gained essential knowledge that enabled me to open a new chapter in my professional life.”

A lifelong humanitarian, Alexandra began her career as a television host before becoming a multidisciplinary media producer, leading social impact projects that address some of the world’s most urgent challenges, from environmental justice and climate change to human and animal rights. Her work reflects a broader vision for Israel and the region:

“My dream is to make Israel a blueprint for peaceful coexistence. I work toward that vision through my NGO, lov.foundation. Without the MA in Conflict Resolution & Mediation, I would never have fully understood what we need to do to help turn that dream into reality.”

Alexandra Seaman, the founder of the Alexandra Ruth Seaman Scholarship Fund

Her passion for strengthening Israel’s educational ecosystem is equally clear. “I want Israel to have a strong educational system, with institutions so inspiring that the world looks to them as models,” she says.

“During my time on TAU’s campus, I noticed that nearly every building, garden, and corner bore the name of someone who shared that vision for Israel. But vision alone is not enough—you have to act on it. This scholarship is my small but meaningful step toward that future.”

Seaman holds a BA in Art History from Moscow State University and an MA in Conflict Resolution and Mediation from Tel Aviv University, with further studies at Christie’s Education. Her current focus lies in exploring how art and culture can serve as powerful tools for peacebuilding and global connection.

The Alexandra Ruth Seaman Scholarship Fund reflects her belief in action-driven leadership, inclusive education, and the transformative power of women-led change. It also aligns with the program’s ongoing mission to ensure that every student has the resources they need to understand and solve global conflicts.

“We are part of a powerful and inspiring global community,” says Seaman about TAU alumni community. “I encourage each of us to be more proactive, to connect, and to join forces in strengthening Israel by supporting TAU and its mission. Together, we can make a real impact.”

For more information about the scholarship or how to apply, please visit the website.

TAU Students Develop RNA-Based Therapy to Fight Lung Cancer

Written by Hilary on 2 July 2025. Posted in Newsroom.

A team of 12 Tel Aviv University (TAU) students, from undergraduates to PhDs, is currently developing a novel, RNA-targeted therapy for lung cancer. The project, Oncoligo, aims to disrupt cancer at its genetic roots, using advanced modeling and molecular biology to selectively kill cancer cells with minimal side effect; it will be presented October 28 to 31, 2025 on the global stage in Paris at the annual iGEM competition, the world’s largest showcase for synthetic biology.

A Team Built Across Disciplines

Led by Shir Shance and Idan Eyni, third-year undergraduate students in biotechnology and in biomedical engineering respectively, the TAU iGEM team brings together campus collaboration across disciplines like medical sciences, computer science, mathematics, biotechnology and biomedical engineering.

“Synthetic biology is a combination of molecular biology and sophisticated engineering tools,” explains Eyni.

“So iGEM is really all about interdisciplinary teams and bringing all these different strengths together.”—Idan Eyni, biomedical engineering undergraduate

The TAU IGEM program was founded by Prof. Tamir Tuller from the engineering faculty (an expert in computational and synthetic biology), who is the lead supervisor of the program. The team is also supported by a scientific steering committee that includes Profs. Avigdor Eldar, Uri Gophna, Martin Kupiec and Itai Benhar.

Members of TAU’s iGEM team join Startup Nation Central for mentorship on entrepreneurship.

In addition, it is supported by an entrepreneurship committee that includes Yair Sakov (founder and managing director of TAU’s Entrepreneurship Center) and the team at Startup Nation Central.

A New Approach to Cancer

Oncoligo targets a fundamental weakness in cancer cells: their faulty mRNA. Rather than trying to destroy cancer cells via their mutated – proteins, as many current therapies do, the team is working to target cancer cells via the mutations in the mRNA molecules. The key lies in molecules known as antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs), which can bind to mutated RNA and deactivate it.

“Think of DNA as a recipe book, RNA as like a single recipe out of this book … and the protein is the final dish.”—Shir Shance, biotechnology undergraduate

“In cancer cells, the DNA has mutations, meaning the recipe is often damaged, leading to defective proteins … and so we’re thinking about how to kill cells with errors in the recipe so the damaged, cancerous proteins can’t exist anymore,” explains Shance.

Oncoligo members in the lab (from left to right): Roni Zarakhovsky, Oren Haviv, Shir Shance and Gal Aziel.

By designing novel ASOs that specifically bind to cancerous mRNA, the team hopes to offer a therapy that selectively targets tumor cells while leaving healthy tissue unharmed. This approach diverts from most current therapies, which target the cancer cells via chemotherapy and other nonspecific methods.

Powered by Modeling, Guided by Experimentation

One aspect that makes the project especially innovative is the use of computational modeling to design the most effective ASO sequences.

Michael Kovaliov, a master’s student in applied mathematics, leads the modeling team. “RNA can be difficult to distinguish and so we want to build a computational model that knows how to target certain areas” he explains.

“So, we’re first coming up with the computational model … then running some sequences in vitro in an actual cell line to test how effective it is. Once we get our results, we plug them back into the computer, we analyze them, and we try to make the model better once again.”—Michael Kovaliov, graduate student in applied maths

The team is currently testing their ASOs in model organisms like yeast and in human cell lines, with plans to eventually move into human cancer cell lines in the months ahead. If successful, their approach could offer a template for developing RNA-targeting therapies across a range of cancers.

Building Community, Locally and Globally

In parallel, the team has helped organize ISRA-GEM, a local version of the iGEM competition that took place in June and invited Israeli high school and university students from across the country to submit their own synthetic biology projects. This year, the competition saw over 250 participants from both central and peripheral regions of Israel.

TAU’s iGEM team members award winners of the 2025 ISRA-GEM competition.

The team is also holding an international online meetup on August 28, connecting iGEM teams from more than 17 countries—including Egypt, France, India, Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, Zimbabwe and Ghana. “The idea is to share ideas and collaborate and also practice for the iGEM grand final in Paris,” says Shance.

Looking Ahead to Paris—and Beyond

With the main iGEM competition approaching, TAU’s iGEM team is focused on preparing a proof of concept and finalizing a research tool they’ve built to help others design ASOs for different diseases. While the team is hoping to once more bring home gold (TAU won a gold medal at last year’s competition), they’re also just excited for what the opportunity will bring.

“It’s a great experience for us to present our project and to reach other researchers from all over the world to learn from them.”—Idan Eyni.

The TAU team additionally hopes that the iGEM competition marks the beginning of a lasting contribution to cancer research, one that can be continued in the form of a startup: “iGEM is designed to prepare you for the industry,” says Kovaliov. “Good science needs to come in conjunction with a coherent business plan; if this project matures enough, we would love to open a company.”

Learn more about TAU’s 2025 iGEM team and the Oncoligo project.

Is This the Future of Burn Care?

Written by Hilary on 12 June 2025. Posted in Newsroom.

TAU researchers and Sheba Medical Center developed bioengineered skin that accelerates healing time.

Researchers from Tel Aviv University and Sheba Tel Hashomer Medical Center have developed an innovative bioengineered skin equivalent for grafting in burn victims. The bioengineered skin produced from the patient’s cells is more stable, robust, and flexible than current treatments, making it easier to handle. A full-thickness wound model, it achieved wound closure in half the time of standard therapies. This pioneering study was driven by the ongoing war and the surge in severe burn injuries, which underscored the urgent need for better treatment solutions.

The groundbreaking study was led by Prof. Lihi Adler-Abramovich and PhD student Dana Cohen-Gerassi from the Laboratory for Bio-Inspired Materials and Nanotechnology at the Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, at TAU’s Gray Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, in collaboration with: Dr. Ayelet Di Segni, Director of the Sheba Tissue Bank and the Green Skin Engineering Laboratory at Sheba; Dr. Amit Sitt from TAU’s School of Chemistry, Faculty of Exact Sciences, Prof. Josef Haik, Head of the Plastic Surgery Division and National Burn Center at Sheba; Dr. Moti Harats, Head of the Israeli National Intensive Care Burn Center at Sheba; Dr. Marina Ben-Shoshan and Dr. Adi Liiani scientists from the Green Skin Engineering Laboratory at Sheba; Prof. Itzhak Binderman from TAU’s Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine and Prof. Yosi Shacham-Diamand from TAU’s Fleischman Faculty of Engineering, as well as PhD candidate Tomer Reuveni and Offir Loboda from TAU. The paper was published in the prestigious scientific journal Advanced Functional Materials.

The research team from Tel Aviv University and Sheba Medical Center (From left to right): Dr. Amit Sitt, Dr. Marina Ben-Shoshan, Dr. Ayelet Di Segni, Prof. Lihi Adler-Abramovich & Dana Cohen-Gerassi.

“Surgical intervention is often essential for second-degree burns and above to restore skin, prevent infection, and save lives,” explains Prof. Lihi Adler-Abramovich. “The current gold-standard treatment is ‘autologous skin grafting’, in which healthy skin is harvested from another area of the patient’s body and transplanted onto the burn site. However, this approach has significant disadvantages, particularly the need to damage healthy tissue to treat the injury. This becomes especially problematic in cases of extensive burns, where the availability of intact skin is limited.”

Smart Skin That Heals You Faster

“One of the most advanced alternatives, currently offered in Israel only at Sheba Medical Center, is ‘cultured epidermal autograft’ (CEA). Instead of removing a large skin section, a small biopsy is taken, and cells extracted from that sample are cultured in the lab to produce skin grafts for transplantation. While this method avoids donor-site damage, it comes with several challenges: First, the skin cells are grown on a layer of mouse-derived feeder cells, requiring strict regulation to ensure no mouse cells remain in the graft; Second, once removed from the culture dish, the CEA shrinks by over 50%, significantly reducing yield up to 30 grafts may be needed to cover a single area, such as an arm or leg. Finally, the lab-grown skin consists of only the upper epidermal layer, making it extremely thin, fragile, and prone to curling at the edges.”

The need for advanced solutions is particularly urgent in wartime, with many soldiers suffering from burns. For both soldiers and civilians, a durable bioengineered graft could significantly improve chances for recovery and a good quality of life. “Since October 2023, Sheba has treated many young people with burn injuries,” says Dr. Ayelet Di Segni. “At such a time, bringing knowledge accumulated in the lab directly to the patient’s bedside becomes an urgent and tangible goal. We aim to develop a graft that can truly transform the process of recovery.”

Made from Your Own Cells

To address this challenge, researchers from Tel Aviv University and Sheba Medical Center collaborated to develop multi-cellular, multi-layered bioengineered skin grafts designed to mimic the properties and function of natural skin, without shrinking, tearing upon contact, or relying on animal-derived additives.

“We designed a nanofiber scaffold made of a polymer called PCL, which is already FDA-approved, and combined it with a bioactive peptide – a short amino acid sequence that promotes cell adhesion, growth, and proliferation,” explains PhD student Dana Cohen-Gerassi. “We then seeded this scaffold with skin cells derived from a patient’s biopsy. Remarkably, the cells organized themselves naturally: fibroblasts populated one side of the scaffold, while keratinocytes grew on the other – mimicking the structure of real human skin.”

Dr. Marina Ben-Shoshan, senior researcher at Sheba’s Green Center for Skin Graft Engineering, adds: “Our graft is unique in that it does not shrink, and is durable, flexible, and easy to handle. Implantation in model animals has yielded impressive results, accelerating the healing process. While the standard treatment closes half of the burn wound in eight days, with our method, this took only four days. Moreover, we observed that essential skin structures, such as hair follicles, began to grow.”

Dr. Amit Sitt from TAU’s School of Chemistry adds: “The nanofiber scaffolds are made from easily available biocompatible materials and produced via a scalable spinning process. In the future, this will enable large-scale production of fiber sheets, as well as incorporation of additional substances to facilitate the healing process.”

Prof. Yossi Haik of Sheba Medical Center concludes: “The bioengineered skin we’ve developed represents a true breakthrough in burn care. Made entirely from the patient’s cells, it is strong, flexible, easy to handle, and significantly accelerates healing. This is a major step towards personalized therapies that can greatly improve the recovery and quality of life of severe burn victims, both soldiers and civilians. In the next phase, we plan to conduct trials in additional models and advance the necessary regulatory processes to bring this innovative technology closer to clinical application.”

Can CRISPR Make a Better Tomato?

Written by Hilary on 11 June 2025. Posted in Newsroom.

Researchers from Tel Aviv University used CRISPR to edit thousands of genes in tomato plants.

Researchers from the School of Plant Sciences and Food Security at the Wise Faculty of Life Sciences at Tel Aviv University have developed a genetic editing method tailored to crop plants, which has influenced various traits in tomato plants, including the taste and shape of the fruit. The researchers believe this innovative technology can be applied to various crop species and may eventually be used to cultivate new and improved plant varieties. “We demonstrated that with our technology, it is possible to select specific traits and influence them, a capability that is essential for advancing agriculture and achieving food security,” the researchers stated.

The study was led by Prof. Eilon Shani, Prof. Itay Mayrose and PhD student Amichai Berman (School of Plant Sciences and Food Security at Tel Aviv University) together with PhD student Ning Su and Dr. Yuqin Zhang (University of Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing), and Dr. Osnat Yanai from the Israeli Agri-Tech company NetaGenomiX. The article was published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications.

Prof. Shani explains: “Researchers around the world are engaged in advancing agriculture in order to address accelerated global changes and feed the global population in the coming decades. Among other things, genetic editing technologies are being advanced to develop new plant varieties with desirable traits such as resistance to drought, heat, and disease, improved flavor, optimized nutrient usage, and more. One such method is CRISPR-Cas9, which has revolutionized the field of genetic editing by enabling the precise modification of specific genes in the genome.

However, in the realm of agricultural development, this method has encountered several fundamental challenges: Firstly, while CRISPR technology allows for targeted gene editing, until now, this capability was limited in scale – the number of genes that could be edited and studied was very small. In the current study, we significantly improved the method’s efficiency, enabling us to examine the roles of thousands of genes. Secondly, many plants exhibit ‘genetic redundancy’: different genes from the same family, composed of similar amino acid sequences, compensate for one another and preserve the trait even if one gene is deactivated or edited”.

PhD student Amichai Berman.

Amichai Berman: “To overcome genetic redundancy, we aimed to alter entire families of similar genes simultaneously. In a previous study, we developed a breakthrough solution to overcome the issue of genetic redundancy, a dedicated algorithm, and fed it a list of thousands of genes we wanted to edit. The algorithm identified a suitable CRISPR unit for each gene (or gene group) on the list that would induce the desired modification, thereby constructing CRISPR libraries. The first study achieved good results in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, and this time we sought to test the method in a crop plant for the first time. We chose the tomato.”

In the current study, the researchers built 10 libraries comprising approximately 15,000 unique CRISPR units targeting the tomato genome – each unit designed to affect a specific gene group from the same family. They then used the CRISPR units to induce mutations in around 1,300 tomato plants, each plant with an alteration in a different gene group. The researchers then tracked the development of each plant to examine whether the selected changes appeared in fruit size, shape, taste, nutrient utilization, or pest resistance. Indeed, the researchers identified several lines with sweetness levels either lower or higher than the control plants.

Prof. Shani concludes: “In this study, using our innovative method, we successfully made targeted genetic changes to gene families in the tomato plant, and identified precisely which genetic edits produced the desired result.” The Israeli Agri-Tech company NetaGenomiX has received a license to commercialize the new technology, with the goal of advancing food security by developing non-GMO crops adapted to the changing climate, providing benefits for both farmers and consumers.

Amichai Berman adds: “We believe our research opens the door to breeding improved varieties for a wide range of crops and also advances the field of plant science as a whole. In follow-up studies, we are working on developing additional selected traits in tomatoes and in rice.”

Large-Scale Functional Genomics in Tomato Using a High-Throughput Multi-targeted CRISPR Screening Approach. The tomato plant genome is divided into gene families. For each group of similar genes, a unique CRISPR unit is designed to alter their function (in total, over 15,000 CRISPR units were designed). These CRISPR units are delivered into tomato plants, which are then monitored for growth and development. In the final stage, plants exhibiting changes in selected traits are identified and genetically and physiologically characterized. This new approach enables the large-scale targeting of genetic redundancy within gene families, on the scale of hundreds of genes.

Stone Age BBQ: How Early Humans Preserved Meat with Fire

Written by Hilary on 3 June 2025. Posted in Newsroom.

Did Early Humans Smoke Meat Million Years Ago?

Did prehistoric humans know that smoking meat could preserve it and extend its shelf life? Researchers from the Alkow Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures at Tel Aviv University believe they did. Their new study presents a fresh perspective on a question that has long preoccupied prehistory scholars: What prompted early humans to begin using fire? According to the researchers, early humans, who primarily consumed large game, required fire not for cooking, but to smoke and dry meat so that it would not rot, thereby preserving it for extended periods and keeping it safe from predators and scavengers.

Why Did Early Humans First Use Fire?

This insight fits into a broader unifying theory, developed by the same researchers, which explains many prehistoric phenomena based on human dependence on calories derived from large animals, alongside a continuous decline in the size of animals hunted throughout prehistoric periods. The study was conducted by Dr. Miki Ben-Dor and Prof. Ran Barkai of the Alkow Department of Archaeology and Ancient Near Eastern Cultures at Tel Aviv University and was published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition.

Prof. Barkai explains: “The origins of fire use is a ‘burning’ topic among prehistory researchers around the world. It is generally agreed that by 400,000 years ago, fire use was common in domestic contexts—most likely for roasting meat, and perhaps also for lighting and heating. However there is controversy regarding the preceding million years, and various hypotheses have been put forward to explain why early humans began using fire. In this study, we sought to explore a new perspective on the issue”.

Dr. Ben-Dor adds: “For early humans, fire use was not a given, and at most archaeological sites dated earlier than 400,000 years ago, there is no evidence of the use of fire. Nevertheless, at several early sites, there are clear signs that fire was used, but without burnt bones or evidence of meat roasting. We understand that early humans at that time—mostly Homo erectus—did not use fire regularly, but only occasionally, in specific places and for special purposes. The process of gathering fuel, igniting a fire, and maintaining it over time required significant effort, and they needed a compelling, energy-efficient motive to do so. We have proposed a new hypothesis regarding that motive”.

Fire as a Shield Against Predators and Decay

The researchers reviewed the existing literature on all known prehistoric sites dated between 1.8 million and 800,000 years ago where evidence of fire use was found. There are nine such sites worldwide, including Gesher Benot Ya’aqov and Evron Quarry in Israel, six sites in Africa, and one site in Spain. Additionally, they relied on ethnographic studies of contemporary hunter-gatherer societies, aligning their behavior with the conditions that prevailed in ancient environments.

Dr. Ben-Dor: “We examined what the nine ancient sites had in common, and found that all contained large quantities of bones from large animals—mostly elephants, but also hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, and others. From previous studies, we know that these animals were extremely important to early human diets and provided most of the necessary calories. The meat and fat of a single elephant, for example, contain millions of calories, enough to feed a group of 20–30 people for a month or more. A hunted elephant or hippopotamus was thus a real treasure—a kind of meat and fat ‘bank’ that needed to be protected and preserved for many days since it was coveted not only by predators but also by bacteria”.

An analysis of the findings and calculations of the significant energetic advantage of preserving meat and fat led the researchers to a new conclusion, never before proposed: fire served two vital purposes for early humans—first, to guard the large game from other predators and scavengers seeking to seize the ‘treasure’, and second, to preserve the meat through smoking and drying, preventing spoilage and making it edible for a long period.

Prof. Barkai concludes: “In this study, we propose a new understanding of the factors that motivated early humans to begin using fire: the need to safeguard large hunted animals from other predators, and to preserve the vast quantity of meat over time. It is likely that once the fire was produced for these purposes, it was also occasionally used for cooking—at zero marginal energetic cost. Such use may explain evidence of fish roasting from around 800,000 years ago at Gesher Benot Ya’aqov. The approach we propose fits well into a global theory we have been developing in recent years, which explains major prehistoric phenomena as adaptations to the hunting and consumption of large animals, followed by their gradual disappearance and the resulting need to derive adequate energy from exploiting smaller animals”.

Prof. Ran Barkai.

Author: Hilary

A Star’s Return? TAU Researchers Offer New Insight into Black Hole Encounters