I am the Director of the only Gene and Cell Therapy Institute in Israel which I established in 1998 at Hadassah Hebrew University Hospital. I also serve as a full professor at the Hebrew University. Since its establishment 19 years ago I have recruited, accommodated and supported 10 seniors, academic track investigators, in the Institute. The Institute's focus is on performing translational medicine research. Today we have 75 investigators in the Institute. We believe in the need to understand the mechanism of disease as an approach to developing new therapeutics. Precision Medicine is our theme in which gene and cell therapy is one executing arm of this approach. In an effort to test our investigative approach and translational avenues I also established a gene and cell therapy production site in which we have developed over 50 products that were tested in Phase I and II. Many of these programs are also making further drug development progress today. Education and teaching is a cornerstone of our institutional culture and I devote much effort and time to this. Our institute culture is based on transparency in the sharing and flow of ideas. Many young Israeli investigators working in laboratories around the country as well as abroad were educated and mentored in our Institute at Hadassah and the Hebrew University Medical School.

As a physician-scientist specialising in Hepatology and Gene Therapy, my main interest lies in deciphering the mechanism of liver disease for the development of new genetic and biologic therapeutics. I focus on Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) and have contributed to a better understanding of the role of inflammatory mediators. I discovered and reported on the role of IL6 in HCC development and on the pivotal role of inflammation in HCC development. I developed numerous therapeutic platforms that were tested clinically or are now in clinical development including: Hyper-IL6 (invented by Prof. Stefan-Rose John with whom I collaborate for > 20 years), siRNA therapeutic scaffold for pancreatic cancer, and microRNAs for cancer therapy e.g. miR122* for cervical cancer. I have 185 refereed papers cited over 8,000 times (without self-citation). I have published in the following leading journals; Nature, Nature Medicine, PNAS, Gastroenterology and Hepatology (I had also been the associate Editor of this leading journal).