Elad Jacoby, MD

Named Grant:

Funded in Partnership with The Jacki & Bruce Barron Cancer Research Scholars’ Program

About the Investigator:

Prof. Elad Jaboby is a physician-researcher at the Sheba Medical Center, expert in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology and Cell Therapy. As an MD researcher, he treats children with leukemia, and leads clinical projects and trials in cell therapy and immunotherapy, including one that uses CAR-T cells, a form of enhanced immune cells, to treat leukemia and lymphoma. Dr. Jacoby’s group also has experience treating with patients with diseases affecting the mitochondria, the energy engine of the cell, and ‘enhancing’ these ‘engines’ in blood cells of these patients. Prof. Jacoby heads the cell therapy center at Sheba, which is focused on improving cell-based cancer therapies.

About the Research:

CAR-T cells are a form of anti-cancer therapy that directs cells from the immune system against cancer, and is currently used in children with leukemia or adults with lymphoma or myeloma. This form of therapy can lead to good clinical outcomes, but unfortunately not all patients benefit – only about half.

To explore ways to improve current CAR-T therapy, Prof. Jacoby will study the way these cells metabolize, or use energy. At the center of energy production lies the mitochondria. By changing the energy source of CAR-T cells, his team seeks to increase the ‘output’ of the mitochondria and achieve enhanced anti-tumor effects. In this research, his team will (a) study the mechanisms in which the energy source changes the quality of the CAR-T cells, using novel models and up-to-date technologies; and (b) test innovative strategies to enhance the mitochondria of old and new CAR-T cells. His group’s experience in CAR-T cell studies, from the bench to patient care, and knowledge in mitochondrial metabolism, provide a strong scientific structure for this project. This data will inform the clinical program his team is currently operating to enable these therapies to benefit a greater number of patients.