About the Investigator:

The major focus of Dr. Levy’s research is to elucidate the biological role of lysine methylation in the modulation of intracellular signaling pathways. Dr. Levy received his BSc degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, his MSc from Tel Aviv University, and his PhD in Molecular Genetics from the Weizmann Institute of Science. After postdoctoral research at Stanford, he joined the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics in the Faculty for Health Sciences of Ben Gurion University of the Negev, where he is now an Associate Professor.

About the Research:

Tumor cells exhibit uncontrolled DNA replication and cell division. Cancer treatment is currently  shifting toward personalized approaches in which therapy is based upon understanding of changes that occur in specific cancers. One change that frequently occurs is an increase in activity of the enzyme Aurora-B, which has an essential role in normal cell division. Dr. Levy’s preliminary data suggest that Aurora-B is subjected to a chemical modification (methylation), which could modulate its enzymatic activity and the regulation of cell cycle progression. If so, inhibition of methylation could reduce Aurora-B activity. He and his team will test this possibility. Successful completion of this project will have broad implications for both basic and translational research, as it will provide new understanding of how cancer progresses and identify a novel therapeutic target for therapy in patients with tumors characterized by elevated Aurora-B activity.