Ittai Ben-Porath, PhD

About the Investigator:

Prof. Ittai Ben-Porath’s cancer research laboratory is located in the Faculty of Medicine at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His work focuses on the question of how cells evolve during cancer development. His main area of interest is the phenomenon of cellular senescence, a process that contributes to both aging and cancer. The laboratory is studying how targeting cells that are in a state of senescence can serve as a new approach for cancer therapy. Prof. Ben-Porath serves as the Vice-Dean of Medicine, and Vice-Chair of the Institute for Medical Research at the Hebrew University.

About the Research:

Immunotherapies are cancer treatments that use the body’s immune system to attack tumor cells. Although promising, these treatments are often ineffective for many tumor types and patients. Prof. Ben-Porath’s research has shown that pancreatic tumors contain cells in a state of senescence — when cells permanently stop dividing without dying — that occurs due to stress or damage. These senescent cells, which surround the tumor, suppress the immune system’s ability to attack the tumor, thereby protecting and promoting its growth.

In studies in mice, the Ben-Porath lab found that drugs targeting and eliminating these senescent cells, called senolytics, can boost the immune response against the tumor and improve the effectiveness of immunotherapy. This suggests a potential new therapeutic approach that could enhance the success of immunotherapies in cancer patients. Their goal now is to understand how senescent cells block the immune response and how removal of these cells can improve immunotherapy. The knowledge gained could, ultimately, lead to new cancer treatments that incorporate the targeting of senescent cells.