Reuven Stein, PhD

About the Investigator:

Prof. Stein’s research centers on how the tumor microenvironment affects tumor growth, focusing on brain tumors. He received his BSc and PhD from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. After postdoctoral training at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University in New York, he returned to Tel Aviv University, where he is now a Professor of Neurobiology in the George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences.

About the Research:

Besides transformed cancer cells, the tumor mass contains non-cancerous cells recruited to the tumor region to regulate its progression. The recruited cells are collectively termed “tumor microenvironment (TME) cells.” In the brain, these cells mainly comprise an immune cell type termed “macrophage.”

Brain macrophages reside in the brain and help protect it from harm. They can be either resident macrophages or ones from the blood, called monocyte-derived macrophages. The resident macrophages are made up of two types: microglia, that regulate brain development, maintenance of neuronal networks, and injury repair; and border-associated macrophages (BAM), which reside near the border of the brain. While there is much knowledge regarding how microglia and blood-derived macrophages affect brain tumors, little is known about BAM’s role in brain metastasis. Owing to their strategic geographic position in close proximity to blood vessels that penetrate the brain, these cells may potentially play a role in the establishment and progression of brain metastases.

Prof. Stein’s research aims to test this hypothesis and unravel the underlying processes, using a multidisciplinary approach combining state-of-the-art mouse models and ex vivo and in vivo imaging systems. This study may identify new brain metastasis regulators, clarify how the TME regulates this devastating and currently incurable disease and, perhaps, identify new therapeutic targets.