About the Investigator:

Dr. Tabach’s research focuses on elucidating cancer processes based on their evolutionary history. He received his BSc degree from Tel Aviv University and his PhD in Bioinformatics from the Weizmann Institute of Science. After postdoctoral training at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, he joined the Hebrew University, where he is now an Associate Professor in the Department of Developmental Biology and Cancer Research.

About the Research:

Cancer can be avoided and, in fact, is avoided in nature by species that are cancer resistant. For example, 70-90% of lab mice will die of cancer within two years, while the naked mole rat, the elephant, and the bowhead whale live for decades and have rarely been documented developing cancer. Dr. Tabach’s team aims to understand the common mechanisms that enable these species and others to avoid cancer to improve human diagnostics and suggest treatment options.

The DNA sequences of these species will be compared. Unique lines that show a difference between cancer-resistant species, like the whale and the elephant, and cancer-prone species, such as the mouse, will be further studied to understand the mechanisms by which these sequences affect the progression of cancer and how they can be targets for treatment.