Prof. (emeritus) Rimona Margalit, the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Research interests:
Targeted drug delivery applying lab-invented bio-material-based targeted drug carriers, nano- and micro-sized. Our strategy is disease-driven, fitting the carrier and the route of administration to the requirements of the designated therapy. Also starting from formulation studies, proceeding to studies in cell cultures, and – with worthy systems - proceeding to feasibility studies in animal models.
Our projects in the epidemic/pandemic arenas are the following:
(1) Proof of concept obtained in mouse models (our development) treating mild lung cytokine storms, by inhalational administration of our targeted carriers encapsulating anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant drugs.
The models to be extended to severe cytokine storms. Obviously relevant to the covid-19 (and the threat of future) pandemics, with the advantage that this treatment addresses the cytokine storms generated by different variants and (2)The man-made, opiate pandemic in the US and other countries, for which we are developing drug carriers of antidotes, that will be a mix of fast and slow drug release to combat the currently too-fast clearance of the free antidotes from the body.
The drug-in-carrier systems have been developed and in vivo studies in normal mice, assessing drug retention in circulation have recently been launched.
Contact:
Phone: +972-3-6409822
Email: rimona@tauex.tau.ac.il
