![Prof. Mordechay[Motti] Gerlic](https://en-pandemics.tau.ac.il/sites/en-pandemics.tau.ac.il/files/styles/research_teaser_image_180_x_180/public/moti-gerlic-180_0.jpg?itok=ORbadyDA "Prof. Mordechay[Motti] Gerlic")
Research Interests:
In the days as their repair, my lab is engaged in researching the immune system. More specifically, my research deals with the link between cell death processes and the activation of the immune system in situations of sterile inflammation, inflammation resulting from pathogens (bacteria, viruses and parasites) and pathological conditions such as hematological diseases and cancer.
I focus on the cellular death processes that create inflammation, and their immune implications for improving treatments for human diseases. More specifically, I focus on studying the mechanisms of necrophthosis and pyroptosis to ultimately harness this knowledge to fight cancer and improve the health of infectious and inflammatory disease patients.
In the past year, since the advent of COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, I have been heavily involved in Covid-19 research, which has already led to three publications on the subject. At the beginning of the epidemic, in order to better understand the immune response, I led one of the first serological studies in the world, which included the development of a new test that was used at the beginning of the epidemic at Corona Hospital (Hasharon) and the IDF. The kinetics of antibody production in the various patients, was published in Scientific Reports.In addition to the research activities and based on the knowledge I gained during the year, I led together with Prof. Ariel Munitz the establishment of the testing laboratory for the Great Corona in the south. About 20,000 tests a day. With the help of this lab we have avoided the spread of the British mutation B.1.1.7 and the Ministry of Health's program for targeted protection of nursing homes and the Israeli immunization program.
The results of this study were recently published in Cell Report Medicine. In order to be able to specifically measure all the subtypes of antibodies to different antigens in one sample, in order to produce a fast and cost-effective system while maintaining high sensitivity and specificity. Furthermore, these days we are researching in collaboration with Schneider Hospital the effectiveness of the vaccine In young children (ages 12-16) paying attention to the two arms of the immune system: the humoral arm (antibodies) and the cellular arm (T cells).
Contact:
Email: mgerlic@tauex.tau.ac.il
