Bar-Ilan Researchers at the Forefront of the Fight Against Cancer

Over the past decade, the fight against cancer has undergone a profound transformation. Where science once sought a single drug to eradicate tumors, it is now clear that cancer is a complex, adaptive, and dynamic adversary, one that demands a multi-layered strategy combining biology, medicine, engineering, computation, and artificial intelligence.

Researchers at Bar-Ilan University are at the heart of this transformation, working simultaneously on multiple fronts: the immune system, the genome, medical imaging, nanotechnology, the microbiome, and data science. Together, they are charting a path toward precise, personalized medicine.

Reprogramming the Body’s Internal Army

One of the central pillars of modern cancer therapy is mobilizing the body’s own immune system.

Prof. Cyril Cohen, Dean of the Faculty of Life Sciences is a leading global voice in immunotherapy. His work focuses on developing technologies that reprogram T cells to recognize and attack cancer cells, even when tumors attempt to evade immune detection.

Prof. Mira Barda-Saad is among the world’s leading researchers in natural killer (NK) cells. Her research addresses one of immunotherapy's greatest challenges: immune exhaustion, a state in which immune cells lose effectiveness within the tumor environment. Her team identified a key molecular pathway responsible for lymphocyte fatigue and developed nanoparticles that penetrate NK cells and restore their anti-cancer activity.

“NK cell–based immunotherapy is a particularly promising direction because it tends to cause fewer severe side effects,” explains Prof. Barda-Saad. “When combined with strategies that prevent immune exhaustion, treatment efficacy can be significantly improved.”

Seeing Cancer from the Inside

To defeat cancer, its internal control mechanisms must be understood.

Prof. Doron Ginsberg from the Faculty of Life Sciences studies non-coding RNA, molecules once dismissed as genetic “noise,” now recognized as central regulators of cellular behavior. His research shows that precisely targeting these mechanisms may halt the uncontrolled proliferation of cancer cells.

At the same time, medical imaging is undergoing a major leap forward. In the laboratory of Prof. Sharon Rothstein from the Department of Chemistry, researchers are developing an innovative radiotracer based on radioactive copper (⁶⁴Cu). The tracer exploits the elevated copper metabolism found in tumors, particularly in hypoxic and aggressive regions. The technology enables a broader imaging window, precise tumor boundary detection, and characterization of necrotic areas, and is currently in advanced preclinical testing.

Nanoparticles and Precision Medicine

A complementary approach emerges from engineering and nanotechnology.

Prof. Rachela Popovtzer from the Faculty of Engineering, recipient of a third ERC grant, is developing intelligent “nano-messengers” based on gold nanoparticles. These particles can cross complex biological barriers, including the blood–brain barrier, and reach cancer cells directly.

The nanoparticles function both as advanced imaging agents and as drug carriers, releasing therapeutic compounds only upon reaching their target. This approach increases treatment effectiveness while significantly reducing toxicity and side effects.

Joining this effort is Prof. Amos Danielli, who is developing ultra-sensitive optical devices capable of detecting cancer biomarkers in the bloodstream even before clinical symptoms appear.

The Microbes Within Us and the Algorithms That Understand Them

Another unexpected front in the fight against cancer lies in the microbiome: the vast population of bacteria in the gut.

Prof. Nisan Isaschar studies how gut bacteria influence the success of cancer therapies, demonstrating that they can serve as powerful allies in enhancing treatment efficacy.

Leading the translational side of this research is Prof. Omry Koren from the Faculty of Medicine, who investigates how the microbiome can be harnessed to improve treatment outcomes, including severe cases of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) following bone marrow transplants. His research has shown that patients with metastatic melanoma who did not initially respond to immunotherapy can be converted into responders through microbiome manipulation.

To integrate these layers of biological information, Prof. Sol Efroni is developing computational and AI-based models that analyze genomic, immune, and microbial data to generate personalized treatment maps for individual patients.

From Infection to Cancer

The link between infection and cancer development is also being explored in depth.

Dr. Yaakov (Kobi) Maman from the Faculty of Medicine was the first to identify the molecular “fingerprint” left by the bacterium Helicobacter pylori on the DNA of gastric cells. This discovery provides a biological explanation for the connection between infection and stomach cancer and opens the door to early detection of at-risk populations.

In parallel, Prof. Meir Shamay from the Faculty of Medicine studies the relationship between oncogenic viruses and epigenetic processes. His work on the EBV and KSHV viruses led to the identification of a host protein essential for viral survival—now considered a potential drug target for therapies aimed specifically at cancerous cells.

Moving Beyond Numbers to Biological Understanding

Dr. Ronit Ilouz from the Faculty of Medicine addresses one of the major challenges in prostate cancer diagnosis: the gap between general clinical markers and a deep biological understanding of the tumor. Her research focuses on cellular signaling pathways, particularly the PKA protein, revealing that its activity patterns systematically change with tumor aggressiveness. These findings add a new biological layer that may support the future development of more precise, targeted therapies.

Layer by Layer, Toward the Medicine of the Future

Oncological research at Bar-Ilan University is conducted in close collaboration with leading medical centers such as Sheba Medical Center and is focused on translating laboratory discoveries into clinical practice. The integration of biology, medicine, engineering, and data analysis offers a deeper, more precise view of cancer—not as a single disease, but as a complex system that can be decoded.

The road ahead remains long, but the foundation being built today at Bar-Ilan University is bringing medicine closer to a future of accurate diagnosis, personalized treatment, and genuine hope.