Professor Uri Ashery is a prominent Israeli neuroscientist who heads the Learning and Memory Lab at Tel Aviv University’s (TAU) Healthy Longevity Research Center.
Professor Ashery shared details regarding his background and research.
“As head of the learning and memory lab, I lead an interdisciplinary research team focused on elucidating the molecular mechanisms of learning and memory and their link to neurodegenerative diseases. Educated at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, I completed my Bachelor of Science in 1990 in biology and
chemistry with distinction and my PhD in 1996 in neurobiology cum laude under the supervision of Prof. Micha Spira. I completed my postdoctoral studies in Prof. Erwin Neher’s lab at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Germany in 2001 before returning to Israel to join TAU. In 2011, I spearheaded the establishment of the Tel Aviv University Sagol School of Neuroscience, a unique multidisciplinary ‘ecosystem’ and served as Head of School until 2020. The Sagol School is now Israel’s largest and leading neuroscience institute with over 100 research groups led by internationally renowned scientists and clinicians. I have also published over 70 papers including publications in top journals like Neuron, Acta Neuropathologica, PNAS, Nature Communication, Nano Letter and have been awarded several honors including the Bernard Katz Prize for Neurosciences and the Rector list for best lecturer at TAU. My work is supported by major grant agencies including ISF, BSF, Teva, Brightfocus and NIH. My lab focuses on two of the most common neurodegenerative diseases in an aging society that affects learning and memory: Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Both diseases are without any cure and there are also no early detection methods available.”
Professor Ashery expressed why he choose Neuroscience as his field of research.
“The way our brain works was for me always a mystery. Therefore, understanding brain function and dysfunction has been one of my main interests since my second year as a Bachelor student. I joined a lab pursuing electrical recordings of nerve cell activity which led me to continue my research in neuroscience.”
Professor Ashery shared his groundbreaking research in the early detection of Parkinson’s.
“In a significant step forward in the Parkinson’s research field, my team has developed a new technology for tracking the early stages of aggregation of alpha-
synuclein, a hallmark of Parkinson’s disease, using super-resolution microscopy and analysis. Further, the team has demonstrated how a specific drug impacts on this protein aggregation. The team is now working to implement its discoveries in a minimally invasive manner among family members of Parkinson’s disease patients. The goal is to detect, track and treat the disease before symptoms have even been detected and thus to slow down the onset of symptoms and offer hope to those with a predisposition to the disease. Early detection is being developed using peripheral human tissues like skin and tear or by tracking a-syn aggregation in induced- neurons from a Parkinson’s patient’s skin fibroblast.”
Professor Ashery shared details regarding his Alzheimer’s research.
“I’m pursuing a revolutionary research approach for Hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT), a medical administration of 100% oxygen at environmental pressure greater than 1 Atmosphere absolute to ease the symptoms experienced by patients with Alzheimer’s. My team has built a custom-made hyperbaric oxygen chamber which has already demonstrated a dramatic improvement in brain inflammation, brain pathology, blood flow and, most importantly, behavior in animal models. This exciting breakthrough has great potential to be translated into an effective therapy for correcting the physical and behavioral deficits associated with this devastating disease. We are currently examining the effects of HBOT on AD-related animal models, mitochondria function and the effects on neuropsychiatric AD-related behavior and depression.”
Professor Ashery expressed what he considers most challenging regarding his work.
“Investigating brain diseases requires state-of-the-art platforms allowing quantitative and detailed measurements including electrophysiology, super-resolution imaging and advanced analysis. Therefore, the two most challenging elements are purchasing the most up-to-date equipment and recruiting the most brilliant and motivated students.”
