Scientific Advisory Board
Professor Rami I. Aqeilan
Principal Investigator
Born in Jerusalem, Dr. Rami Aqeilan is a Full Professor of Immunology and Cancer Research at the Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School in Jerusalem. He also holds a Research Professorship in Ohio State University in the Human Cancer Genetics Program and an adjunct Professorship in University of Vermont – Cancer Center.
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He began his academic career at the University of Jordan where he received a B.Sc. in Biology, followed by a M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Cellular Biochemistry and Human Genetics from the Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School.
Following his graduation, he started a post-doctoral fellowship in the Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia-Pennsylvania working on a newly discovered gene named the WW domain-containing oxidoreductase (WWOX). During his post-doctoral tenure, Dr. Aqeilan identified WWOX as a tumor suppressor gene and characterized its biochemical interacting ability with several partners that mediate WWOX tumor suppressor function. In 2005, he assumed his first faculty position as a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology and Medical Genetics at the Comprehensive Cancer Center in Ohio State University (Columbus, Ohio). In 2008 he joined the faculty of Medicine at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
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Dr. Aqeilan has had a long-term interest in the genetic and molecular basis of cancer development. As a cancer biologist, he believed that the best approach against disease is to obtain a better understanding of its molecular basis. Therefore, the ultimate goal of his research is to discover the genes and to elucidate the pathways that represent targets for the development of rational, specific and effective therapeutic approaches to cancer, particularly triple negative breast cancer, pediatric osteosarcoma and pancreatic cancer. His research has taken advantage of mouse models, tissue culture and human clinical samples. Most recently, Dr. Aqeilan has been studying the contribution of WWOX to early-onset epilepsy and neurodegeneration. Another topic that is of Dr. Aqeilan’s research interest is the role of fragile genes in human diseases and how defects in DNA damage response checkpoints is associated with fragile genes. His research is being supported by grants from the Israeli Science Foundation (ISF), Israeli Cancer Research Fund (ICRF), Israeli-American Bi-national Science Foundation (BSF) and European Commission (EC).
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Dr. Aqeilan is an editorial board member of the Journal of Cellular Biochemistry (JCB), Cell Death & Disease (CDDis) and Carcinogenesis and has served as an external reviewer for many peer-reviewed journals. He has authored or co-authored more than 100 original articles. He is the winner of several awards among which is the Sidney Kimmel Award for Cancer Research, Ma’of Fellowship, the Bergman Memorial Research Award, the prestigious ERC-consolidator grant and Youdim Prize for Cancer Research. He is an elected member of the Young Israeli Academy, an active member of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and European Association for Cancer Research (EACR) and has spoken nationally and internationally about his own research, focusing on fragile sites and genomic instability in human diseases.
Dr. Aqeilan and his wife, Haifa, live in Jerusalem. They have three daughters and two sons.
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