Ehud Ohana

The research in the lab focuses on the discovery of novel cellular mechanisms of metabolite absorption and exchange between cells and tissues. These mechanisms control metabolic communication pathways to control bioenergetics processes in tissues like the liver, gut, microbiota, kidney, heart, and brain. Our research in recent years has redefined diseases such as kidney stones, hypertension, chronic inflammation, and cancer as metabolic diseases in which metabolic communication pathways are hampered. We are currently developing new biological treatments to treat metabolic and inflammatory diseases, utilizing molecular engineering and synthetic biology. The coordination of metabolic and bioenergetics processes between different cells and tissues is essential for the proper function of the organs, especially under changing physiological conditions that alter the metabolic demand. Therefore, metabolic information needs to be exchanged between tissues and cells via networks of senso-regulatory proteins that orchestrate cellular metabolic functions in a process termed metabolic communication. Our team studies metabolic communication systems at the molecular and cellular levels to determine their physiological effects at the pre-clinical and clinical levels.

Email: ohanaeh@bgu.ac.il