Researchers
No one is immune to the effects of the world’s most pressing medical challenges. And none of these challenges are immune to the brilliance and dedication of IMRIC’s researchers. Get to know them a little better by checking out their bios.
Dr. Amir Amedi
Brain research is the adventure of our generation. I became a researcher because it is the most interesting job you can have, they actually pay you to do interesting things every day and work with wonderful people you choose to work with.
The brain and nervous system have always interested me, and IMRIC affords me the opportunity to study brain imaging techniques, and develop novel therapies for the blind through its interdisciplinary approach and by combining basic and clinical research.
My IMRIC research interests include sight restoration in blind and visually impaired individuals using artificial vision/sensory substitution, brain plasticity and mapping brain dynamics and anatomical and effective connectivity, multisensory interactions and object recognition using vision, audition and touch.
I'm hoping that my IMRIC research will not only help people, but also identify and promote new collaborations that cut across traditional borders and disciplines.
Dr. Rami Aqeilan
I'm interested in fighting cancer and my IMRIC research is bringing me closer to understanding how tumors grow and how we can reverse or prevent that growth.
At IMRIC, I am researching cancer as a genetic disease, focusing on tumor suppressor genes, genes that prevent the spread of tumors by preventing cell division. I am studying the function of several genes to define the signal pathways used in both normal and cancer cells.
My hope is that this IMRIC research will help scientists understand how signal pathways of fragile genes, that have been lost in cancer cells, may be reactivated in tumors to cause prevention or reversal of tumor growth.
Prof. Orna Amster-Choder
As a molecular biologist, I want to find out how cells work. As an IMRIC researcher, I am examining how cells receive signals and respond to them and how outside stimuli trigger gene expression in the cell. Through our research at IMRIC we've shown that two groups of molecules — sensors that receive the signal and the regulators that give the ‘go-ahead’ to gene expression — cluster together at the cell membrane. When they receive the signal from outside the cell, they break apart, priming the cell to do its job effectively. Now that we know how it works, we've started to develop new tools to stop the transmission of bacterial infections and, hopefully, prevent their spread.
