ABOUT
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Our tradition began long ago
But unlike most traditions
Ours was one of breaking from convention
A tradition of challenging
A tradition of reimagining
A tradition of creating knowledge
While some look for what’s possible
Our approach is a little more unconventional
We can’t say we’re doing the impossible
We’re just not sure where possibility ends…
For over one hundred years, and into the hundred next
We will continue to question, to challenge, to innovate
Because it is our tradition
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
About the University: Today
For 100 years, our commitment to the vision of Einstein and his contemporaries has never waned. The Hebrew University has lead and developed higher education in Israel and is consistently ranked among the 100 leading universities in the world. Not bad for a small start-up.
At the Hebrew University, innovation is our tradition. From the early days of developing new methods of irrigation for a dry climate to today, with our scholars receiving exceptional proportions of ERC and other research grants and academic prizes. The work done within our campuses has led to breakthrough treatments for Alzheimer’s and ovarian cancer, agricultural advancements, new perspectives on the legal system, politics, and society, as well as lifesaving smart vehicle technology. We bring together faculty and students from across Israel’s diverse sectors and from around the world. From rediscovering the past to charting the future – at the Hebrew University, exceptional is our norm.
The Next 100 Years
In the coming decades, the world will be faced with a unique array of challenges, including famine and drought brought on by climate change, as well as a new generation of cybercriminals emboldened by an increasingly interconnected world.
Hebrew University’s talented faculty and staff are perfectly positioned to solve these problems, and we look forward to solidifying our already exceptional legacy by fostering and incubating the next generation of doctors, scientists, and innovators. Together, we will achieve even greater things in this coming century and beyond.
ARTICLES
Genetic insights into childhood-onset schizophrenia: The yield of clinical exome sequencing
Joint Study Discovers Possible Genetic Cause of Childhood Onset Schizophrenia
The role of genetics in schizophrenia is significant and widely studied in the common form of the disease that appears in adolescence or early adulthood. However, it has rarely been examined among young patients with COS, a severe and rare form of schizophrenia that emerges before the age of 13. It is estimated that there are about 200 people with COS in Israel today.
The senior investigator in this study is Prof. Yoav Kohn, former Chairman of the Psychiatry Department at Hebrew University-Hadassah School of Medicine and Director of the child and adolescent psychiatry ward at Eitanim. Prof. Kohn said, “Childhood schizophrenia manifests similar to adults including symptoms such as false thoughts, hallucinations, disorganized speech and behavior, in addition to a decrease in motivation and other symptoms. All of these are accompanied by impaired cognitive and behavioral function.”
The results of the study revealed that a genetic mutation was found in seven of the 33 children and their families who participated, which may explain the cause of the disease. The researchers note that the discovery of the mutation can be used in the future to help improve the diagnosis and find a specific treatment for the disease. This can further help families by providing an explanation for their child’s serious illness and enabling genetic counseling for healthy family members who wish to have children.
Integrative Transcriptomics Reveals Sexually Dimorphic Control of the Cholinergic/Neurokine Interface in Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder
RNA sequencing analyses are often limited to identifying lowest p value transcripts, which does not address polygenic phenomena. To overcome this limitation, we developed an integrative approach that combines large-scale transcriptomic meta-analysis of patient brain tissues with single-cell sequencing data of CNS neurons, short RNA sequencing of human male- and female-originating cell lines, and connectomics of transcription factor and microRNA interactions with perturbed transcripts. We used this pipeline to analyze cortical transcripts of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder patients.
Although these pathologies show massive transcriptional parallels, their clinically well-known sexual dimorphisms remain unexplained. Our method reveals the differences between afflicted men and women and identifies disease-affected pathways of cholinergic transmission and gp130-family neurokine controllers of immune function interlinked by microRNAs.
This approach may open additional perspectives for seeking biomarkers and therapeutic targets in other transmitter systems and diseases.
VIDEOS
Contact The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Get in touch with the team at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem today to find out more!
Website
campaign.huji.ac.il