Dr. Almoznino serves as the head of the Orofacial Sensory Clinic and as a lecturer at the Hebrew University. She is the president of the Israel Society of Oral Medicine (ISOM) and a member of the Israeli Board of Oral Medicine, scientific council of the Israeli Dental association and a member of the Board of examiners in Oral Medicine Specialty in Israel. Graduate of Hebrew University (DMD and M.Sc. degrees) and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (M.H.A).

Sample of recent research publications:

Almoznino G, Benoliel R, Sharav Y, Haviv Y.Sleep disorders and chronic craniofacial pain: Characteristics and management possibilities.Sleep Med Rev. 2016 May 11. pii: S1087-0792(16)30011-9. doi: 10.1016/j.smrv.2016.04.005. [Epub ahead of print] Review.

Haviv Y, Zini A, Etzioni Y, Klitinich V, Dobriyan A, Sharav Y, Benoliel R, Almoznino G.The impact of chronic orofacial pain on daily life: the vulnerable patient and disruptive pain.Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol. 2017 Jan;123(1):58-66.

Almoznino G, Zini A, Zakuto A, Sharav Y, Haviv Y, Hadad A, Chweidan H, Yarom N, Benoliel R.Oral Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Temporomandibular Disorders.J Oral Facial Pain Headache. 2015 Summer;29(3):231-41.

Haviv Y, Khan J, Zini A, Almoznino G, Sharav Y, Benoliel R.Trigeminal neuralgia (part I): Revisiting the clinical phenotype.Cephalalgia. 2016 Jul;36(8):730-46.

Benoliel R, Zini A, Khan J, Almoznino G, Sharav Y, Haviv Y.Trigeminal neuralgia (part II): Factors affecting early pharmacotherapeutic outcome.Cephalalgia. 2016 Jul;36(8):747-59.

Benoliel R, Sharav Y, Haviv Y, Almoznino G. Tic, triggering and tearing: From CTN to SUNHA. The Journal of Head and Face Pain. [Epub ahead of print] Review.

 Haviv Y, Zini A, Almoznino G, Keshet N, Sharav Y, Aframian DJ. Assessment of interfering factors in non-adherence to oral appliance therapy in severe sleep apnea.Oral Dis. 2017 Jan 5. doi: 10.1111/odi.12633. [Epub ahead of print].

Almoznino G, Zini A, Sharav Y, Shahar A, Zlutzky H, Haviv Y, Lvovsky A, Aframian DJ.Sleep quality in patients with dental anxiety.J Psychiatr Res. 2015 Feb;61:214-22.

Haviv Y, Bachar G, Aframian DJ, Almoznino G, Michaeli E, Benoliel R.A 2-year mean follow-up of oral appliance therapy for severe obstructive sleep apnea: a cohort study.Oral Dis. 2015 Apr;21(3):386-92.

Almoznino G, Haviv Y, Sharav Y, Benoliel R.2016. An update of management of insomnia in patients with chronic orofacial pain. Oral Dis. Accepted for publication. Critical Review.

Almoznino G, Vered M. Mid-face bone destruction involving the palate. The Lancet Oncology. Accepted for publication. Clinical Picture.

"Neurovascular Orofacial Pain", Clinical Chapter, Sharav, Y., Haviv, Y.,Almoznino-Kain G, Benoliel, R., in Textbook "Contemporary Oral Medicine" edited by Professor Camile S. Farah, Prof. Ramesh Balasubramaniam, Professor Michael J. McCullough, Springer International Publishing AG Switzerland.

Prof. Bialer 
Key Words: Pharmacokinetics (PK), PK-based design of drugs, antiepileptics, CNS drugs, chirality.

Scientific Interest:
Pharmacokinetics and biopharmaceutics of existing and new drugs.
Pharmacokinetic-based design of new antiepileptics and CNS drugs.
Structure-pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic relationships (SPPR).
Pharmacokinetic evaluation of drug interactions, new drug delivery systems, prodrugs and controlled-release formulations.
Stereospecific pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynanmic analysis of chiral drugs

Industry
Various international pharmaceutical companies

Collaborations
NIH Epilepsy Branch
Prof. Rene H. Levy, Univ. of Washington, Seattle, USA
Prof. H. Steve White, Univ. of Utah, USA
Drs. Bert de Boer and Rob Voskyl, Leiden Univ.,Holland
Prof. Emilio Perucca, Univ. of Pavia, Italy
Prof. Richard Finell, Texas A&M Univ. ,USA

Laboratory Techniques
Pharmacokinetic (PK) analysis
PK-based synthesis and design
Analytical chemistry GC-MS, LC-MS, HPLC, GC
Metabolic Studies

Patents:
M Bialer, S Hadad, J Herzig, JSterling, D Lerner, M Shirvan. Derivatives of valproic acid amide and 2-valproenoic acid amides, methods of making and use thereof as anticonvulsant agent. U.S. Patnet No. 5,585,358 Issued 17.12.1996.

1. J Sterling, 1. Y Herzig, M Bialer, 1. A Haj-Yehia, B Yagen, . Derivatives of tetra methylcyclopropane. U.S. Patnet No. 5,880,157. Issued 9. 3.1999.

M Bialer, A Dagan, S Sussan. Anticonvulsant drugs and pharmaceutical compositions thereof. U.S. Patent No. 6,028,102. Issued 22.2.2000.

M Bialer, B Yagen, N Papo. Active derivative of valproic acid for the treatment of neurological and psychotic disorders and a method for their preparation. U.S. Patent No. 6,323,365. Issued 27.11.01. 

A Sintov, A Volosov, M Bialer, B Yagen. Pharmaceutical compositions containing low-melting waxes. U.S. Pat Applic Ser 09/743,260. Filing 1.1.01.

Sample of recent research publications:
S Sussan, A Dagan, S Blotnik, M Bialer. Structural requirements for the design of antiepileptic-glycine derivatives. Epilepsy Res. 34:207-220 (1999).

M Roeder, V Schurig, O Spiegelstein, M Bialer, B. Yagen. Absolute configuration of the four stereoisomers of valnoctamide (2-ethyl-3-methyl valeramide), a potential new stereospecific antiepileptic and CNS drug. Tetrahedron: Asymmetr.10:841-853 (1999).

M Bialer. Pharmacokinetic considerations in the design of better and safer new antiepileptic drugs. J. Control. Release, 62:187-192 (1999). 

A Volosov, S Xiandong, . Perucca, B Yagen, A Sintov, M Bialer. Enantioselective pharmacokinetics of 10-hydroxy carbazepine following oral administration of oxcarbazepine to healthy Chinese subjects. Clin. Pharmacol. Ther. 66:547-553 (1999).

O Spiegelstein, DL Kroetz, RH Levy, B Yagen, SI Hurst, M Levi, A Haj-Yehia, M. Bialer. Structure activity relationships of human microsomal epoxide hydroalse inhibition by amide and acid analogues of valproic acid. Pharm. Res. 17:216-221 (2000).

H Lindekens, I Smolders, GM Khan, M Bialer, G Ebinger, Y Michotte. In vivo study of the effect of valpromide and valnoctamide in the pilocarpine rat model of focal epilepsy. Pharm. Res. 17:1408-1413 (2000).

M Bialer, SJ Johannessen, HJ Kupferberg, RH Levy, P Loiseau, E Perucca. Progress report on new antiepileptic drugs: A summary of the Fifth Eilat Conference (EILAT V). Epilepsy Res. 43:11-58 (2001).

M Wasserman, B Yagen, S Blotnik, N Pappo, M Bialer. Stereoselective pharmacokinetic analysis and antiepileptic activity of N-2-hydroxypropyl valpromide, a chiral central nerve system-active valproylamide. Ther. Drug Monit., 23:414-420 (2001). 

N Isoherranen, B Yagen, S Soback, M Roeder, V Schurig , M Bialer. Pharmacokinetic analysis of levetiracetam and its enantiomer R-alpha-ethyl-2-oxo-pyrrolidine acetamide in dogs. Epilepsia 42:825-830 (2001). 

N Isoherranen, JH Woodheard, HS White, M Bialer. Anticonvulsant profile of valrocemide (TV 1901): A new antiepileptic and CNS drug. Epilepsia 42:831-836 (2001). 

M Bialer. New antiepileptic drugs currently in clinical trials. Is there a strategy in their development? Ther. Drug Monit., 24:85-90 (2002).

Dr. Dror is the Joel Wilbush Chair in Medical Anthropology, and is head of the Department of the History of Medicine in the Medical Faculty. He received his MD from Ben-Gurion University, and his Ph D in history of science/medicine from Princeton. His research focuses on the history of the study of pain, pleasure, and the emotions during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and on the inter-relationships between science and culture. His current book-project is on the history of the study of states of extreme pain and/or pleasure during the post WW-II period.

Sample of research publications:

Books:

Otniel E. Dror, Blush, Adrenaline, Excitement: Modernity and the Study of Emotions, 1860-1940. 
UNDER REVISION FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS

Articles:

Otniel E. Dror, "The Affect of Experiment: The Turn to Emotions in Anglo-American Physiology, 1900-1940," Isis 90 (June 1999): 205-237.

Reprinted in: Kultur im Experiment (Kadmos-Verlag Berlin).

Otniel E. Dror, "The Scientific Image of Emotion: Experience and Technologies of Inscription," Configurations 7 (September 1999): 355-401.

Otniel E. Dror, "Counting the Affects: Discoursing in Numbers," Social Research 68 (Summer 2001): 357-378.

Otniel E. Dror, "Techniques of the Brain and the Paradox of Emotions, 1880-1930," Science in Context 14 (Winter 2001): 643-660.

Otniel E. Dror, "Anatomy and Physiology: Twentieth Century," in Brian S. Baigrie (ed.), History of Modern Science and Mathematics Volume I (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2002), pp. 213-227.

Otniel E. Dror, "Deceiving Bodies: Metaphor, Knowledge, and Nerves," in Celine Kaiser, Marie-Luise Wunsche (eds.), Die "Nervositat der Juden" und andere Leiden an der Zivilisation (Munchen & Wien: Ferdinand Schoningh, 2003), pp. 57-74.

Otniel E. Dror, "'Voodoo Death': Fantasy, Excitement, and the Untenable Boundaries of Biomedical Science," in Robert D. Johnston (ed.), The Politics of Healing: Essays in the Twentieth-century History of North American Alternative Medicine (Routledge 2004), pp. 71-81, 328-331.

Otniel E. Dror, "Is the Mind a Scientific Object of Study?: Lessons from History," in Christina E. Erneling, David M. Johnson (eds.), The Mind as a Scientific Object: Between Brain and Culture (Oxford University Press 2004), pp. 101-117.

Otniel E. Dror, "Dangerous Liaisons: Science, Amusement, and the Civilizing Process," in Penelope Gouk, Helen Hills (eds.), Representing Emotions: New Connections in the Histories of Art, Music and Medicine (Ashgate 2005), pp. 223-234.

Otniel E. Dror, "Fear and Loathing in the Laboratory and Clinic," in Fay 
Bound Alberti (ed.), Medicine, Emotions and Disease, 1700-1950 (New 
York: Palgrave, 2006), pp. 125-143

Dr. Gilam is the director of the translational Social, Cognitive, and Affective Neuroscience (tSCAN) lab.

The lab’s primary research focuses on the causes, consequences, and prevention of human suffering related to affective states, such as pain and anger, as they manifest at the intersection of psychopathological and chronic pain conditions. These strongly co-morbid conditions are globally, the leading factors contributing to years living with disability, resulting in incredible personal, societal, and financial costs. To address these issues, the tSCAN lab uses a combination of methods from cognitive neuroscience, experimental psychology, and health informatics, while integrating perspectives from emotion science, social psychology, and pain medicine.

We are always looking for motivated and talented students - please feel free to reach out if you are interested in joining our research efforts.

Selected Publications:

1. Gilam, G., Cramer, E. M., Weber, K. A., Ziadni, M. S., Kao, M. C., & Mackey, S.C. (2021). Classifying chronic pain using multidimensional pain-agnostic symptom assessments and clustering analysis. Science Advances, 8(37) https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abj0320

2. Mercer Lindsay, N., Chen, C., Gilam, G., Mackey, S.C., & Scherrer, G. (2021). Brain Circuits for pain and its treatment. Science Translational Medicine, 13(619) https://doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.abj7360

3. Zhang, J., ten Brink, M., Kreibig, S.D., Gilam, G., Manber, R., Mackey, S.C., & Gross, J.J. (2021). Individual differences in perceived sleep quality does not predict negative affect reactivity or regulation. Biological Psychology https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2021.108149

4. Gilam, G., Gross, J.J., Wager, T.D., Keefe, F.J., & Mackey. S.C. (2020). What is the relationship between pain and emotion? Bridging constructs and communities. Neuron, 107(1), 17-21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2020.05.024

5. Gilam, G., Horing, B., Sivan, R. Weinman, N., & Mackey, S.C. The decline in task performance after witnessing rudeness is moderated by emotional empathy (2020; materials and data available at https://osf.io/fh6pb/). Frontiers in Psychology – Personality and Social Psychology; https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01584

6. Gilam, G., Sturgeon, J.A., You, D.S., Wasan, A.D., Darnall, B.D., & Mackey, S.C. (2019). Negative affect-related factors have the strongest association with prescription opioid misuse in a cross-sectional cohort of patients with chronic pain. Pain Medicine, 21(2), e127-e138. https://doi.org/10.1093/pm/pnz249

7. Gilam*, G., Abend*, R., Gurevitch, G., Erdman, A., Baker, H., Ben-Zion, Z., & Hendler, T. (2018). Attenuating anger and aggression with neuromodulation of the vmPFC – a simultaneous tDCS-fMRI study. Cortex, 109, 156-170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2018.09.010

8. Gilam, G., Lin, T., Fruchter, E., & Hendler, T. (2017). Neural indicators of interpersonal anger as cause and consequence of combat-training stress symptoms. Psychological Medicine, 47(9), 1561-1572. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291716003354

9. Gilam, G., & Hendler, T. (2016). With love, from me to you: Embedding social interactions in affective neuroscience. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 68, 590-601. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.06.027

10. Gilam, G., Lin, T., Raz, G., Azrielant, S., Fruchter, E., Ariely, D. & Hendler, T. (2015). Neural substrates underlaying the tendency to accept anger-infused ultimatum offers during dynamic social interactions. Neuroimage, 120, 400-411. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2015.07.003

Education

1968 B.Sc. in Chemistry and Physics, The Hebrew University 
1970 M.Sc. in Physical Chemistry, The Hebrew University 
1976 Ph.D. in Neurobiology, The Hebrew University

Appointments

1979- Present, Head, Laboratory of Experimental Surgery, Hadassah University Hospital, Mount Scopus, Jerusalem.
1979- Present, Dept. of  Medical Neurobiology, Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem.
1976 - 1978 Laboratory of Neurophysiology, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
July 1989-Sept. 1990 Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
2004- Present. Professor, Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School
2013- Present.  Guest Professor, College of Medicine, Nanchang University, Nanchang, China

Main research interests

Mechanisms of chronic pain. The autonomic nervous system, The role of glial cells in the nervous system. Neuron-glia interactions underlying chronic pain, Satellite glial cells, Physiology, pharmacology and morphology of the digestive tract in health and disease.

Selected recent publications

Hanani, M. Intercellular communication in sensory ganglia by purinergic receptors and  gap junctions: Implications for chronic pain. Brain Res.  1487:183-191, 2012.

Warwick, RA, Hanani, M. The contribution of satellite glial cells to chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain. Europ. J. Pain. 17:571-580, 2013.

Blum E, Procacci P, Conte V, Hanani M.. Systemic inflammation alters satellite glial cell function and structure. A possible contribution to sickness behavior. Neuroscience 274:209-217, 2014.

Hanani M,  Blum E,  Liu S,  Peng L,   Liang S. Satellite glial cells in dorsal root ganglia are activated in streptozotocin-treated rodents. J. Cell. Molec. Med. 20: 2367-2371, 2014.

Feldman-Goriachnik R,  Belzer V, Hanani M. Systemic inflammation activates satellite glial cells in the mouse nodose ganglion and alters their functions. Glia 67:1296-1307, 2019. doi: 10.1002/glia.22881

Hanani M. Role of satellite glial cells in gastrointestinal pain_. Front. Cell. Neurosci. 9:412, 2015 doi: 10.3389/fncel.2015.00412

Warwick RA, Hanani M. Involvement of aberrant calcium signalling in herpetic neuralgia. Exp Neurol. 277:10-18, 2016. doi: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2015.12.002.

Kim YS, Anderson M, Park K, Zheng Q, Agarwal A, Gong C, Saijilafu, Young L, He S, LaVinka PC, Zhou F, Bergles D, Hanani M, Guan Y, Spray DC, Dong X. Coupled Activation of Primary Sensory Neurons Contributes to Chronic Pain. Neuron. 91:1085-1896, 2016. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2016.07.044.

Hanstein R,   Hanani M,   Scemes E,   Spray  DC.  Glial pannexin1 contributes to tactile hypersensitivity in a mouse model of orofacial pain. Scientific Reports  6:38266, 2016. doi: 10.1038/srep38266

Feldman-Goriachnik R,  Hanani M. The Effects of Endothelin-1 on Satellite Glial Cells in Peripheral Ganglia. Neuropeptides 63:37-42, 2017.  doi: 10.1016/j.npep.2017.03.002.

Spray DC, Iglesias R, Shraer N, Belzer V, Hanstein R, Hanani M. Electrical signaling between glia and neurons in trigeminal ganglia.  Glia 67:791-801, 2019. doi: 10.1002/glia.23554.

Belzer V, Hanani M. Nitric oxide as a messenger between neurons and satellite glial cells in dorsal root ganglia. Glia 67:1296–1307, 2019.  doi: 10.1002/glia.23603

Feldman-Goriachnik R , Hanani M.  The Effects of Sympathetic Nerve Damage on Satellite Glial Cells in the Mouse Superior Cervical Ganglion. Autonomic Neuroscience,  221:102584, 2019. doi: 10.1016/j.autneu.2019.102584

Hanani M,  Spray DC. Emerging importance of satellite glia in nervous system function and dysfunction. Nature Reviews Neurosci. 21(9):485-498, 2020. doi: 10.1038/s41583-020-0333-z

Hanani M,  Verkhratsky A. Satellite glial cells and astrocytes, a comparative review   Neurochemical Research. Neurochem Res. 46(10), 2525-2537, 2021. doi: 10.1007/s11064-021-03255-8

Feldman-Goriachnik R, Hanani M. How do neurons in sensory ganglia communicate with satellite glial cells? Brain Research. 1760: 147384, 2021.  doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2021.147384.

Chen Z, Huang, Q,  Song, X,  Ford NC,  Zhang, C,  Xu, Q,  Lay M,  He SQ,  Dong X, Hanani M,  Guan Y. Purinergic signaling between neurons and satellite glial cells of mouse dorsal root ganglia modulates neuronal excitability in vivo. Pain, doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002556.

Cohen M, Feldman-Goriachnik R,  Hanani M. Satellite glial cells and neurons in trigeminal ganglia are altered in an itch model in mice. Cells, 11: 886, 2022. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells11050886

Feldman-Goriachnik, R, Blum E, Hanani M. Exercise Reduces Pain and Pathological Changes in Dorsal Root Ganglia Induced by Systemic Inflammation in Mice. Neuroscience Letters. 778: 136616, 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2022.136616.

Prof. Mechoulam is with the Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Natural Products at the Faculty of Medicine. He is former Rector of the University and is a member of the Israel Academy of Sciences. His research interests are in the field of the chemistry and biological activity of natural products and medicinal agents. His main contributions are in the field of the constituents of cannabis and the endogenous cannabinoids found in the brain and the periphery. He has published extensively on their pharmacological activities.

Sample of recent research publications:

Y. Gaoni and R. Mechoulam. Isolation, structure and partial synthesis of an active constituent of hashish. J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 86, 1646 (1964).

R. Mechoulam, A. Shani, H. Edery and Y. Grunfeld. The chemical basis of hashish activity. Science, 169, 611-612 (1970).

J.J. Feigenbaum F. Bergmann, S.A. Richmond, R. Mechoulam, V. Nadler, Y. Kloog and M. Sokolovsky. A non-psychotropic cannabinoid acts as a functional N-methyl-D-asparate (NMDA) receptor blocker. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 86, 9584-9587 (1989).

R. Seltzer, Z. Zeltser, A. Eisen, J.J. Feigenbaum and R. Mechoulam. Suppression of neuropathic pain behavior in rats by a non-psychotropic synthetic cannabinoid with NMDA receptor- blocking properties. Pain 47, 95-103 (1991).

W.A. Devane, L. Hanus, A. Breuer, R.G. Pertwee, L.A. Stevenson, G. Griffin, D. Gibson, A. Mandelbaum, A. Etinger and R. Mechoulam. Isolation and structure of a brain constituent that binds to the cannabinoid receptor. Science 258, 1946-1949 (1992).

R. Mechoulam, S. Ben-Shabat, L. Hanus, M. Ligumsky, N.E. Kaminski, A.R. Schatz, A. Gopher, S. Almog, B.R. Martin, D.R. Compton, R.G. Pertwee, G. Griffin, M. Bayewitch, J. Barg and Z. Vogel. Identification of an endogenous 2-monoglyceride, present in canine gut, that binds to cannabinoid receptors. Biochem. Pharmacol. 50, 83-90 (1995).

L. Hanus, A. Breuer, S. Tchilibon, S. Shiloah, D. Goldenberg, M. Horowitz, R.G.Pertwee , R.A.Ross, R. Mechoulam and E. Fride. HU-308: A specific agonist for CB2, a peripheral cannabinoid receptor. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (US), 96, 14228-14233 (1999).

A.M. Malfait, R. Gallily, P.F. Sumariwalla, A.S. Malik, E. Andreakos, R. Mechoulam, M. Feldmann. The non-psychoactive cannabis-constituent cannabidiol is an oral anti-arthritic therapeutic in murine collagen-induced arthritis. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci (USA) 97, 9561-9566 (2000).

L. Hanus, S. Abu-Lafi, E. Fride, A. Breuer, Z. Vogel, D.E. Shalev, I. Kustanovich and R. Mechoulam. 2-Arachidonyl glycerol ether, endogenous agonist of the cannabinoid CB1 receptor. Proceed. Natl. Acad. Sci. (USA) 98, 3662-3665 (2001).

D. Panikashvili, C. Simeonidou, S. Ben-Shabat, L. Hanus, A. Breuer, R. Mechoulam and E. Shohami. An endogenous cannabinoid (2-AG) is neuroprotective after brain injury. Nature 413, 527-531 (2001).

Education and Degrees

• 1964‑1967: B.Sc. Physiology and Biochemistry, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
• 1967‑1969: M.Sc. Physiology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Advisor:  Prof. E. Auerbach, M.Sc. thesis "The unit response to binocular stimulation in the cat's striate cortex" 
• 1969‑1973: Ph.D. Biophysics, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Advisor:  Prof. P. Hillman, Ph.D. Thesis:  "Electrophysiological study of the transduction process in photoreceptors"
• 1973-1975: Post Doctoral Training in  Genetics & Electrophysiology of the Visual system, Purdue University, Laboratory of Prof. W.L. Pak at the Department of Biological Sciences, W. Lafayette, IN, USA

Positions

• 1967‑1969: Research Fellow, Vision Research Laboratory Hadassah-Hebrew University Hospital with Prof. E. Auerbach
• 1969‑1972: Teaching Assistant in the Institute of Life Sciences at the Hebrew University
• 1972‑1973: Instructor in the Institute of Life Sciences at the Hebrew University
• 1973‑1975: Research Associate at Purdue University.  Department of Biological Sciences, W. Lafayette IN, USA
• Summer 1974: Investigator, Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, Mass. USA
• 1975‑1978: Lecturer, The Hebrew University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Physiology
• Summers of 1976‑1979: Visiting Scientist, Max‑Planck‑Institut für BiologischeKybernetik, Tübingen, Germany
• 1978‑1982: Senior Lecturer, Hebrew University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Physiology
• 1980‑1981: Visiting Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences Purdue University, W. Lafayette, IN, USA
• 1982‑1987: Associate Professor in Physiology at the Hebrew University Faculty of Medicine
• Summer 1983: Visiting Scientist, Experimental Ophthalmology Laboratory, Hospital Cantonal Geneva, Switzerland
• Summer 1986: Visiting Scientist (EMBO Fellowship) in the Institut for Biology RWTH, Aachen, Germany
• 1987-Present: Full Professor of Physiology, Hebrew University Faculty of Medicine, Department of Physiology
• Summer 1988: Visiting Scientist, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
• 1988-1989: Visiting Professor, Department of Neurosciences, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
• 1989-1992: Chairman, Department of Physiology, The Hebrew University Faculty of Medicine
• 1996-present: Director, The Kühne Minerva Center for Studies of Visual Transduction
• Summer 2004: Visiting Professor, Department of Biology, the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) 

 Awards

• 1973: Senior Fulbright ‑ Hays Program, US-Israel Educational Foundation
• 1976: Excellent research on Phototransduction, Bat‑Sheva de Rothschild Foundation, Jerusalem
• 1985: Wolf  Research Grant for Excellent Research, Wolf Foundation for Research, Israel
• 2010: Prince of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research from Spain
• 2010: EMET Prize in Life Sciences on Brain Resear
   

Sample of recent research publications

• Kohn, E, Katz B, Yasin B, Peters M, Rhodes E, Zaguri R, Weiss S, Minke B.  2015.  Functional cooperation between the IP3 receptor and phospholipase C secures the high sensitivity to light of Drosophila photoreceptors in vivo.. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience. 35(6):2530-46.

• Katz, B, Oberacker T, Richter D, Tzadok H, Peters M, Minke B, Huber A.  2013.  Drosophila TRP and TRPL are assembled as homomultimeric channels in vivo.. Journal of cell science. 126(Pt 14):3121-33.

• http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3319679/

  Katz, B, Minke B.  2012.  Phospholipase C-mediated suppression of dark noise enables single-photon detection in Drosophila photoreceptors.. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience. 32(8):2722-33.

Research Interest:

The ability of an organism to sense and react to painful stimuli is essential for its survival. In mammals, distinct somatosensory neuronal cells in the trigeminal (TG) and dorsal root (DRG) ganglia, known as nociceptors, are responsible for the detection of environmental and endogenous noxious stimuli. The main detectors in these neurons are specifically expressed ligand-gated ion channels/receptors such as the somatosensory TRP channels. These receptors are the first to detect noxious stimuli both from chemical and/or physical origin and to initiate signal propagation to the brain. Moreover, their activation might result in a neurogenic inflammation due to a release of neuropeptides (such as substance P) from the nociceptors, which recruit and activate the immune system at the site of injury. Thus, pain receptors are responsible for the response of both the central nervous and the immune systems to noxious stimuli. Our lab focuses on the cellular, molecular and pharmacological basis of the pain receptors response. To this end, we employ different methodologies including electrophysiology (patch clamp recordings), live-cell calcium imaging, mutagenesis, primary and secondary cell cultures and various biochemical assays.

 List of Selected Publications:

• Hazan A.#, Kumar R.#, Matzner H., and Priel A. (2015). The pain receptor TRPV1 displays agonist-dependent activation stoichiometry Scientific Reports, 5, 12278. # These authors contributed equally to this work [authorship listed alphabetically]

• Bohlen CJ.#, Priel A.#, Zhou S., King D., Siemens J., and Julius D. (2010). A bivalent Tarantula toxin activates the Capsaicin Receptor, TRPV1, by targeting the outer pore domain Cell, 141(5), 834-845. # These authors contributed equally to this work [authorship listed alphabetically] Summarized in Spotlight (2010), ACS Chemical Biology, 5(7), 632. 

• Priel A., Selak S., Lerma J., and Stern-Bach Y. (2006). Block of kainate receptor desensitization uncovers a key trafficking checkpoint Neuron ,  52(6), 1037-1046. Ranked “Recommended” by Faculty of 1000 Biology 

• Priel A., Kolleker A., Ayalon G., Gillor M., Osten P.and Stern-Bach Y. (2005). Stargazin reduces desensitization and slows deactivation of the AMPA-type glutamate receptors The Journal of Neuroscience, 25(10), 2682-2686. Summarized in Research Highlights (2005), Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 6(6), 421.

Prof. Sharav is professor of Oral Medicine. Presently Director of the Hebrew University Center for Research on Pain, and head of orofacial pain clinic. Graduate of Hebrew University (DMD) and the University of Illinios, Chicago (MS). Former chairman of Department of Oral Diagnosis, Oral Medicine and Radiology. Past Dean of Dental Faculty in Jerusalem. Was visiting scientist at NIH and visiting professor at the University of Toronto. Has established the first orofacial pain clinic in Israel (1974). Contributed to the knowledge and understanding of the diagnosis, treatment and mechanisms of orofacial pain.

Selected publications 2005-2011

1. Zagury JG, Eliav E, Heir GM, Nasri-Heir C, Ananthan S, Pertes R, Sharav Y, Benoliel R. Prolonged gingival cold allodynia: a novel finding in patients with atypical odontalgia. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod. 2011 Mar;111(3):312-9. 
2. Benoliel R, Sela G, Teich S, Sharav Y. Painful temporomandibular disorders and headaches in 359 dental and medical students.Quintessence Int. 2011 Jan;42(1):73-8.
3. Benoliel R, Eliav E, Sharav Y. Classification of chronic orofacial pain: applicability of chronic headache criteria. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod. 2010 Dec;110(6):729-37.
4. Benoliel R, Sharav Y, Eliav E. Neurovascular orofacial pain. J Am Dent Assoc. 2010 Sep;141(9):1094-6. 
5. Benoliel R, Sharav Y. Chronic orofacial pain. Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2010 Feb;14(1):33-40. Review.
6. Benoliel R, Sharav Y. Tender muscles and masticatory myofascial pain diagnosis: how many or how much? J Orofac Pain. 2009 Fall;23(4):300-1. 
7. Benoliel R, Eliav E, Sharav Y. Self-reports of pain-related awakenings in persistent orofacial pain patients. J Orofac Pain. 2009 Fall;23(4):330-8.
8. Benoliel R, Sharav Y. Pain remapping in migraine to the orofacial region. Headache. 2009 Oct;49(9):1353-4.
9. Devor M, Wood I, Sharav Y, Zakrzewska JM. Trigeminal neuralgia during sleep. Pain Pract. 2008 Jul-Aug;8(4):263-8.
10. Benoliel R, Sharav Y, Eliav E. Painful posttraumatic trigeminal neuropathy: a case report of relief with topiramate. Cranio. 2007 Jan;25(1):57-62.
11. Sharav Y, Tal M. Response to editorial on Sharav and Tal (2006). Pain. 2007 Jan;127(1-2):195; author reply 195-6. 
12. Sharav Y, Tal M. Focused hypnotic analgesia: local and remote effects. Pain. 2006 Oct;124(3):280-6. 
13. Sharav Y. Orofacial pain: how much is it a local phenomenon? J Am Dent Assoc. 2005 Apr;136(4):432, 434, 436. 
14. Tal M, Sharav Y. Jaw clenching modulates sensory perception in high- but not in low-hypnotizable subjects. J Orofac Pain. 2005 Winter;19(1):76-81.
15. Prolonged gingival cold allodynia: a novel finding in patients with atypical odontalgia. 
Zagury JG, Eliav E, Heir GM, Nasri-Heir C, Ananthan S, Pertes R, Sharav Y, Benoliel R. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod. 2011 Mar;111(3):312-9.
16. Painful temporomandibular disorders and headaches in 359 dental and medical students. 
Benoliel R, Sela G, Teich S, Sharav Y.
Quintessence Int. 2011 Jan;42(1):73-8.

Books

Sharav y, Benoliel R. Orofacial Pain and Headache. Elsevier, Mosbey, 2008, (Highly commended, as one of the best books in medicine, in the 2009 British Medical Association "Medical Book Competition Awards").

Sharav y, Benoliel R. Dolor Orofacial y Cefalea , Elsevier, Mosbey, 2011.

Prof. Shavit is the head of the Psychobiology Area and former chairman of the Department of Psychology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His higher education was at UCLA, and he is a former doctoral and postdoctoral fellow of Prof. John C. Liebeskind. His laboratory has published on the effects of exogenous and endogenous opiates on immune function, on the effects of postoperative pain management on the immune system following surgery, and more recently on the involvement of cytokines in pain sensitivity in the normal, non-diseased state, as well as during inflammatory conditions.

Research Interests:

A. Studying the involvement of proinflammatory cytokines (particularly interleukin-1; IL-1) in pain sensitivity in the normal non-diseased state, and during inflammatory conditions (including acute postoperative pain, chronic inflammatory pain, and neuropathic pain).
B. Examining the effects of postoperative pain management techniques on immune reactivity in the first few days following surgery (in collaboration with Dr. Benzion Beilin, Head of Anesthesiology, Rabin Medical Center -Golda Campus).

Sample of recent research publications:

Bessler, H., Shavit, Y., Mayburd, E., Smirnov, G., Beilin, B.  Postoperative pain, morphine consumption, and genetic polymorphism of IL-1? and IL-1 receptor antagonist.  Neuroscience Letters, 404: 154-158, 2006. 

Wolf, G., Gabay, E., Tal, M., Yirmiya, R., Shavit, Y.  Genetic Impairment of interleukin-1 signaling attenuates neuropathic pain, autotomy, and spontaneous ectopic neuronal activity, following nerve injury in mice.  Pain, 120: 315-324, 2006. 

Beilin, B, Yehuda Shavit, Y., DeKeyser, F., Itzik, A., Weidenfeld, J.  The involvement of glucocorticoids and interleukin-1 in the regulation of brain prostaglandin production in response to surgical stress.  Neuroimmunomodulation, 13: 36-42, 2006.

Shavit, Y., Fridel, K., Beilin, B.  Postoperative pain management and proinflammatory cytokines:  Animal and human studies.  (Invited Review).  Journal of NeuroImmune Pharmacology, 1: 443-451, 2006.

Yardeni, I.Z., Shavit, Y., Bessler, H., Mayburd, E., Grinevich, G., Beilin, B.  Comparison of several postoperative pain management techniques on endocrine response to surgery.  International Journal of Surgery, 5: 239-243, 2007. 

Wolf, G., Yirmiya, R., Kreisel, T. Goshen, I., Weidenfeld, J., Poole, S.  Shavit, Y.  Interleukin-1 signaling modulates stress-induced analgesia. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 21: 652-659, 2007.

Beilin, B., Hoofien, D., Poran, R., Gral, I., Grinevich, G., Butin, B., Mayburd, E., Shavit, Y. Comparison of two patient-controlled analgesia techniques on neuropsychological functioning in the immediate postoperative period.  Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 30: 674-682, 2008. 

Kleibeuker, W., Gabay, E., Kavelaars, A., Zijlstra, J., Wolf. G., Ziv, N., Yirmiya, R., Shavit, Y., Tal, M., Heijnen, C. J.  IL-1? signaling is required for mechanical allodynia induced by nerve injury and for the ensuing reduction in spinal cord neuronal GRK2.  Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 22: 200-208, 2008.

Shapira-Lichter, I., Beilin, B., Ofek, K., Bessler, H., Gruberger, M., Shavit, Y., Seror, D., Grinevich, G., Posner, E., Reichenberg, A., Soreq, H., Yirmiya, R.  Cytokines and cholinergic signals co-modulate surgical stress-induced changes in mood and memory.  Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 22: 388-398, 2008. 

Wolf, G., Livshits, D., Beilin, B., Raz Yirmiya, R., and Shavit, Y.  Interleukin-1 signaling is required for induction and maintenance of postoperative incisional pain:  Genetic and pharmacological studies in mice.  Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 22: 1072-1077, 2008.

Gabay, E., Wolf, G., Shavit, Y., Yirmiya, R., Tal, M.  Chronic blockade of interleukin-1 (IL-1) prevents and attenuates neuropathic pain behavior and spontaneous ectopic neuronal activity following nerve injury.  European Journal of Pain, 15: 242-248, 2011. 

Chronic blockade of interleukin-1 (IL-1) prevents and attenuates neuropathic pain behavior and spontaneous ectopic neuronal activity following nerve injury. 
Gabay E, Wolf G, Shavit Y, Yirmiya R, Tal M.
Eur J Pain. 2011 Mar;15(3):242-8.

Exploring the neuroimmunopharmacology of opioids: an integrative review of mechanisms of central immune signaling and their implications for opioid analgesia. 
Hutchinson MR, Shavit Y, Grace PM, Rice KC, Maier SF, Watkins LR.
Pharmacol Rev. 2011 Sep;63(3):772-810.

Mortality predictors in hospitalized elderly patients. 
Tal S, Guller V, Shavit Y, Stern F, Malnick S.
QJM. 2011 Nov;104(11):933-8.

Research interests in the pain field:

My main research interest has been in the bidirectional communication pathways between psychoneuroendocrine variables (such as stress and depression) and physiological defense systems, including the endogenous pain-inhibitory system and the immune system. My earlier work in the area of pain focused on the role of stress-related neuropeptides and opiates in modulation of pain and immunity. In the last few years, my focus of interest changed to the effects of immune activation and cytokine secretion on brain and behavior. In my studies I examine the neurobehavioral aspects of illness, using a variety of experimental models of infectious and autoimmune diseases in both animals and humans. Furthermore, I investigate the role of neuro-immune mechanisms (particularly brain interleukin-1 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in mediating illness-associated changes in pain, ingestive, explorative, social and sexual behaviors, as well as emotional (particularly depression) and cognitive disturbances.

Sample of publications:

Marek, P., Yirmiya, R., and Liebeskind, J.C., Strain differences in the magnitude of
swimming-induced analgesia correlate with brain opiate receptor concentration.
Brain Research, 447: 188-190, 1988.

Marek, P., Yirmiya, R., Panocka, I., and Liebeskind, J.C., Genetic influence on brain
stimulation-produced analgesia in mice: I. Correlation with stress-induced
analgesia. Brain Research, 489: 182-184, 1989.

Marek, P., Yirmiya, R., and Liebeskind, J.C., Genetic influences on brain stimulation-
produced analgesia in mice: II. Correlation with brain opiate receptor
concentration. Brain Research, 507: 155-157, 1990.

Yirmiya, R., Ben-Eliyahu, S., Shavit, Y., Marek, P., and Liebeskind, J.C., Stimulation
of the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) produces analgesia not mediated by vasopressin or endogenous opioids. Brain Research, 537: 169-174,
1990.

Marek, P., Yirmiya, R., and Liebeskind, J. C., Stimulation-produced analgesia in the
mouse: Evidence for laterality of opioid mediation. Brain Research, 541: 154-156,
1991.

Mogil, J. S., Marek, P., Yirmiya, R., Balian, H., Sadowski, B., Taylor, A. N., and
Liebeskind, J. C., Antagonism of the non-opioid component of ethanol-induced
analgesia by the NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801. Brain Research, 602: 126-
130, 1993.

Page, G. G., Ben-Eliyahu, S., Yirmiya, R., and Liebeskind, J. C., Morphine attenuates
surgery-induced enhancement of metastatic colonization in rats. Pain, 54: 21-28,
1993.

Yirmiya, R., Rosen, H., Donchin, O., and Ovadia, H., Behavioral effects of
lipopolysaccharide in rats: Involvement of endogenous opioids. Brain Research,
648: 80-86, 1994.

Yirmiya, R., Endotoxin produces a depressive-like episode in rats. Brain Research, 711:
163-174, 1996.

Yirmiya, R., Barak, O., Avitsur, R., Gallily R., and Weidenfeld, Y., Intracerebral
administration of Mycoplasma fermentans in rats produces sickness behavior:
Involvement of prostaglandins. Brain Research, 749: 71-81, 1997.

Yirmiya, R., Behavioral and psychological effects of immune activation: implications
for 'depression due to a general medical condition'. Current Opinion in Psychiatry.
10: 470-476, 1997.

Dantzer, R., Wollman, E. E., Vitkovik, L., and Yirmiya, R., Cytokines and depression:
Fortuitous or causative association. Molecular Psychiatry, 4:328-332, 1999.

Dantzer, R., Wollman, E. E., and Yirmiya, R. (Eds.), Cytokines, Stress and Depression.
Kluwer Academic/Plenum Press: New York, 1999.

Yirmiya, R., Weidenfeld, J., Barak, O., Avitsur, R., Polllak, Y., Gallily, R., Wohlman,
A., Ovadia, H., and Ben-Hur, T., The role of brain cytokines in mediating the
behavioral and neuroendocrine effects of intracerebral mycoplasma fermentans.
Brain Research, 829: 28-38, 1999.

Pollak, Y., Ovadia, H., Goshen, I., and Yirmiya, R., Behavioral aspects of experimental
allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE). Journal of Neuroimmunology, 104: 31-36,
2000.

Reichenberg, A., Yirmiya, R., Schuld, A., Kraus T., Haak M., Morag A., and
Pollmaecher T., Cytokine-mediated emotional and cognitive disturbances in
humans. Archives of General Psychiatry, 58: 445-452, 2001.

Yirmiya, R., Pollak, Y., Barak, O., Avitsur, R., Ovadia, H., Bette, M., Weihe, E., and
Weidenfeld, J., Antidepressants modulate the behavioral and physiological
responses to endotoxin in rats and mice. Neuropsychopharmacology, 24: 531-544, 2001

Barak, O., Goshen, I., Ben-Hur, T., Weidenfeld, J., Taylor, A. N., and Yirmiya, R., Involvement of brain cytokines in the neurobehavioral disturbances induced by HIV-1 gp120. Brain Research, 933: 98-108, 2002.

Barak, O. Weidenfeld, J., Goshen, I., Ben-Hur, T., Taylor, A. N., and Yirmiya, R., HIV-1 glycoprotein 120 induces neurobehavioral and neuroendocrine changes in rats. Brain, Behavior and Immunity, 16: 720-735, 2002.

Castanon, N., Leonard, B. E., Neveu, P. J., and Yirmiya, R. Effects of antidepressants on cytokine production and actions. Brain, Behavior and Immunity, 16: 569-574, 2002. 

Cohen, O., Erb, C., Ginzberg, D., Pollak, Y., Seidman, S., Yirmiya, R., and Soreq, H., Neuronal overexpression of “readthrough”acetylcholinesterase is associated with antisense-suppressible behavioral impairments. Molecular Psychiatry, 7: 874-885, 2002.

Pollak, Y., Orion, E., Ovadia, H. and Yirmiya, R. The EAE-associated behavioral syndrome: An animal model for depression due to multiple sclerosis. Brain, Behavior and Immunity, 16: 533-543, 2002.

Pollak, Y., and Yirmiya, R. Cytokine-induced changes in mood and behavior: Implications for “depression due to a general medical condition“, immunotherapy and antidepressive treatment. International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology, 5: 389-399, 2002.

Pollmächer, T., Haak, M., Schuld, A., Reichenberg, A. and Yirmiya, R. Low levels of inflammatory cytokines –do they influence human brain functions? Brain, Behavior and Immunity, 16: 525-532, 2002.

Reichenberg, A., Schuld, A., Kraus T., Haak M., Pollmächer, T., and Yirmiya, R., Endotoxin-induced anorexia in healthy human volunteers is mediated by cytokine secretion. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 27: 945-956, 2002.

Taylor, A., Tio, D. L., Ngy, S. H., and Yirmiya, R. Chronic alcohol consumption attenuates febrile responses to lipopolysaccharide and interleukin-1b in male rats. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 26: 44-52, 2002.

Taylor, A. N., Tritt, S.H., Tio, D., Romeo, H.E., and Yirmiya, R. Maternal adrenalectomy abrogates the effect of fetal alcohol exposure on IL-1b-induced febrile response of adult male offspring. Neuroendocrinology, 76: 185-192, 2002.

Yirmiya, R., Winocur, G., and Goshen, I. Involvement of interleukin-1 (IL-1) in learning and memory processes. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, 78: 379-389, 2002.

Avital, A., Goshen, I., Kamseler, A., Segal, M., Iverfeldt, K., Richter-Levin-G., and Yirmiya, R. Impaired interleukin-1 (IL-1) signaling is associated with defects in neural plasticity and memory processes. Hippocampus, in press.

Chronic blockade of interleukin-1 (IL-1) prevents and attenuates neuropathic pain behavior and spontaneous ectopic neuronal activity following nerve injury. 
Gabay E, Wolf G, Shavit Y, Yirmiya R, Tal M.
Eur J Pain. 2011 Mar;15(3):242-8.