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The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Science
Netanel Tzarum
Dr. Netanel Tzarum
Structural and Functional Studies of Hepaciviruses
Biological Chemistry
Personal Information
Research Interests
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major health burden that infects 1-2% of the world population and leads to ~500,000 deaths and an estimated 1.5-2 million new infections annually.
Direct-acting antivirals effectively treat HCV infection, yet face major issues making the development of additional therapeutics and an effective vaccine critical to prevent HCV spread.
Our research objectives are:
- To study the immune recognition neutralization of HCV by the adaptive immune system.
- To explore the interactions between the HCV envelope proteins and the host cells receptors.
- Structural elucidation of the entry mechanism of HCV and HCV-related hepaciviruses.
To achieve these objectives, we utilize structural (X-ray crystallography), biochemical and functional tools. A deep understanding of the interaction between HCV and the host cells and will be use to facilitate structural-based design of novel therapeutics and subunit vaccine immunogens for better controlling of HCV spread.
Dissertation Topics
- Structural studies of the immune recognition of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) to facilitate structural-based vaccine design.
- Development of a small-scale expression and solubility screening system for viral envelope glycoprotein.
- Structural studies of the entry mechanism of HCV-related hepaciviruses.
- Structural and biochemical studies of the interactions between the HCV envelope glycoprotein and host cell receptors.
