Researcher Profile Form First National Pediatric Brain Tumor Research Meeting March 9, 2025 - Jerusalem
Researcher: Prof. Ayal Ben-Zvi
Current Role & Affiliation
Title/Position: Associate Professor
Institution: Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Email: ayalb@ekmd.huji.ac.il
Phone: 058-4219918
Prof. Ben-Zvi studies blood brain barriers in the context of development, physiology, and pathophysiology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Research Focus
● Blood brain barriers development and function
● Blood-brain and blood-CSF barriers
● Super-resolution microscopy for barrier structure discovery
● Drug delivery strategies for the CNS
Current Projects Related to Pediatric Brain Tumors
● Mechanisms regulating brain barrier functions
● Novel CNS drug delivery strategies
Laboratory/Research Resources
● Super-resolution microscopy tools
● Advanced imaging platforms for barrier studies
Collaboration Interests
● Brain barrier research
● Immunological entry points in the CNS
What You Can Offer Potential Collaborators
● Expertise in blood-brain barrier regulation
● Innovative CNS drug delivery insights
Selected Publications 1. Bell B, et.al. Unique features of the arterial blood-brain barrier.Fluids Barriers CNS. 2023 Jun 27;20(1):51. 2. Sasson E, et.al. Nano-scale architecture of blood-brain barrier tight-junctions.Elife. 2021 Dec 24;10:e63253.
3. Ben-Zvi A, Lacoste B, Kur E, Andreone B.J, Mayshar Y, Yan H, Gu C. (2014) MFSD2A is critical for the formation and function of the blood brain barrier. Nature. 22;509(7501):507-11.
Keywords
Blood-Brain Barrier, CNS, Drug Delivery, Super-Resolution Microscopy
Brief Bio
Prof. Ayal Ben-Zvi conducted his Ph.D. on neural development and axonal guidance at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His postdoctoral research at Harvard Medical School focused on mechanisms regulating transcytosis in the blood-brain barrier. Since 2014, he has been pioneering the use of super-resolution microscopy for barrier structure discovery and exploring CNS drug delivery strategies.
