Hadassah Medical Center Awarded ISF Grant to Study Telomere Role in Liver and Lung Diseases
The Transplantation Department at Hadassah Medical Center has been awarded a grant by the Israel Science Foundation (ISF) under the MAVRI program. The four-year project is dedicated to examining the role of telomere dysfunction in liver and lung pathologies. The research will be led by Dr. Ashraf Imam, Head of the Liver Transplantation Service, Dr. Abed Khalaileh, Director of the Transplantation Department, and Professor Dudi Tzfati from the Hebrew University. The project will integrate the clinical expertise of Hadassah’s physicians with advanced laboratory research in telomere biology.
Scientists will focus on how telomere depletion—the erosion of the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes—affects organ aging and graft survival. While telomeres naturally shorten as cells age, premature dysfunction impairs tissue regeneration capacity and triggers severe diseases.
The primary practical goal of the project is to develop new approaches for evaluating the actual biological age and condition of organs from older donors. More accurate tissue diagnostics will allow transplant surgeons to make well-informed decisions regarding liver suitability for transplantation. In the long term, this could help expand the donor pool and improve surgical success rates, though ultimate implementation will depend on clinical trial outcomes.
