October 2019: New Edmond J. Safra Affiliate: Dr. Uri Ben-David

Dr. Uri Ben-David is a new faculty member at the Department of Human Molecular Genetics & Biochemistry, the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, and is joining the Edmond J. Safra Center as an Affiliate.

Dr. Ben-David completed his PhD studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in the lab of Prof. Nissim Benvenisty, where he focused on stem cell biology, and in particular on the genomic instability and tumorigenicity of human pluripotent stem cells. He then joined the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard as a postdoc, studying cancer genetics with Prof. Todd Golub and Prof. Rameen Beroukhim. His postdoctoral studies uncovered the extent, origins and functional implications of the genomic evolution of cancer models.

Dr. Ben-David’s current research focuses on an under-studied trait of human cancer, called aneuploidy – the presence of an abnormal number of chromosomes in cancer cells – and on the potential of exploiting this trait to selectively target cancer cells and eliminate tumors. His lab will employ advanced experimental and computational approaches – combining genomics, bioinformatics, genome engineering, genetic and chemical perturbation screens, cellular imaging and mouse modeling – to uncover the basic biology underlying cancer aneuploidy. The ultimate goals of this research are to expand the understanding of the genetic basis of cancer, and to make aneuploidy a therapeutic target for cancer treatment.