My name is Batsheva Kerem, a full professor at the Department of Genetics, Life Sciences Institute, The Hebrew University. I obtained my B.Sc. (Biology) and direct Ph.D. (Genetics) degrees from the Hebrew University. I performed my postdoctoral research at the Department of Human Genetics, the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada. In my post doc I was part of the research team that identified and cloned the CFTR gene, which when mutated, is responsible for causing the Cystic Fibrosis disease. After completing my postdoctoral fellowship, I returned to Jerusalem and joined the Department of Genetics at the Hebrew University and established my research group.

We are focusing on two research fields: Cancer genomic instability and personalized medicine for Cystic Fibrosis. My research in cancer involves investigation of the molecular basis underling genome instability in cancer. We aim to discover how perturbation of cancer-relevant pathways alters the replication dynamics, driving specific breakpoint signatures and promote cancer development.

My early research in the Cystic Fibrosis field involved the discovery of the most prevalent Cystic Fibrosis-causing mutations among the Israeli population, allowing the establishment of nationwide genetic screening programs to identify carriers of these mutations and enabling prenatal diagnoses. My current research involves studying the defects in the production of the CFTR protein caused by premature termination and improper RNA splicing. We aim to identify and develop novel therapeutic approaches for Cystic Fibrosis patients carrying these mutations, which cannot benefit from the current approved CFTR modulator drugs.