Education

1992-1997 Ph.D, Tel Aviv University, Sackler Medical School, Dep. of Cell Biology and Histology "Biochemical studies on the reverse transcriptase of mouse mammary tumor virus and human immunodeficiency virus type 2" 1990-1992 M.Sc. Tel Aviv University, Department of Microbiology and Biotechnology. " Isolation and characterization of bacteria using fertilizer and emulsification for Growth” 1986-1989 B.Sc. Tel Aviv University, Life Sciences Faculty

Research Topics

Latency and regulation of transcription.

HIV and HCV – host viral interactions.

Use of lentiviruses for targeting specific cells of the CNS.

Modulation of HIV latency

Major expertise and techniques in the lab

Molecular Biology and tissue culture

Virology

Publications and funding summary / representative publications and grants

Alona Kuzmina, Uzi Hadad, Koh Fujinaga, Ran Taube (2012) Functional characterization of a human cyclin T1 mutant reveals a different binding surface for Tat and HEXIM1. Virology, 152:152-161. .

Avis Dafa-Berger , , Hila Yitzhak-Asraf, Yonat Shemer-Avini and Ran Taube (2012) Modulation of Hepatitis C Virus Release by the Interferon-Induced Protein BST-2/Tetherin. In press . Virology.

Existing collaborations

Alon Freidman – Targeting of viruses to the CNS

Rifki Ofir – establishment of stem cells Yakov Gopas and Yonal Shemer– miRNA role in establishment of viral persistence.

Dan Levy – HIV latency – a role for protein methylation

Suggested multi-disciplinary research project / research focus topics

Role of SETD6 in establishment of HIV latency

Targeting lentiviruses into the CNS

Role of HIV transcription elongation in HIV latency