Ari Barzilai

Biography

Ari Barzilai, Researcher, Faculty of Nuerobiology, Tel Aviv University, Israel.

Research Interest

The molecular mechanism of optic nerve regeneration: Millions of people throughout the world become blind as a result of a devastating disease or trauma. The protection of optic nerve axons from death until the acute phase of the assault is over will be of great benefit for the recovery of sight. Recent approaches in animal models, including our work, indicate that in principle, retinal neurons can be protected from secondary death. Furthermore, the option of replacing the damaged eye with a donor eye, human eye transplantation, could be the victory over all the devastating factors mentioned above. However, even in the case of transplantation, the severed axons of the RGCs, which form the optic nerve, must regenerate and reconnect with target areas in order to regain vision. Thus, an understanding of the cellular and molecular events that accompany optic nerve diseases and the development of protective and regenerative therapies are instrumental in the achievement of these goals.