Meet Omer

Name: Omer Azar
Research topic: Cancer-fighting CAR-T cell therapy
Field: Medicine, School of Medicine 

Doctoral student Omer Azar is 29 years old and originally from Ramat Hasharon. He says that his "highest ambition is to become a physician and a researcher, with the tools and know-how to positively impact the lives of others. My fellowship plays a pivotal role in allowing me to focus on my research as much as I do."

Azar, a part of the competitive Kadar MD-PhD Fellowship Program, is a scientific “entrepreneur” striving to bring about a breakthrough in his field. Azar’s lab work revolves around genetic editing of CAR-T cells, which redirects the natural T-cell’s killing capacity against cancer cells and is already saving lives of patients with certain lymphomas. Azar is developing ways to implement the success of CAR-T cell therapy in treating hematological cancers to other cancer types. His research could “unlock” CAR-T therapy’s potential for many other malignancies, enabling a new, highly effective treatment. 

“The experiences I've had in the air force during my military service helped me conclude that what I want to do with my life is to pursue research, but to also physically help people and interact with others - a combination which could be found exemplified in the medical field,“ he concludes.