Prof. Chen Varol

Academic education:

2000-2003, BSc in life sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Israel

2003-2004, MSc in Immunology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

2004-2009, PhD (Direct track) in Immunology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

2017-current, Senior Lecturer, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Israel

Employment:

2009-current, Director of the Research Center for Digestive Tract & Liver Diseases, Sourasky Medical center and Tel-Aviv University

2017-current, Associate member of the Department of Clinical Microbiology & Immunology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Israel

Our research interest focuses on studying the immunoregulatory pathways dictating the behavior of phagocytic type of immune cells in various diseases of the digestive tract and the metabolic syndrome. In particular, we strive to elucidate the task division between tissue resident macrophages and infiltrating monocyte-derived macrophages in various hepatic diseases, including: drug-induced liver injury, fibrosis and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). We are specifically interested in uncovering new immunoregulatory molecules that drive the destructive versus restorative activity of these cells. We try to dissect the role of monocytes and macrophages in shaping the structure and composition of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in various diseases, including cancer. Finally, we are also interested in studying the role of gut-derived peptides, such as the incretin hormone GIP, in shaping the immune-metabolic behavior of distinct immune cells in the context of the metabolic syndrome diseases.