A new TAU technology identifies lung cancer’s biological fingerprint with more than 90% accuracy, without DNA sequencing, and could also help monitor patients’ response to treatment.
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Research
Aug 10th, 2026
Simple Blood Test on a Chip Could Help Diagnose Lung Cancer
- Medicine
Researchers at Tel Aviv University have developed a new method for diagnosing lung cancer: a simple, fast, low-cost blood test that does not require DNA sequencing. The method identifies a chemical fingerprint of cancer cells in the blood, by analyzing cell-free DNA originating from those cells. In the study, the test distinguished between lung cancer patients and healthy individuals with a sensitivity of 93.1% and a specificity of 90.3% for patients with stage 2-4 disease.
The study was led by Prof. Yuval Ebenstein of the School of Chemistry at the Faculty of Exact Sciences, the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Zimin Institute at Tel Aviv University, in collaboration with researchers from JaxBio Technologies, Bnai Zion Medical Center, and Sheba Medical Center. The paper was published in the journal Nature Precision Oncology.
A Different Approach to Lung Cancer Detection
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. At present, early diagnosis relies primarily on CT scans, but these tests generate a high rate of suspicious findings that ultimately prove to be benign, sometimes leading to unnecessary biopsies and surgeries. At the same time, existing liquid biopsies are generally based on DNA sequencing, a costly and complex process requiring advanced computational infrastructures.
The new method bypasses the need for DNA sequencing. After extracting cell-free DNA from a blood sample, the researchers label it with a light-emitting marker and bind it to a DNA chip they have developed. The chip is then scanned with an optical scanner, and the resulting light patterns are analyzed, enabling rapid identification of the biological fingerprint of lung cancer.
Conceptual illustration of a man with lung cancer
More Than 90% Diagnostic Accuracy
The study included 103 participants: 51 lung cancer patients and 52 healthy control subjects. Following a model-training phase, the researchers developed a signature of 170 genomic regions, and tested it on a separate validation cohort using blinded analysis, achieving high diagnostic accuracy. In addition, they were able to distinguish between the two main subtypes of lung cancer - adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma - based on distinct DNA signatures.
Illustration of the biological “fingerprint” test — a lung cancer patient on the right and an individual without cancer on the left
Could the Same Test Help Monitor Treatment?
Beyond diagnosis, the researchers also examined the novel test's potential for monitoring patients' response to treatment. Among the patients evaluated, changes in the DNA's chemical fingerprint corresponded to imaging findings: in patients who responded to treatment, the chemical fingerprint shifted toward the profile of healthy individuals, whereas no significant change was observed in patients who did not respond to treatment. The researchers emphasize that this is only a preliminary finding and that large-scale studies are needed to confirm the method's monitoring capabilities.
According to the researchers, the technology's main advantage lies in combining simplicity, low cost, and speed. At present, the test can be completed within two to three days at a cost of approximately $60 per sample. They hope that in the future it will serve to complement imaging tests, assist in the early diagnosis of lung cancer, and enable more effective monitoring of treatment effectiveness.
Prof. Ebenstein concludes: "Our goal is to make blood tests for cancer diagnosis more accessible, simpler, and less expensive without compromising accuracy. We have developed a new approach that does not require genetic sequencing but instead identifies the tumor's chemical 'fingerprint' with light, using a technology that can be implemented in standard clinical laboratories. This is a significant step toward developing a tool that can complement imaging tests and help physicians diagnose lung cancer and monitor treatment effectiveness."
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Research
Aug 4th, 2026
Emigration from Israel Remains at Record Levels, New TAU Study Finds
Nearly 270,000 Israelis left the country over the past three years, as researchers warn the trend could have long-term economic and security implications.
- Social Sciences
A new study from Tel Aviv University presents the first available data on emigration from Israel in 2025, indicating that the increase in departures that began in 2023 has continued.
According to the study, 90,922 Israeli citizens left Israel for at least three consecutive months in 2025, compared with 91,499 in 2024 and 86,509 in 2023. Together, these three years represent the highest levels recorded during the study period. By comparison, 183,219 Israelis left the country for at least three consecutive months during the corresponding three-year period a decade earlier (2013–2015).
The study is based on data from the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). It was conducted by Prof. Itai Ater of the Coller School of Management and Head of the Economists for Democracy Forum, Prof. Nittai Bergman, Head of the School of Economics, and Doron Zamir, a doctoral student at the Coller School of Management, all at Tel Aviv University.
Number of Israelis leaving Israel for three consecutive months each year between 2009 and 2025
¹ To exclude immigrants who lived in Israel only briefly before leaving, Israelis are defined as Israeli citizens who had lived in Israel for at least three years prior to departure.
A New Measure for Tracking Emigration
The researchers explain that in their previous publication on emigration from Israel, released in February 2026, they relied on the standard measure of remaining outside Israel for 12 months or longer. Because official data based on that measure will only become available for 2025 at the beginning of 2027, the current study instead examines Israelis who remained abroad for at least three consecutive months.
According to the researchers:
"In our previous publications on emigration from Israel (February 2026), we relied on the standard measure: remaining outside of Israel for 12 months or longer. For 2025, such a measure will only become available at the beginning of 2027. Thus, to identify emigration trends now rather than wait until 2027, we present data on emigration from Israel based on a measure of leaving Israel for at least 3 months."
To evaluate whether this shorter measure provides a reliable indication of longer-term emigration, the researchers compared the number of Israelis who remained abroad for at least three consecutive months with those who stayed abroad for 12 months or longer.
Number of Israelis leaving Israel for at least three consecutive months and for a period of 12 months
The comparison revealed a very strong correlation (0.96) between the two measures. Based on this relationship, the researchers estimate that between 45,000 and 50,000 Israelis are likely to have remained abroad for 12 months or longer during 2025, assuming the historical relationship between the two measures continues to hold.
The researchers conclude that the wave of emigration that began in 2023 continued through 2025, remaining at historically high levels.
Prof. Ater says:
"In 2025 we continue to see very troubling numbers of Israelis leaving the country for a significant period of time, adding to the 2023-24 wave of emigration. Taken by themselves, these figures do not yet pose a risk to Israel's resilience. However, looking ahead—and unless there is a change—there is growing concern that rising emigration from Israel might jeopardize the country's future security and economy."
Why Monitor Emigration Trends?
The researchers note that emigration has long been part of Israel's public discourse, including debates surrounding "brain drain" and broader discussions about Israelis leaving the country. They write that public attention to the issue increased following the November 2022 elections, the debate surrounding the government's proposed judicial overhaul, and later intensified after the October 7 war.
According to the researchers, timely migration data are important for informing public policy and improving understanding of the phenomenon and its possible implications for Israel's economy and society.
They also note that despite the importance of the topic, public discussions often rely on delayed or incomplete data. To address this gap, the current study combines CBS migration records with additional information on emigrants' characteristics, including higher education data from the Council for Higher Education, professional licensing records from the Ministry of Health, and income and tax data from the Israel Tax Authority.
A Shift from Previous Migration Patterns
The researchers found that migration patterns changed significantly beginning in 2023.
After many years of relatively stable migration balances, nearly 270,000 Israelis left the country for at least three consecutive months between 2023 and 2025, averaging approximately 90,000 departures per year. During the decade between 2010 and 2019, the comparable annual figure was approximately 60,000.
The researchers also refer to findings from their previous publication, which identified increased emigration among physicians, PhD holders, engineers, and individuals with academic degrees and/or relatively high incomes.
International Context
The researchers emphasize that emigration of highly skilled populations is not unique to Israel. They cite countries including Greece, Hungary, Venezuela, Argentina, South Africa, and Lebanon as examples of nations that have experienced substantial emigration among highly educated or economically strong populations.
However, they argue that Israel's economy may be particularly sensitive to such trends because it relies heavily on high-quality human capital, especially in high-tech, advanced healthcare, academia, and other knowledge-intensive sectors.
According to the researchers, these sectors depend on relatively small numbers of highly trained professionals whose departure could have disproportionate economic consequences.
Looking Ahead
The researchers stress that current emigration levels do not, by themselves, constitute a threat to the Israeli economy.
Instead, they argue that the primary concern is the disruption of the long-standing migration balance and the possibility that emigration could continue to rise. They suggest that additional political, economic, or security-related shocks could encourage further departures, potentially creating a feedback effect in which rising emigration encourages additional people to leave.
According to the researchers, if emigration were to exceed a certain threshold, reversing the trend could become extremely difficult, with broader macroeconomic consequences.
Definition of an Emigrant (Three-Month Measure)
For the purposes of this study, an Israeli is defined as an emigrant if the following conditions are met:
- Remaining outside Israel for at least three consecutive months from the date of departure.
- For new immigrants: having lived in Israel for at least three years before departure, in addition to the first condition.
For comparison with the standard measure used in the researchers' previous publications, an additional criterion applies:
- Remaining outside Israel for more than 270 days during the first year following departure.
Research
Aug 4th, 2026
A Breakthrough in Light Control
New optical technology steers and reshapes light in less than one trillionth of a second
- Engineering
Light travels at extraordinary speed, yet the devices used to direct and manipulate it remain comparatively slow. What if light itself could be steered almost instantaneously—without moving mirrors, lenses, or mechanical components?
A new study published in Nature Nanotechnology brings that possibility closer to reality. Researchers have developed an ultra-thin optical surface capable of redirecting and reshaping a beam of light in just 74 femtoseconds—less than one tenth of a trillionth of a second.
The research was carried out at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in the group of Prof. Harry Atwater. It was led by Dr. Claudio Hail, now a faculty member at the University of California, Berkeley, and co-authored by Dr. Lior Michaeli, head of the Meta-Optomechanics Laboratory at Tel Aviv University's Fleischman Faculty of Engineering.
An Ultra-Thin Surface That Reprograms Light
At the heart of the breakthrough is a metasurface—an ultra-thin layer patterned with tiny silicon structures, each smaller than the wavelength of light. When the surface is illuminated by a short laser pulse, the optical properties of the silicon change for an extremely brief time. The carefully designed nanostructure amplifies this normally weak effect, allowing another beam of light to be controlled without moving mirrors, lenses, or other mechanical components.
In laboratory experiments, the researchers steered the beam by angles of up to 13 degrees in either direction. By changing the spatial pattern of the illuminating pulse, they were also able to reshape the beam and create different light patterns. In other words, the same device can perform different optical functions depending on how it is illuminated.
"The key idea was to create a metasurface whose optical response is not fixed once it is fabricated," says Dr. Hail. "By changing the illumination pattern, we can reconfigure how the device steers and shapes light, and do so on an ultrafast timescale."
Prof. Atwater explains: "Light usually interacts only weakly with matter, so controlling one beam of light with another is extremely challenging. The metasurface enhances that interaction, allowing a very small and very fast material response to produce a useful change in the outgoing beam."
Dr. Claudio Hail, Dr. Lior Michaeli, and Prof. Harry Atwater
Turning a Longstanding Idea into Reality
"For me, the most exciting aspect is seeing an idea that had been with us for years become an experimental reality," says Dr. Michaeli. "The ultrafast effect we wanted to use is naturally very weak. We had to design the metasurface so that it would amplify the effect enough not only to measure it, but to use it to steer and shape light."
The measured switching time was close to the duration of the laser pulse itself, suggesting that even faster operation may be possible with shorter pulses. The device also has no moving parts and returns rapidly to its original state once the pulse has passed.
Illustration: A photonic chip for processing information using light
Towards Faster Optical Technologies
Today, many communication and computing systems convert information carried by light into an electrical signal for processing and then convert it back into light. Direct, programmable control at such high speeds could eventually allow some operations to be performed optically, reducing reliance on repeated optical-electrical conversion.
Dr. Michaeli adds: "This work points to a broader opportunity: using engineered structures to strengthen interactions between light and matter and turn them into tools for control, sensing, and information processing. This is closely connected to research directions we are now pursuing at Tel Aviv University."
The researchers emphasize that the work is a fundamental demonstration rather than a product ready for practical use. Nevertheless, it opens new possibilities for ultra-fast, reconfigurable optical devices in which light not only carries information, but can also help control and process it.
Research
Jul 29th, 2026
Experimental Treatment Slows Fatal Brain Disease in Women
A new analysis by TAU researchers found that an experimental treatment significantly slowed the progression of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) in women, highlighting the importance of sex-specific approaches to treating neurodegenerative diseases.
- Medicine
Researchers at Tel Aviv University have presented new findings indicating that the experimental drug Davunetide may significantly slow the progression of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) in women, who exhibited a markedly different response to treatment than men. These results reinforce the need for sex-specific medicine in neurodegenerative diseases.
The new publicarion, led by Prof. Illana Gozes of the Sagol School of Neuroscience and the Gray Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences at Tel Aviv University, used updated FDA-recommended outcome measures to reanalyze data from a 52-week international clinical trial involving more than 300 patients with PSP, a rare and fatal neurodegenerative disease caused by the abnormal accumulation of tau protein in the brain. There is currently no effective drug treatment for the disease.
The research team included current and former students Dr. Guy Shapira, Jason Blatt, and Liri Guz, together with Prof. Noam Shomron. The study was published in the prestigious journal Molecular Psychiatry from the Nature portfolio.
In contrast to the original conclusions of the clinical trial, which found that the drug was safe but ineffective, the researchers conducted an advanced and in-depth analysis that separated male and female participants and reexamined the data using updated assessment measures that are now recommended by the FDA. The results revealed a completely different picture: women treated with Davunetide experienced a significant slowing of disease progression, while no similar effect was observed in men.
Preserving Daily Function
The researchers found that the treatment helped preserve essential motor and functional abilities, including balance, fine motor skills, and everyday activities such as using cutlery, buttoning clothes, and washing the face and hands. In addition, the treated women showed significant improvements in cognitive measures, including language abilities, working memory, and overall cognitive function.
Different Disease Mechanisms in Women and Men
Another key finding of the study was the discovery of profound molecular differences between women and men. The researchers found that the relationship between the quantities of pathological tau in cerebrospinal fluid (a biomarker of the disease) and clinical symptoms was completely reversed between the two sexes. For example, language abilities significantly decreased with increased tau pathology in women, but not in men. This finding suggests that the disease mechanisms themselves may operate differently in women and men, potentially explaining their different responses to treatment.
According to Prof. Gozes, the study’s findings highlight that overlooking biological differences between the sexes may obscure genuine therapeutic efficacy.
“Our data show that analyzing women and men separately is not merely a statistical exercise, but an essential tool for developing more effective treatments for neurodegenerative brain diseases,” she says.
The researchers believe their findings provide a strong scientific basis for future clinical trials and for the future use of treatment protocols designed from the outset to account for patients’ sex, evaluating Davunetide as a targeted treatment for women with PSP. They say that this new approach may pave the way for the development of more precise medicine for patients with tau-related diseases, including the much more common Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders of the brain.
The study was supported by ExoNavis Therapeutics, which is developing Davunetide for brain diseases under a license from Ramot, Tel Aviv University’s technology transfer company. Prof. Gozes serves as the company’s Vice President for Drug Development, and Dr. Guy Shapira serves as a consulting statistician. The results were independently validated by several additional statisticians.
