Tamir Ben-Hur, M.D., Ph.D.

Tamir Ben-Hur is Professor of Neurology and holds the Israel S. Wechsler Chair in Neurology at The Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School. 

Ben-Hur earned his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees (in Virology) from the Hebrew University (1989), trained in Neurology at Hadassah University Hospital (until 1994) and conducted post-doctoral studies at The Pasteur Institute in Paris (1995-97). He is Chief permanent physician in the Department of Neurology (since 2000), served as head of the program for Neurology, Neurosurgery and Rehabilitation in the Hebrew University – Hadassah Faculty of Medicine (1999-2005), and as member of the teaching and research committees of the Faculty of Medicine (1999-2005). He was treasurer of the Israeli Neurological Association (since 2002-2008), and member of its scientific committee.

He is Chairman of the Department of Neurology at Hadassah University Medical Center since 2005.

Prof. Ben-Hur's research projects focus on the therapeutic properties of stem cells, and their bilateral interactions with the nervous system in normal and pathologic states. His clinical interests are in general Neurology, and Neuro-immunology. He has published numerous papers in basic and clinical neurosciences, and serves on the editorial board of several neuroscience journals. Prof. Ben-Hur presents the field of basic and clinical translation of cell therapy in neurological diseases in many international conferences.
 

Funded Research

Project Description Researchers Funding
Identification of Functional Properties of Human Alzheimer’s Disease Cells That Affect Their Bilateral Interactions with Brain Environment

We will complete the characterization of the protective effects of neural progenitor cell (NPC) transplantation in E200K mice. We will also examine the effect of NPC transplantation on the progression of AD in 5xFAD mice, and we will characterize various pathological features of disease, rate of neurodegeneration and behavioral tests. These experiments may show for the first time whether it is possible to slow down neurodegeneration, particularly in models that are relevant to human AD. To compare the functional properties of NPSs from wild type vs.

 2014
$100,000
Stem Cell Consortium

Stem cells are the least mature cells in the body. Because these cells are so immature, they can be treated with a defined cocktail of factors and, depending on which factors are used and in what sequence, those factors can cause maturation of cells along discrete cell types. With a new tool called induced pluripotent stem cells, it now is possible to take skin cells from adults and return them to this immature state. By redirecting skin cells from Alzheimer’s patients and turning them into nerve cells, we are able to study adult Alzheimer’s neurons (nerve cells) in the lab.

 2013
$600,000

Selected Publications

These published papers resulted from Cure Alzheimer’s Fund support.
Nina Fainstein, Dvir Dori, Kati Frid, Alexa T. Fritz, Ilona Shapiro, Ruth Gabizon, and Tamir Ben-Hur, Chronic Progressive Neurodegeneration in a Transgenic Mouse Model of Prion Disease, Frontiers in Neuroscience, 10, 11 Nov 2016
Ofra Ben Menachem-Zidon, Yair Ben Menahem, Tamir Ben-Hur, Raz Yirmiya, Intra-Hippocampal Transplantation of Neural Precursor Cells with Transgenic Over-Expression of IL-1 Receptor Antagonist Rescues Memory and Neurogenesis Impairments in an Alzheimer’s Disease Model, Neuropsychopharmacology, 39(2), Jan 2014, 401-414