BGU Receives Grant for Polio Research
BGU Receives Grant for Polio Research
February 8, 2019
Medical Research, Press Releases
A grant of $100,000 has been awarded to Dr. Tomer Hertz of BGU’s Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology and Immunology and the National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev for the development of a non-vaccine test to diagnose and measure polio.
Dr. Tomer Hertz
In 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended that all countries using traditional Oral Polio Vaccinations (OPV) begin strengthening immunization systems and introduce at least one dose of Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) into standard vaccination schedules by the end of 2015. The WHO says its global focus now is to expand this plan and replace trivalent OPV (tOPV) with bivalent OPV (bOPV) in all OPV-using countries.
“The WHO is looking for new, safe ways to measure reactions to polio vaccinations that do not include live viruses in order to prevent new outbreaks,” says Dr. Hertz. “Our proposal is to develop a new method of measuring reaction to the polio vaccine which is based on disabled virus.”
Dr. Hertz’s lab focuses on systems immunology and on research about epidemics and vaccinations to combat them. The lab is working on a unique method of measuring immunologic profiles based on chips that are embossed with a variety of antigens.
“We are working on a good, inexpensive substitute for existing tests that could be used in laboratories as clinical tests. The technology will provide an important new diagnostic tool,” he says.
Dr. Hertz’s research partners include Prof. Lester Shulman of the School of Public Health, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University; the Israel Center for Disease Control (ICDC); and Britain’s National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC).
ABOUT AMERICANS FOR BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY
By supporting a world-class academic institution that not only nurtures the Negev, but also shares its expertise locally and globally, Americans for Ben-Gurion University engages a community of Americans who are committed to improving the world. David Ben-Gurion envisioned that Israel’s future would be forged in the Negev. The cutting-edge research carried out at Ben-Gurion University drives that vision by sustaining a desert Silicon Valley, with the “Stanford of the Negev” at its center. The Americans for Ben-Gurion University movement supports a 21st century unifying vision for Israel by rallying around BGU’s remarkable work and role as an apolitical beacon of light in the Negev desert.
About Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev embraces the endless potential we have as individuals and as a commonality to adapt and to thrive in changing environments. Inspired by our location in the desert, we aim to discover, to create, and to develop solutions to dynamic challenges, to pose questions that have yet to be asked, and to push beyond the boundaries of the commonly accepted and possible.
We are proud to be a central force for inclusion, diversity and innovation in Israel, and we strive to extend the Negev’s potential and our entrepreneurial spirit throughout the world. For example, the multi-disciplinary School for Sustainability and Climate Change at BGU leverages over 50 years of expertise on living and thriving in the desert into scalable solutions for people everywhere.
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