About The Center
The Biophysical Interdisciplinary Jerome Schottenstein Center for the Research and Technology of the Cellome
The Biophysical Interdisciplinary Jerome Schottenstein Center for the Research and Technology of the Cellome, located at Bar Ilan University Department of Physics, is directed by Professor Mordechai Deutsch.
In recent years the Center activity has focused primarily on the research and development of physical methods and means which would enable opto-spectroscopic, scattered light and electrochemical measurements at individual cell/cell cluster (spheroid) resolution within a population.
Our researchers routinely design and fabricate arrays of millions of nanoliter to femtoliter wells on a variety of opto-biological substrates of various shapes and sizes. Individual cells can be positioned in these wells where spheroids can be formed and monitored in a high throughput mode. Once in the well, this complex acts as an ultra- miniaturized laboratory. This approach, as well as associated nouveau methodologies developed at the Center, offers maintenance without tethering of biological objects, in particular of non-adherent cells, during measurement and treatment without loss of identity. Thus, time dependent spatiotemporal measurement of millions of individual cells/spheroids in a static cytometry manner becomes feasibly, user friendly. Furthermore, following vital measurement, cells can be lysed or fixed in their wells for further experimentation, thus enabling pre- versus post-fixation investigation, at an individual object resolution. Results of measurements are subsequently analyzed using relevant analytical tools developed at the Center as well.
This course of research and development is highly compatible with the present profound involvement of the Center in the effort to understand biophysical aspects in functional cellomics down to the molecular level, as well as the realization of its consequent advances in life sciences, in biomedical research, and in clinical disciplines, for diagnosis, drug discovery and therapy.
Cancer research is the main investigation field of the center. Within the scope of these studies is the production of tumor-on-a-chip (TOC) systems which are cellular models that mimic tumor microenvironment, and imitate its pathological characteristics.
The basic component of the system is an imaging platform featuring a high optical quality glass bottom patterned with a Hydrogel Micro-Chambers Array (HMCA) on its inner surface. The array of micro chambers made of hydrogel is formed by a unique propriety technology developed at the Schottenstein center.
These advanced cell based systems offer a new standard for predicting how a human may respond to medicines, chemicals, and foods with greater precision and control than current existing methods.
In clinical cancer research, the TOC platforms are being used for basic research, drug development, diagnosis, and personalized therapy.
The Center operates in close collaboration with several Israeli medical centers and with numerous scientific and technological associates abroad, as well.
The Center laboratory is housed in a three-story building with access to state-of-the-art technology. All activities at the Center have been funded by grants.