Faculty of Life Sciences Dean, Prof. Cyrille Cohen

Our leading faculty members conduct cutting-edge research in fields such as molecular biology, immunology, cancer biology, neurobiology, and ecology. The faculty emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration and fosters innovation through partnerships with industry and the global scientific community.

Prof. Cyrille Cohen is a cancer immunologist who leads the Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy and serves as the Dean of the Faculty of Life Sciences at Bar-Ilan University, Israel. His current research focuses on genetically enhancing the anti-tumor immune response through the design of improved T Cell Receptors (TCRs) and Chimeric Antigen Receptors (CARs) with broad tumor specificity. Additionally, he works on manipulating T-cell co-stimulatory and metabolic pathways to achieve superior cellular function in combating cancer. His group has developed methods to isolate neo-antigen specific Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes (TILs) and peripheral T-cells, and they have designed CAR/TCRs that form the basis for several clinical trials.

Prof. Cohen's authored more than 80 publications in peer-reviewed journals and patents in the field of T-cell immunotherapy. Between 2020-2024 he served as the President of the Israel Society for Cancer Research (ISCR) and heads the Biological and Medical Fields at the Israel Science Foundation.

He is a member of regulatory committees responsible for approving clinical trials involving gene therapy and cell therapy at the Israel Ministry of Health. He was awarded several prizes such as the Taubenblatt prize for Medical Research, the Innovation Award from the Center for Cancer Research, NIH, and recently the prize for contribution to the society and the State of Israel in the field of Science by the minister of Absorption and Integration in Israel.