Dr. Ronit Ilouz Receives the Rector's Award for Scientific Innovation

Congratulations to Dr. Ronit Iluz from the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, who has been selected to receive the Rector’s Award for Scientific Innovation for the 2024–2025 academic year. The award recognizes her outstanding scientific contribution to the identification and characterization of a novel inherited neurodegenerative disease: NLPD-PKA (Neuronal Loss and Parkinsonism Driven by a PKA Mutation), caused by a mutation in the gene encoding the PKA enzyme.

In a study published in the journal Brain, alongside additional papers published throughout the year, Dr. Iluz demonstrated how a familial mutation disrupts the assembly of the PKA complex, impairs the proper organization of the protein within the cell, and leads to protein aggregation, neuronal loss, and the development of an early-onset disease phenotype.

The research combined patient-derived cells, a mouse model, and human brain tissue, providing — for the first time — a comprehensive picture of the disease, from its molecular and cellular mechanisms to its clinical manifestations.

Dr. Iluz’s work sheds light on a pathogenic mechanism that may also be relevant to other neurodegenerative diseases, in which protein aggregation and impaired cellular function play a central role.

This research is grounded in an extensive scientific network integrating biochemistry, cell biology, neurobiology, and clinical research, placing Dr. Iluz’s work at the forefront of international efforts to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying neurodegenerative diseases and to identify future therapeutic approaches.

The award represents recognition of a significant scientific achievement that combines the discovery of a new disease with the deciphering of its underlying mechanisms, opening new avenues for research into neurodegenerative disorders and the development of innovative therapeutic strategies.