Dr. Nir Qvit Wins Israel Innovation Authority Grant

Approximately 523 million people worldwide suffered from some form of cardiovascular disease (CVD), and around 19 million deaths were attributed to these diseases (as of 2020), accounting for about 32% of all deaths globally.

Congratulations to Dr. Nir Qvit from the Faculty of Medicine for winning a prestigious research grant from the Israel Innovation Authority. The grant aims to develop an innovative treatment for heart diseases. Dr. Qvit, a renowned expert in the development of compounds that selectively inhibit biological processes, received the grant as part of the 2024 health and medicine call for proposals.

Dr. Qvit’s research identified a novel mechanism affecting mitochondrial division, which supplies energy for normal heart activity and under stress conditions. This discovery opens new directions for developing unique therapies designed to improve heart function and prevent further deterioration in patients’ conditions.

The project proposed by Dr. Qvit, in collaboration with Prof. Arie Lev Gruzman Bar-Ilan from the Department of Chemistry, focuses on developing a peptide-based therapy to protect heart tissue following myocardial injury. The research suggests an innovative approach to preventing damage to heart tissue.

The goal of the research is to provide a treatment that could serve as an effective tool for preventing and rehabilitating heart damage, ultimately reducing mortality from severe cardiovascular diseases.

Dr. Qvit’s research proposal was selected from dozens of submissions and earned him a grant of over one million shekels.