{"id":175112,"date":"2025-12-09T02:54:13","date_gmt":"2025-12-09T02:54:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/175112\/"},"modified":"2025-12-09T02:54:13","modified_gmt":"2025-12-09T02:54:13","slug":"israeli-scientist-named-global-leader-for-discovery-of-hidden-immune-defense-that-fig","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/175112\/","title":{"rendered":"Israeli scientist named global leader for discovery of hidden immune defense that fig"},"content":{"rendered":"

Merbl, a systems biologist in Weizmann\u2019s Department of Systems Immunology, was recognized for uncovering what Nature described as \u201can entirely new layer\u201d of the human immune system. Editors called her a \u201cpeptide detective\u201d for revealing antimicrobial activity hidden within proteins that cells normally break down and recycle. \u201cShe exposed an unfamiliar tier of the immune system concealed in the cell\u2019s waste,\u201d the journal wrote.<\/p>\n

At the core of Merbl\u2019s work is the proteasome, the cell\u2019s recycling machinery. Her team discovered that under certain conditions, the proteasome does more than degrade proteins; it cleaves them into short fragments that function as natural antimicrobial peptides. These peptides, produced continuously as cells break down proteins, help the body fight infection \u2014 a finding that could open new therapeutic avenues for patients with weakened immunity, such as cancer patients or organ transplant recipients.<\/p>\n

The breakthrough grew from an earlier method developed in Merbl\u2019s lab to investigate how proteasome activity changes during bacterial infection. \u201cThe moment we saw that peptide cleavage shifted after infection, we realized we were looking at a new immune mechanism,\u201d said Karin Goldberg, the graduate student who led the project. The team then created an algorithm to scan thousands of human proteins and identify those with hidden segments capable of killing bacteria, resulting in an unprecedented catalog of previously unknown antimicrobial peptides.<\/p>\n

Merbl says the discovery holds promise for developing personalized treatments based on natural immune compounds. \u201cIn an era of growing antibiotic resistance, finding hundreds of thousands of potential immune peptides doesn\u2019t just expand our understanding of the body\u2019s defenses \u2014 it opens the door to innovative, safer therapies grounded in natural mechanisms,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

But the scientific achievement came just months before devastation struck. Three months after the Nature paper was published, an Iranian missile hit the building where Merbl\u2019s lab was housed. She and her family live on the Weizmann campus and were close to the impact zone. \u201cThe entire building was damaged, filled with debris and shattered glass,\u201d she told ynet. \u201cOur apartment was hit by the blast wave too. I rushed to the lab \u2014 everything was destroyed.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

2 View gallery <\/p>\n

\"\u05de\u05d9\u05de\u05d9\u05df<\/a>\"\u05de\u05d9\u05de\u05d9\u05df<\/p>\n

From right, counterclockwise: Dr. Merav Shmueli, Dr. Paola Antonello, Dr. Arseniy Loubov, Einav Lazar, Karin Goldberg and Prof. Yifat Merbl <\/p>\n

(Photo: Weizmann Institute of Science)<\/p>\n

Merbl and her team worked with Home Front Command officers to salvage samples in the dark after power was cut, rushing to secure freezers and equipment before relocating to another building and starting from scratch. \u201cIt was immediate triage \u2014 save whatever we could and rebuild,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She emphasizes, however, that the focus must remain on renewal, not destruction. \u201cImportant things are happening here, and Israel has so much to offer the world,\u201d she said. \u201cWeizmann is built on a commitment to advancing humanity. Human capital is Israel\u2019s most precious resource, and it must continue to generate knowledge and innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Merbl completed her doctorate at Harvard University and earlier conducted her master\u2019s studies at Weizmann \u2014 in the very same Wolfson building lab that was later destroyed. She says the institute\u2019s open, curiosity-driven environment made the discovery possible. \u201cIt\u2019s remarkable that such research can happen in Israel,\u201d she said. \u201cThere are many more secrets hidden in the cell\u2019s \u2018trash bins,\u2019 and we are expanding this field significantly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her team\u2019s findings, she adds, may influence far more than one branch of biology. \u201cThis has implications across disciplines and diseases. Looking into what cells discard may change how we understand illness \u2014 and how we design the treatments of the future.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Merbl, a systems biologist in Weizmann\u2019s Department of Systems Immunology, was recognized for uncovering what Nature described as…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":175113,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":{"0":"post-175112","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-headlines","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-top-news","11":"tag-top-stories","12":"tag-topnews","13":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=175112"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/175112\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/175113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=175112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=175112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=175112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}