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Dr. Gili Hochman

Gili has completed studies towards a Ph.D. degree in the field of theoretical chemistry, in the department of chemistry at Bar-Ilan University. Her thesis work, under the supervision of Prof. Kenneth G. Kay, included an analytical and numerical research in the area of semiclassical mechanics, using classical mechanics to approximate solutions to problems in quantum mechanics. Gili joined IMBM in January 2010, and she takes part in the Cancer Stem Cell project.

Scientific activity in 2010

During this year, Gili has taken part in developing a mathematical model describing the Wnt signaling pathway (with Yuri Kogan, Karin Halevi-Tobias and Zvia Agur). The Wnt/ß Catenin pathway is one of the intracellular pathways responsible for fate decision of stem cells, and aberrant activation of this pathway is common in different types of diseases, including cancer. The developed model includes a description of Wnt-induced ß Catenin accumulation and its regulation by inhibitors, such as Dickkopf (DKK) and secreted frizzled-related proteins (sFRP). Experimental validation of the developed model has been successfully accomplished, as well as mathematical analysis and simulations, in order to study the effects of Wnt and its inhibitors and suggest new and effective targets for therapeutic intervention in the Wnt signaling pathway.

Work Program for 2011

This year, Gili's research subjects continue to be focused on signaling pathways in cancer stem cells. The model for the Wnt signaling pathway will be further tuned to represent several cancer-related mutations in this pathway. Hopefully, this model will enable a better understanding of the effects of critical mutations in the Wnt pathway, and will be used to look for the most effective possible treatment modalities for these mutants.

In addition, the Wnt pathway model will be extended to include other major pathways involved in cell fate decision, such as Notch and Shh. Therapeutic modulation of these pathways, switching SCs from proliferation to differentiation, may represent a novel treatment approach for cancer. Eventually, the model will be integrated with mathematical descriptions of inter-cellular regulation and microenvironmental interactions, as well as the overall tissue dynamics. This multi-scale framework will be employed to study normal and cancerous tissue behavior, aiming to find how tissue homeostasis is normally controlled, how it is altered in cancer, and how this alteration can be manipulated.

Publications

Kogan Y., Halevi-Tobias K., Hochman G., Baczmanska A. K., Leyns L., Agur Z. (2011) Synergistic effect of sFRP1 and Dkk1 on ß Catenin accumulation: results from a new mathematical model of the Wnt signaling pathway 2011 In preparation
Hochman G., Kay K. G. Tunneling in two-dimensional systems using a higher-order Herman–Kluk approximation, J. Chem. Phys. 2009 130,
Hochman G., Kay K. G. Tunneling by a semiclassical initial value method with higher order corrections, J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 2008 41(38), 385303
Hochman G., Kay K. G. Semiclassical Corrections to the Herman-Kluk Propagator, Phys. Rev. A 2006 73, 064102