Galit Lahav

Galit Lahav in 2018

Galit Lahav is an Israeli-American systems biologist and a prominent figure in the field of cancer research. She is a professor at Harvard Medical School and the Chair of the Department of Systems Biology. Lahav is known for her pioneering work on the dynamics of the p53 tumor suppressor protein and its role in cancer.

Early Life and Education

Galit Lahav was born in Israel. She completed her undergraduate studies in biology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Lahav then pursued her Ph.D. in biophysics at the Weizmann Institute of Science, where she worked under the supervision of Uri Alon.

Career

After completing her Ph.D., Lahav moved to the United States for her postdoctoral research at Harvard Medical School, where she worked with Michael B. Yaffe. In 2004, she joined the faculty of Harvard Medical School as an assistant professor in the Department of Systems Biology. She was promoted to associate professor in 2010 and to full professor in 2015. In 2020, she was appointed as the Chair of the Department of Systems Biology.

Research

Lahav's research focuses on understanding the dynamic behavior of cellular networks, particularly in the context of cancer. Her work on the p53 protein has provided significant insights into how cells respond to stress and how these responses can lead to cancer. Lahav's lab uses a combination of experimental and computational approaches to study the temporal dynamics of protein interactions and their implications for cell fate decisions.

One of her notable contributions is the discovery of the pulsatile behavior of the p53 protein in response to DNA damage. This finding has important implications for the development of new cancer therapies that target the p53 pathway.

Awards and Honors

Galit Lahav has received numerous awards and honors for her contributions to the field of systems biology and cancer research. Some of these include:

• The Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science
• The NIH Director's Pioneer Award
• The American Cancer Society Research Scholar Award

Personal Life

Lahav resides in Boston, Massachusetts with her family. She is an advocate for women in science and actively mentors young scientists in her lab and through various professional organizations.

See Also

• Systems biology
• Cancer research
• p53
• Harvard Medical School
• Weizmann Institute of Science