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News & Events
New M.Sc. Students
We welcome to our lab two new Master students Esther and Leen! Good luck to them!
Excited to share our new publication in Advanced Science!
Our lab reports the first moleuclar degrader of a long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) — the telomeric transcript TERRA (Telomeric Repeat–Containing RNA). Congratulations to Elias Khaskia for his exceptional work leading this project and for pushing the boundaries of RNA-targeted chemistry!
Delighted to share our newest publication!
Marking the first PROTAC degrader for CB1R—in ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science! Huge congratulations to Aseel Kashkush for leading this groundbreaking study.
JACS AU cover
Thrilled to share that our work on druglike degraders of HuR has been selected for the JACS Au cover! Congrats to Liann & thanks to Ella Maru Studio for the stunning cover!
Best poster prize to Elias!
Congratulations to Elias for the best poster award at the 2025 MCS-ICS conference!
Congratulations to Aseel!
For receiving the Best Master's Student Prize from the Faculty of Medicine at the Hebrew University!
Extremely thrilled to share our latest article published in JACS Au!
"Druglike Molecular Degraders of the Oncogenic RNA-Binding Protein HuR"
In this study, we report the first-in-class small molecule degraders of HuR, designed using both molecular glue and PROTAC strategies.
💡 Our lead compounds:
-Induce a unique biphasic degradation of HuR via dual-pocket engagement
-Inhibit cancer progression in both 2D and 3D cancer cellular models
-Meet full drug-like criteria
This work demonstrates the power of targeted protein degradation to overcome the challenges of drugging structurally dynamic RBPs in cancer and RNA-driven diseases.
🎉 A special congratulations to Liann Kassabri, who initiated this project as an undergraduate student and led it to publication with outstanding dedication and scientific excellence.
In this study, we report the first-in-class small molecule degraders of HuR, designed using both molecular glue and PROTAC strategies.
💡 Our lead compounds:
-Induce a unique biphasic degradation of HuR via dual-pocket engagement
-Inhibit cancer progression in both 2D and 3D cancer cellular models
-Meet full drug-like criteria
This work demonstrates the power of targeted protein degradation to overcome the challenges of drugging structurally dynamic RBPs in cancer and RNA-driven diseases.
🎉 A special congratulations to Liann Kassabri, who initiated this project as an undergraduate student and led it to publication with outstanding dedication and scientific excellence.
See our latest publication in Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery!
Congrats to Leora! - "Advancing target validation with PROTAC technology"
School of Pharmacy Retreat 2025
The lab enjoyed a 2-days retreat in the south of Israel learning about the amazing research made in our school.
New research article published in Heliyon!
Excited to share our latest publication in Heliyon! We developed fluorescent probes using RIBOTAC tech to visualize RNase L activity in living cells—paving the way for novel recruiters & deeper insights into RNase L behavior. Congrats to Elias on his work!
Newly published research article!
Congratulations to Aseel and the team for their publication in Macromolecular Bioscience: Small Molecule Degraders of the Oncogenic Lin28 RNA-Binding Protein. Well done!"
Research Webinar | Benhamou Lab
An exclusive webinar highlighting our recent advancements in developing small molecule therapies targeting RNA.
New M.Sc. Students
We welcome Leora, Liann and Binyamin! They are joining the lab as new M.Sc. students.
New Undergrade Students
We welcome Hadas, and Leen! They are joining the lab as new Undergrade students.
Best poster award for Aseel at the 2024 MCS-ICS symposium!
Congrats to Aseel and Elias for presenting their work as posters at the 2024 MCS-ICS meeting! Special applause to Aseel for winning the Best Poster Prize!
NCK prize for outstanding young chemist
Congratulations to Raphael for receiving the 2024 NCK medicinal chemistry prize for outstanding young chemist, Medicinal Chemistry Section of the Israel Chemical Society (MCS-ICS).
New Review! - Small Molecules Targeting MicroRNAs
In this review, we explore advancements in drug discovery, focusing on the potential to selectively target specific disease-associated miRs.
Congratulation to Kisanet!
Congratulation to Kisanet!
We welcome Dipak and Omri!
Dipak is joining the lab as a Postdoc and Omri as a new M.Sc. student. Welcome and good luck!
New published article! Targeted Degradation of Structured RNAs via Ribonuclease-Targeting Chimeras (RiboTacs)
Check out our review and thoughts on the evolution of the RIBOTAC technology for degrading structured RNAs associated with diseases.
Congrats to Salma Haj yahya and Arijit Nandi!
Congrats to Salma Haj yahya and Arijit Nandi!
Congratulations to our Master's students, Salma Haj Yahya and Elias Khaskia.
Congratulations to two of our Master's students, Salma Haj Yahya and Elias Khaskia, for delivering amazing master seminar talks today!
You have made us proud!
You have made us proud!
New Research Article Published in Nature!
Target occupancy is often insufficient to elicit biological activity, particularly for RNA, compounded by the longstanding challenges surrounding the molecular recognition of RNA structures by small molecules. Here we developed a strategy that converts biologically inactive RNA-binding small molecules into potent and specific effectors of function, achieved by affixing an RNA molecular recognition element to a second compound that binds to and activates a ribonuclease to cleave the target.
"Programming inactive RNA-binding small molecules into bioactive degraders". Nature 2023
"Programming inactive RNA-binding small molecules into bioactive degraders". Nature 2023
New Grant! Science Forefront
The minister of science granted our research in collaboration with Dr. Gali Umshweif. We seek to develop novel molecules to fight depression.
We finally moved to our new lab space!
We have brand-new equipment and a splendid view over Jerusalem Mountain. If you are around come visit us!
New M.Sc. Students
We welcome Elias, Kisanet and Aseel! They are joining the lab as new M.Sc. students.
New Grant! Research Career Development Award, Israel Cancer Research Fund (ICRF).
Great news for the lab! We have been awarded the Research Career Development Award from ICRF, for the next 3 years. Thanks for your trust in our research!
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