Zulma Gazit, PhD

Co-Director, Skeletal Regeneration and Stem Cell Therapy Laboratory
Email:zulma.gazit@cshs.org
Phone:(310) 423-1243

Institute Affiliation

Regenerative Medicine Institute

Awards and Activities

Director of the Clinical Laboratory and Blood Bank, Misgav Ladach General Hospital, Jerusalem.1995 - 2000
Member, Steering Committee of the Israeli Consortium Bereshith ("Genesis") for Cell Therapy2005
Member, Steering Committee of the Israel Stem Cell Society2005

Research Focus

Adults stem cell biology and applications in regenerative medicine. Investigate the use of adult stem cells, derived from various tissues of the human body, for the regeneration of bone, cartilage, tendon/ligament and the intervertebral disc. Envision that combining stem cells with differentiation-inducing genes and biodegradable scaffolds could lead to novel therapeutic solutions for patients suffering from non-union fractures, osteoarthritis, tendon tears, osteoporosis and spine disorders.

Research Contributions

Spearheaded the use of non-cultured mesenchymal stem cells for skeletal tissue regeneration. Developed a novel method for isolating adult stem cells from bone marrow and adipose tissue, named immunoisolation. Established a non-viral approach for the expression of transgenes in mesenchymal stem cells.

Current investigations include:

Immunoisolation of adult stem cells from various animal models, in order to establish pre-clinical trials. Investigation of stem cells isolated from different tissues including the degenerated intervertebral disc and maxillofacial bones. Application of non-virally transfeceted stem cells for the induction of spine fusion in rodents and large animals.

Selected Publications

  1. Sheyn D, Pelled G, Zilberman Y, Talasazan F, Frank JM, Gazit D, Gazit Z: Nonvirally engineered porcine adipose tissue-derived stem cells: use in posterior spinal fusion. Stem Cells, 26(4): 1056-64, 2008
  2. Sheyn D, Kimelman-Bleich N, Pelled G, Zilberman Y, Gazit D, Gazit Z: Ultrasound-based nonviral gene delivery induces bone formation in vivo. Gene Ther., 15(4): 257-66, 2007
  3. Risbud MV, Guttapalli A, Tsai TT, Lee JY, Danielson KG, Vaccaro AR, Albert TJ, Gazit Z, Gazit D, Shapiro IM: Evidence for skeletal progenitor cells in the degenerate human intervertebral disc. Spine, 32(23): 2537-44, 2007
  4. Aslan H, Zilberman Y, Kandel L, Liebergall M, Oskouian RJ, Gazit D, Gazit Z: Osteogenic differentiation of noncultured immunoisolated bone marrow-derived CD105+ cells. Stem Cells, 24(7): 1728-37, 2006
  5. Aslan H, Zilberman Y, Arbeli V, Sheyn D, Matan Y, Liebergall M, Li JZ, Helm GA, Gazit D, Gazit Z: Nucleofection-based ex vivo nonviral gene delivery to human stem cells as a platform for tissue regeneration. Tissue Eng., 12(4): 877-89, 2006
  6. Helm GA, Gazit Z: Future uses of mesenchymal stem cells in spine surgery. Neurosurgical focus, 19(6): E13, 2005
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