Dr. Jennifer Gilda

Dr. Gilda earned her PhD in Biochemistry, Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at the University of California, Davis. At the Technion, in the Department of Biology, Dr. Gilda will focus on what has been called “a remarkable field – almost molecularly untouched and at the same time medically crucial:” the question of myofibril breakdown during muscle atrophy, a debilitating process associated with fatigue, weakness, insulin resistance, bone fracture, disability and death. It occurs in bed-ridden patients, upon spinal cord injuries, and systemically during fasting and during many human diseases. No approved therapy exists. This rapid loss of muscle mass and strength results from the accelerated destruction of the fundamental contractile machinery in muscle, the myofibrils. Dr. Gilda’s work on myofibrils could potentially lead to the identification of therapeutic targets. Her research involves international collaborations with the Max Planck Institute in Germany and the University of California, San Francisco as well as collaborations with several different labs at the Technion. An outstanding teaching assistant and instructor, she also excels at academic writing, and is the author of quite a few research articles, as well as book chapters and reviews.