BIO
TOMER COOKS, PH.D.
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Academic Appointments
2018-to date
Senior lecturer (equivalent title to Assistant Professor). The Shraga Segal Department for Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics.
Faculty of Health Sciences
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Previous Positions
2013-2018
Postdoctoral fellowship, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. Lab of Human Carcinogenesis, Host: Prof. Curt Harris
2009-2012-Postdoctoral fellowship, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel. Host: Prof. Moshe Oren
Higher Education
2004-2009
Ph.D. Tel Aviv University, Israel. School of medicine, Department of Human Microbiology . Advisor: Prof. Yona Keisari. Graduated Cum Sum Laude.
2000-2003
B.Sc., Biology, Tel Aviv University, Israel.
Email: cooks@bgu.ac.il
My Ph.D. was conducted in the Tel-Aviv University after which I moved to the Weizmann Institute and later to the National Cancer Institute (NCI). My research interests are focused on extracellular vesicles (exosomes) and the intricate molecular relationship shared by the tumor, the host tissue and their microenvironment. Essentially, I wish to explore the emerging role of exosomes released by tumor cells giving rise to immuno-modulating changes in the microenvironment. Such cell-to-cell regulation is a key mechanism controlling the interplay between the innate immune system, the epithelial compartment and the microbial environment in inflammatory conditions driving toward tumorigenesis.
