Naama Kanarek

Assistant Professor @Boston Children's Hospital

Boston, MA, US

As of June 1st 2019 I am an Assistant Professor of Harvard Medial School at the Pathology Department at Boston Children’s Hospital. In my lab we study folate sensing and homeostasis in cells, in the whole-organism and in tumors. Check us out: is an enzymatic cofactor that is known for its key role in RNA and DNA production. While folate is a key cofactor essential for all living cells and is a targetable vulnerability in cancer cells, our understanding of its homeostasis and usage control is rudimentary. Using my ability to reliably detect folate by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS), my CRISPR/Cas9 screen results and experience with individual gene knockouts, my expertise in mouse work, and my strong molecular biology and signaling background, I aim to use genetic perturbations, biochemical assays, molecular biology, metabolite profiling and advanced cancer mouse models for a comprehensive study of folate homeostasis at the cellular and the whole-organism levels, in physiologic and pathologic conditions.The long-term goals of my work are (i) to significantly improve anti-cancer chemotherapy through the development of our understanding of folate metabolism and the identification of targetable proteins in folate sensing, metabolism and whole-body homeostasis, and (ii) to characterize folate regulation pathways relevant for healthy individuals as well as patients that suffer from folate deficiency related disorders.

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Ms, Proteomics and microbiology

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

M.Sc., Medical Science