Dr. Inbal Wortzel

As cancerous tumors evolve, cancer cells escape the primary tumor site, evade the immune response, and ultimately establish metastases. This process is mediated by tumor-secreted factors, including extracellular vesicles (EVs)—nano-sized, membranous structures secreted into extracellular space—which serve as mediators of intercellular communication and metastasis.

Inbal Wortzel began researching EVs during her postdoctoral studies in the Department of Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine’s Meyer Cancer Center. She demonstrated that the presence of EV-chromatin (a complex of DNA and proteins, specifically histones, that makes up the genetic material in the nucleus of a cell) inhibits metastatic progression by activating the immune system.

Dr. Wortzel’s lab at Tel Aviv University’s Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences tackles regulatory mechanisms that govern the packaging of EV-DNA, specifically, how the content of EV-DNA influences the progression of cancer, and specific mechanisms that underlie the functional roles exerted by EV-DNA. She hopes to eventually unlock new strategies for harnessing the immune system to fight cancer.

Dr. Wortzel began her advanced studies in cell biology at the Weizmann Institute of Science’s Department of Biological Regulation. Her doctoral work focused on structural changes in the Golgi apparatus, a stack of small flat sacs formed by membranes inside the cell. Her examination of the regulation of its fragmentation during mitosis required her to quantify Golgi fragmentation, for which no technique existed, so Dr. Worzel adapted an advanced imaging flow cytometry system to develop a significant new technique that was lauded by researchers in the field and even by the machine’s manufacturer.

Dr. Wortzel’s long-term goal is to advance beyond cancer research, exploring the broader physiological roles of EV-DNA and chromatin in diverse human pathologies.