Nadav Sharon

Nadav Sharon

Education/ Resume:

2013-2020 Postdoctoral fellow at Harvard’s department of stem cells and regenerative biology, Harvard University

2006-2012 MSc and PhD studies, Alexander Silberman institute of Life Science, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

2003-2005 BSc in Biology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Research Summary

Our research combines advanced genomic tools such as single cell RNA sequencing with high throughput robotics and advanced microscopy to discover how the pancreatic islets of Langerhans develop, and why they are eliminated by the immune system in type 1 diabetes. Our research spans several fields:

  • Embryonic development – we use mouse models and human embryonic stem cells to understand how beta cells (that secrete insulin) and other endocrine cells in the islets differentiate, and how the islet acquires its shape.
  • Regenerative biology – we use our understanding of the developmental processes to drive the differentiation of pluripotent cells into islets, with the ultimate goal of transplanting them into diabetic patients.
  • Immunology – we use methodologies from the field of developmental biology to uncover the progressive events that lead the immune system to launch a directed attack against the islet’s beta cells, and cause diabetes.
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Key Publications
  • Sharon N, Vanderhooft J, Straubhaar J, Mueller J, Chawla R, Zhou Q, Engquist EN, Trapnell C, Gifford DK, Melton DA. Wnt Signaling Separates the Progenitor and Endocrine Compartments during Pancreas Development. Cell Rep. 2019 May 21;27(8):2281-2291.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.04.083. PMID: 31116975; PMCID: PMC6933053.

 

  • Sharon N, Chawla R, Mueller J, Vanderhooft J, Whitehorn LJ, Rosenthal B, Gürtler M, Estanboulieh RR, Shvartsman D, Gifford DK, Trapnell C, Melton D. A Peninsular Structure Coordinates Asynchronous Differentiation with Morphogenesis to Generate Pancreatic Islets. Cell. 2019 Feb 7;176(4):790-804.e13. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2018.12.003. Epub 2019 Jan 17. PMID: 30661759; PMCID: PMC6705176.
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Open Positions

We are looking for curious and ambitious students of all levels (BSc, MSc, Ph.D.) and for postdocs.

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