Haim Cohen

Haim Cohen is a professor at The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University.
Their current research focuses on the following topics:

1. The molecular pathways that regulate the response for caloric restriction.
2. The molecular and cellular biology of sirtuin deacetylases.
3. Isolating new proteins that regulate longevity in mammals.
At Cohen’s Lab of the Molecular Mechanism Of Aging, Haim is the Principal Investigator. Their research aims to elucidate the mechanism of the molecular regulation of aging, and investigate two major pathways that have been shown to regulate lifespan - caloric restriction (CR) and Sirtuin deacetylases. CR has been shown to slow the rate of aging and extend the maximum lifespan of any organism in which it has been tested. In rodents, a reduction of ~30% of the calorie intake produces an increase of more than 30% in their lifespan. In addition, CR delays many age-related diseases such as cancer, diabetes, neurodegenerative and decline in the function of the immune system. Although CR has been known for more than 70 years to extend lifespan, the molecular mechanism by which it retards aging and how it is regulated are still a mystery and are being explored in Cohen’s lab.

Haim Cohen’s lab was the first to discover that mice with over-expression of the protein Sirtuin 6 have longer lifespan and healthspan, with obvious signs of better quality of life, such as cure of aging-related diseases (type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, dementia, etc.), and younger physical and cognitive characteristics. Based on this discovery, medicinal agents are now being developed.