Prof. Galia Blum‘s diverse and multidisciplinary research combines organic chemistry and biochemical methodologies to uncover the mysteries of proteases, which are enzymes that cleave proteins. Proteases are crucial in almost every cellular process and play key roles in various diseases.
In the Institute for Drug Research at Hebrew University’s School of Pharmacy, Prof. Blum is working to design and generate novel chemical probes that report on the activity of specific cysteine proteases. The probes enable non-invasive imaging and molecular imaging of diseases, helping in the investigation of the role of target proteases in various pathologies, including normal conditions.