The Open University of Israel
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Dr. Didi Matza

Department of Natural and life Sciences

Updated: October 2015
 

Personal

Tel: 972-9-7781217
Fax: 972-9-7780661

E-mail: [email protected]

Born: January 11, 1970
Status: Married + 2

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Education

2006 – 2008  Associate Research Scientist, The laboratory of Prof. Richard A. Flavell, Department of Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
Calcium signaling in the immune system.
2002 – 2005  Postdoctoral fellow, The laboratory of Prof. Richard A. Flavell, Department of Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
Calcium signaling in the immune system.
1997 – 2002  Ph.D, Department of Immunology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
Thesis: The mechanism by which Invariant Chain control B cell maturation.
Supervisor: Prof’ Idit Shachar
1995 – 1996  M.Sc, (Honors) Department of Cell research and Immunology, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
Thesis: Development of a helper free Herpes Simplex Virus Amplicon system for gene therapy.
Supervisor: Prof’ Niza Frenkel
1991 – 1994  B.Sc, Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
   
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Academic Positions

2015 – present  Senior Lecturer, Department of Natural and life Sciences, The Open University of Israel, 1 University Road, P.O. Box 808, Ra’anana 4353701, Israel
2010 – 2015  Principal Investigator, The Cardiovascular and Thoracic Research Institute, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Hadassah Medical Center, Ein-Kerem, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
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Other Relevant Positions

2009 – 2010  Senior Scientist, Biokine Therapeutics LTD, Building 13A, Weizmann Science Park, Nes-Ziona, 70400, Israel
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Reference Articles

  1. Haviv I., Matza D. and Shaul Y. (1998) pX, the HBV Encoded Coactivator, Suppresses the Phenotypes of TBP and TAFII250 Mutants, Genes and Development. 12(8) 1217-26.

  2. Pierre P., Shachar I., Matza D., Flavell RA and Mellman I. (2000) Invariant chain controls H2-M proteolysis in mouse splenocytes and dendritic cells, Journal of Experimental Medicine 191(6), 1057-1062.

  3. *Matza D, *Wolstein O, Dikstein R and Shachar I (2001) Invariant chain induces B cell maturation by activating TAFII105-NF-kB transcription program. Journal of Biological Chemistry 276(29), 27203-27206.

  4. Matza D, Lantner F, Bogoch Y, Flaishon L, Hershkovitz R and Shachar I (2002) Invariant chain induces B cell maturation in a process which is independent of its chaperonic activity. Proceedings in the National Academy of Science USA 99(5), 3018-3023.

  5. Matza D, Kerem A, Medvedovsky H, Lantner F, and Shachar I (2002) Invariant Chain-Induced B Cell Differentiation Requires Intramembrane Proteolytic Release of the Cytosolic Domain Immunity 17, 549-560.

  6. Matza D, Kerem A and Shachar I (2003) Invariant chain, a chain of command Trends in Immunology 24(5), 264-268.

  7. Badou A, Jha MK, Matza D, Mehal WZ, Freichel M, Flockerzi V and Flavell RA (2006) Critical role for the beta regulatory subunits of Cav channels in T Lymphocyte Functions Proceedings in the National Academy of Science USA 103(42), 15529-34.

  8. *Matza D, *Badou A, Kobayashi KS, Goldsmith-Pestana K, Masuda Y, Komuro A, McMahon-Pratt D, Marchesi VT and Flavell RA, (2008) A scaffold protein, AHNAK1, is required for calcium signaling during T cell activation, Immunity, 28, 1-11.

  9. Matza D., Badou A., Jha M.K., Willinger T., Antov A., Sanjabi S., Kobayashi K.S., Marchesi V.T. and Flavell R.A. (2009) Requirement for AHNAK1 mediated calcium signaling during T lymphocyte cytolysis, Proceedings in the National Academy of Science USA 106(24), 9785-9790.

  10. Matza D. and Flavell RA. (2009) Roles of Cav channels and AHNAK1 in T cells-the Beauty and the Beast Immunological Reviews 231, 257-264.

  11. *Golomb E, *Matza D, Cummings CA, Schwalb H, Kodavanti UP, Schneider A, Houminer E, Korach A, Nyska A, Shapira OM. (2012) Myocardial mitochondrial injury induced by pulmonary exposure to particulate matter in rats. Toxicol Pathol. 2012 Jul; 40(5): 779-88.

  12. *Badou A., *Jha M.K., *Matza D. and Richard A. Flavell (2013) L-type voltage gated calcium (Cav1) channels in T lymphocytes function, Frontiers in T Cell Biology, 30; 4; 243.

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Awards

Sep 2000  Outstanding oral presentation, EFIS European Immunology Conference award, Poznan, Poland.
Sep 2000  Travel award, EFIS European Immunology Conference award, Poznan, Poland.
Jan 2002  European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) long term postdoctoral fellowship
Jan 2002 – Jan 2005  Cancer Research Institute (CRI) foundation postdoctoral fellowship
Oct 2008 – Oct 2010  Returning Scientist fellowship, Israel Ministry of Immigrant Absorption
2011 – 2014  European Council; Marie Curie International Re-Integration (IRG) Grant; €100,000
2015  Hadassah University Hospital outstanding researcher internal award, 70,000 NIS
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Teaching Experience

1994 – 1996  Teaching assistant, Cell research and immunology lab course, Tel-Aviv University
1994 – 1996  Supervision of 12, 90 hr project, students in the lab of Prof. Niza Frenkel, Department of Cell Research and Immunology, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
1999 – 2001  Teaching assistant, Molecular Biology lab techniques, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
1996 – 2002  Supervision of 15 M.Sc students in the lab of Prof. Idit Shachar, Department of Immunology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
2006 – 2008  Supervision of lab technician- Molecular Biology techniques, Yale University, New Haven CT, USA.
2008 – 2011  Supervision of M.Sc student; Natalya Suchanov
2012 – present  Supervision of B.Sc students – 320 hour projects. Since 2012, I supervised 12 students.
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Presentations and Courses

Oct 1994  Cold Spring Harbor Workshop, Analysis and genetic manipulation of yeast artificial chromosomes (YACs), Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, NY, USA
Sep 1999  EMBO Workshop: Lymphocyte Development, Basel Institute of Immunology, Switzerland
July 2000  EMBO Workshop: Application of Advanced Digital Microscopy in Molecular Cell Biology, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
Sep 2000  EFIS European Immunology Conference, Poznan, Poland. Oral presentation& Poster: Invariant Chain N-terminal domain induces B cell Maturation by activating NF-kB/TAFII105 transcription program.
Sep 2001  11th International Congress of Immunology, Stockholm, Sweden. Poster: Invariant chain lacking its lumenal domain induces B cell maturation in a process mediated by NF-kB.
Oct 2004  Cancer Vaccines conference. New York. USA. Poster: The AHNAKs-giant regulators of calcium signaling in the immune system.
Sep 2005  22nd Microelectrode Techniques for Cell Physiology Workshop, Marine Biological Association (MBA), Plymouth, UK.
Apr 2006  Gene Expression and signaling in the immune system, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, USA. Poster: A giant protein, AHNAK is required for calcium signaling during T cell activation.
Jan 2014  Society of Thoracic Surgery (STS) 50th Annual Meeting, Orlando, Florida, USA.
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