Yehuda Tzfati

Prof. Yehuda Tzfati is a leading researcher in telomere and telomerase biology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His laboratory focuses on understanding telomere structure, telomerase function, and genetic diseases caused by telomere dysfunction. He serves as the head of the Telomeres Biology Lab and has mentored numerous graduate students and postdoctoral researchers.

Research Interests:

• Three-dimensional structure of telomerase RNA and its functional implications
• Role of RTEL1 helicase in telomere maintenance and disease (e.g., Dyskeratosis Congenita)
• Mouse models for studying telomere length regulation and aging
• Mechanisms linking telomere dysfunction to cancer and age-related pathologies

Awards and Recognition:

• SMART Award for outstanding research by Riham Smoom (2023)
• EMBO Prize for best poster at the Ilanit Conference (2023)
• Irene and Michael Mochrik Award for Aya Awad (2020)

Lab Activities:

• Development of mouse models with human-like telomere lengths
• Structural and functional studies of telomerase RNA
• Molecular mechanisms of RTEL1 in telomere replication