Yardena Samuels

Prof. Yardena Samuels is a leading researcher in cancer immunogenomics at the Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Faculty of Biological Sciences. Her lab focuses on deciphering the immunopeptidome in melanoma to identify targetable neoantigens and develop personalized immunotherapies. She is actively engaged in high-impact research, frequently publishing in top-tier journals and presenting at major conferences such as AACR.

Research Interests: Her work spans melanoma biology, tumor heterogeneity, neoantigen discovery, immunopeptidomics, and biomarker identification for immunotherapy. She investigates how translational dysregulation, post-translational modifications, and genomic instability contribute to antigen presentation and immune evasion.

The most recent publications highlight a strong trend in computational and functional genomics approaches to predict and validate immunogenic neoantigens, understand immune evasion mechanisms, and explore the role of the microbiome and intratumoral bacteria in shaping anti-tumor immunity. Her research increasingly integrates multi-omics data to build comprehensive models of tumor-immune interactions.

• Invited Plenary Speaker, AACR Annual Meeting 2025

Prof. Samuels leads a vibrant research group, mentoring students and postdocs, and securing major grants from the ERC, ISF, MRA, and other international foundations. Her lab utilizes a combination of experimental models, peptidomics, CRISPR screens, and computational tools to advance melanoma immunotherapy. She is involved in collaborative efforts to create a comprehensive atlas of cancer-specific antigens.