Member Spotlight: Jacob Hanna, MD, PhD

Jacob Hanna, MD, PhD
Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

Hometown
Rameh Village, Galillee; Israel

Current Residence
Jaffa, Israel

Graduate Degree
MD and PhD in Immunology and Microbiology

Postdoc Work
In Rudolf Jaenisch lab at Whitehead Institute and MIT, where I focused on understanding mechanisms and of iPS cell formation and metastability of different pre- and post-implantation-like pluripotent states.

Current Position
Professor of Pluripotency and Ex Utero Embryology at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel

• What is the current focus of your research?

  We are trying to understand the molecular changes that underlie the continuum of naive pluripotency becoming primed and then turning into a gastrulating embryo. We have currently focused on creating platforms, devices and conditions that allow pluripotent stem cells turn into embryo models ex utero without using sperm, egg or a womb. The latter line of research raises many scientific questions about how this process works and how can we improve it in terms of quality, efficiency and developmental periods captured. In addition, it poses the challenge of how we can use these platforms to model and study early human embryo development and learn new principles that can be beneficial for improving stem cell differentiation protocols, and explore whether we can use some of the cells within these embryo models for therapeutic purposes.

• How would you explain the significance of this work to a lay audience?

  The first 6 weeks of human gestation are the most significant “drama” occurring during embryo development during which there is a transition form being a ball of stem cells into organized embryo structure that has completed making all of its organs. Studying this period in human development is basically impossible due to justified ethical and technical difficulties. We are focusing on using naïve pluripotent stem cells with unrestricted developmental potential for extra0-embryonic lineages, and placing them in special devices and conditions that allow unleashing their self-organization capability into embryo-like models that can mimic to a great extent events happening during embryogenesis.

• What do you find most rewarding about your work?

  When your trainee, being a student or a postdoc, leaves the lab happy after achieving his/her goals and is also able to move on to the next chapter of their scientific career in a setting that they really wanted and dreamed about.

• What is the most exciting aspect of your work?

  Being free and able to explore questions you find interesting without knowing to where they will eventually lead you next and which new paths, they might open for you to explore. I find the fact that I am not sure what exactly I will be working on in five years to be exciting and motivating.

• What led you to become a scientist and to stem cell research?

  I was and continue to be inspired by my uncle, Dr. Nabil Hanna, who was the chief scientific officer of a leading pharmaceutical company in the US and was behind developing from scratch the first antibody therapy ever to be approved by the FDA, specifically Rituximab (anti-CD20) which targets and often cures non-Hodgkin lymphoma. He exposed me to the excitement of the world of research when I was an undergrad, as well as made me realize how fulfilling it can be if one could achieve something close to what he has accomplished.

• What guidance would you share in talking with trainees interested in pursuing your area of research?

  This is really a good time to join this specific part of the stem cell field, as there are so many unanswered question and so much unexplored potential. Therefore, trainees are likely to excel and verge into new uncharted territories that could keep them busy, curious, and productive over many years.

• Do you have any mentors or individuals who have inspired you in your stem cell work?

  My postdoctoral mentor, Rudolf Jaenisch, had a great influence on me. His sharp and critical thinking are phenomenal as well as his uncanny ability to identify the right experiment to give a conclusive and convincing answer and not to be deterred from having high standards.

• How do you spend your free time?

  Simply, chill and “bum around” at home with my daughter and extended family and friends. I sacrificed so much during my training because of being in the lab, and often missed out on so many events with them, so I try to make it up whenever I have free time.

• What is something your peers would be surprised to learn about you?

  I still spend 30% of my time doing tissue culture. I love doing that and I find it to have some kind of meditative effect on me. I am into interior design, particularly history of modern furniture designers and architects working in the beginning of the last century.

• What do you most value about your membership with the ISSCR?

  I highly value the regional meetings organized by ISSCR, as they often entail involving different new regions of the world, as well as creating a special small sized environment that allows unique discussions and building stronger ties within the community.