Dr. Michal Amit

Dr. Michal Amit

Dr. Michal Amit

04-8291080
מחלקה: Biotechnology Engineering

Education :

Ph.D.1999-2004, in Medical Sciences Rappaport Faculty of Medicine Technion – Israel Institute of Technology Haifa, Israel.

M.Sc.1993-1997, in Medical Sciences  Rappaport Faculty of Medicine Technion – Israel Institute of Technology Haifa, Israel.

B.A.1990-1993, in Biology Faculty of Biology Technion – Israel Institute of Technology Haifa, Israel.

Research Interests
  • 1. Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs)
  • 2. Suspension culture of PSCs
  • 3. Mass production of PSCs
  • 4. Culture medium development
  • 5. Stem cells differentiation
  • 6. Derivation of embryonic stem cell lines

Refereed Papers

  1. Arieh Moussaieff, Eran Meshorer, Matthieu Rouleau, Danny Kitsberg, Shai Shen-orr, Ilana Laevsky, Michal Amit, David Bomze, Benedicte Elena-Herrmann, Tali Scherf, Joseph Itskovitz-Eldor, Daniel Aberdam, and Yaakov Nahmias. Linking Metabolism, Pluripotency and Epigenetic Changes during Early Differentiation of Embryonic Stem Cells. Cell Metabolism Review, In press.
  2. Dekel-Naftali M, Aviram-Goldring A, Litmanovitch T, Shamash J, Reznik-Wolf H, Laevsky I, Amit M, Itskovitz-Eldor J, Yung Y, Hourvitz A, Schiff E, Rienstein S. Screening of human pluripotent stem cells using CGH and FISH reveals low-grade mosaic aneuploidy and a recurrent amplification of chromosome 1q. European Journal of Human Genetics, 20(12):1248-1255, 2012. (cited 5)
  3. Domev H, Amit M, Laevsky I, Dar A, Itskovitz-Eldor J. Efficient engineering of vascularized ectopic bone from human embryonic stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells. Tissue Engineering Part A, 18(21-22):2290-2302, 2012. (cited 7)
  4. Ayelet Dar, Hagit Domev , Oren Ben-Yosef, Atara Novak, Igal Germanguz, Naama Zeevi-Levin, Michal Amit, Joseph Itskovitz-Eldor. Derivation of multipotent perivascular progenitor cells from human pluripotent cells during the onset of vasculogenesis. Circulation, 3:87-99, 2012. (cited 61)
  5. Novak A, Amit M, Ziv T, Segev H, Fishman B, Admon A, Itskovitz-Eldor J. Proteomics Profiling of Human Embryonic Stem Cells in the Early Differentiation Stage. Stem cells reviews and Reports, 8(1):137-149, 2012. (cited 6)
  6. Michal Amit, Ilana Laevsky, Yael Miropolsky, Kohava Shariki, Meital Peri, Joseph Itskovitz-Eldor.. Dynamic suspension culture for scalable expansion of undifferentiated human pluripotent stem cells. Nature protocols, 6(5): 572-579, 2011. (cited 49)
  7. Germanguz Y, Sedan O, Zeevi-Levin N, Shtrichman R, Barak E, Ziskind A, Eliyahu S, Meiry G, Amit M, Itskovitz-Eldor J, Binah O: Molecular characterization and functional properties of cardiomyocytes derived from human inducible pluripotent stem cells. Journal of Molecular Cardiology. 15(1):38-51, 2011. (cited 53)
  8. Sedan O, Dolnikov K, Zeevi-Levin N, Fleishmann N, Spiegel I, Berdichevski S, Amit M, Itskovitz-Eldor J, Binah O. Human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes can mobilize 1,4,5-inositol trisphosphate-operated [Ca2+]i stores: the functionality of angiotensin-II/endothelin-1 signaling pathways. Annalsof the New York Academy of Sciences 1188:68-77, 2010. (cited 9)
  9. Amit M, Chebath J, Marguletz V, Laevsky I, Miropolsky Y, Shariki K, Peri M, Revel M, Itskovitz-Eldor J. Suspension culture of undifferentiated human embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells. Stem Cells Reviews and Reports. 6(2):248-259, 2010. (cited 60)
  10. Frydman N, Féraud O, Bas C, Amit M, Frydman R, Bennaceur-Griscelli A, Tachdjian G. Characterization of human PGD blastocysts with unbalanced chromosomal translocations and human embryonic stem cell line derivation. Reproductive Biomedicine Online.19 Suppl 4:4199, 2009. (cited 5)
  11. Brokhman I, Pomp O, Shaham L, Tennenbaum T, Amit M, Itskovitz-Eldor J, Goldstein RS. Genetic modification of human embryonic stem cells with adenoviral vectors: differences of infectability between lines and correlation of infectability with expression of the coxsackie and adenovirus receptor. Stem Cells and Devlopment.18(3):447-56, 2009. (cited 17)
  12. Sedan O, Dolnikov K, Zeevi-Levin N, Leibovich N, Amit M, Itskovitz-Eldor J, Binah O. 1,4,5-Inositol trisphosphate-operated intracellular Ca(2+) stores and angiotensin-II/endothelin-1 signaling pathway are functional in human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. Stem Cells. 26(12):3130-8, 2008. (cited 31)
  13. Aberdam E, Barak E, Rouleau M, de LaForest S, Berrih-Aknin S, Suter DM, Krause KH,    Amit M, Itskovitz-Eldor J, Aberdam D. A pure population of ectodermal cells derived from human embryonic stem cells. Stem Cells. 26(2):440-444, 2008. (cited 45)
  14. Hall LL, Byron M, Butler J, Becker KA, Nelson A, Amit M, Itskovitz-Eldor J, Stein J, Stein G, Ware C, Lawrence JB. X-inactivation reveals epigenetic anomalies in most hESC but identifies sublines that initiate as expected. Journal of Cellular Physiology. 216(2):445-52, 2008. (cited 78)
  15. YirmeG, Amit M, laevsky I, Osenberg S, Itskovitz-Eldor J. stablishing a dynamic process for the formation, propagation and differentiation of human embryoid bodies. Stem Cells and Development, 17(6):1227-1241, 2008. (cited 57)
  16. Binah O, Dolnikov K, Sadan O, Shilkrut M, Zeevi-Levin N, Amit M, Danon A, Itskovitz-Eldor J. Functional and developmental properties of human embryonic stem cells-derived cardiomyocytes. Journal of Electrocardiology. 2007, 40(6):S192-196. (cited 59)
  17. Izrael M, Zhang P, Kaufman R, Shinder V, Ella R, Amit M, Itskovitz-Eldor J, Chebath J, Revel M. Human oligodendrocytes derived from embryonic stem cells: Effect of noggin on phenotypic differentiation in vitro and on myelination in vivo. Molecular Cell Neuroscience. 34(3):310-23, 2007. (cited 77)
  18. The International Stem Cell Initiative*, Adewumi O, Aflatoonian B, Ahrlund-Richter L, Amit M,  et al.  Characterization of human embryonic stem cell lines by the International Stem Cell Initiative. Nature Biotechnology. 25(7):803-16, 2007.  (cited 675)
  19. Tomescot A, Leschik J, Bellamy V, Dubois G, Messas E, Bruneval P, Desnos M, Hagege AA, Amit M, Itskovitz J, Menasche P, Puceat M. Differentiation in vivo of Cardiac Committed Human Embryonic Stem Cells in Post-myocardial Infarcted Rats. Stem Cells. 9:2200-2205,2007. (cited 144)
  20. Dolnikov K, Shilkrut M, Zeevi-Levin N, Gerecht-Nir S, Amit M, Danon A, Itskovitz-Eldor J, Binah O. Functional properties of human embryonic stem cells-derived cardiomyocytes: Intracellular Ca2+ handling and the role of sarcoplasmic reticulum in the contraction. Stem Cells. 24:236-45., 2006. (cited 116)
  21. Amit M, Winkler M, Menke S, Bruning E, Itskovitz-Eldor J, Denner J, Ulrich M. No evidence for infection of human embryonic stem cells by feeder cell-derived murine leukemia viruses (MLV). Stem Cells 23(6):761-71, 2005. (cited 41)
  22. Segev H, Kenyagin-Karsenti D, Fishman B, Gerecht-Nir S, Ziskind A, Amit M, Coleman R, Itskovitz-Eldor J. Molecular analysis of cardiomyocytes derived from human embryonic stem cells. Development, Growth Differentiatin 47(5):295-306, 2005. (cited 38)
  23. Amit M, Shariki K, Margulets V,  and Itskovitz-Eldor J. Feeder and serum-free culture system for human embryonic stem cells. Biology of Reproduction 70:837-845, 2004. (cited 690)
  24. Suss-Toby E, Gerecht Nir S, Amit M, Manor D, and Itskovitz-Eldor J. Derivation of diploid human pluripotent embryonicstem cell line from mononuclear zygote. Human Reproduction 19(3):670-5, 2004.
  25. Bhattacharya B, Miura T, Brandenberg R, Mejido J, Luo Y, Yang AX, Joshi BH, Irene G, Thies RS, Amit M, Lyons I, Condie BG, Iskovitz-Eldor J, Rao MS, Puri RK. Gene expression in human embryonic stem cell lines: unique molecular signature. Blood 15;103(8):2956-64, 2004. (cited 407)
  26. Ginis I, Luo Y, Miura T, Thies S, Brandenberger R, Gerecht-Nir S, Amit M, Hoke A, Carpenter M, Itskovitz-Eldor J, and Rao M. Differences between human and mouse embryonic stem cells. Developmental Biology 15;269(2):360-80, 2004. (cited 594)
  27. Amit M, Margulets V, Segev H, Shariki K, Laevsky I, Coleman R, and Itskovitz-Eldor J. Human feeder layers for human embryonic stem cells. Biology of Reproduction 68: 2150-2156, 2003. (cited 463)
  28. Levenberg S, Golub JS, Amit M, Itskovitz-Eldor J, and Langer R. Endothelial cells derived from human embryonic stem cells. Proceedings of the  National  Academy of Sciences, USA, 99: 4391-4396, 2002. (cited 808)
  29. Kehat I, Karsenti D, Segev S, Druckmann M, Amit M, Gepstein A, Livne A, Binah O, Itskovitz-Eldor J, and Gepstein L. Human embryonic stem cells can differentiate into myocytes with structural and functional properties of cardiomyocytes. J of Clinical Investigations 108:407-414, 2001. (cited 1611).
  30. Assady S., Maor G, Amit M, Itskovitz-Eldor J, Skorecki KL, and Tzukerman M. Insulin production by human embryonic stem cells. Diabetes 50:1691-1697, 2001. (cited 975)
  31. Itskovitz-Eldor J, Schuldiner M, Karsenti D, Eden E, Yanuka O, Amit M, Soreq H, and Benvenisty N. Differentiation of human embryonic stem cells into embryoid bodies comprising the three embryonic germ layers. Molecular Medicine 6:88-95, 2000. (cited 1165)
  32. Amit M, Carpenter MK, Inokuma MS, Chiu CP, Harris CP, Waknitz MA, Itskovitz- Eldor J, and Thomson JA. Clonally derived human embryonic stem cells lines maintain pluripotency and proliferative potential for prolonged periods of culture. Developmental Biology 227:271-278, 2000. (cited 1377)

    Invited Reviews

    1. Amit M, Itskovitz-Eldor J. Sources, derivation, and culture of human embryonic stem cells. Seminars in Reproductive Medicine. 24(5):298-303, 2006. Review. (cited 17)
    2. Amit M, Itskovitz-Eldor J. Feeder-free culture of human embryonic stem cells. Methods in Enzymology. 420:37-49, 2006. (cited 62)
    3. Amit M, Itskovitz-Eldor J. Maintenance of human embryonic stem cells in animal serum- and feeder layer-free culture conditions. Methods in Molecular Biology. 331:105-13, 2006. (cited 25)
    4. Amit M, Itskovitz-Eldor J. Derivation and maintenance of human embryonic stem cells. Methods in Molecular Biology. 331:43-53, 2006. (cited 18)
    5. Izhak Kehat, Michal Amit, Amira Gepstein, Irit Huber, Joseph Itskovitz-Eldor, Lior Gepstein. Development of cardiomyocytes from human ES cells. Methods in Enzymology 365:461-73, 2003. (cited 36)
    6. Amit M and Itskovitz-Eldor J. Derivation and spontaneous differentiation of human embryonic stem cells. Review. Journal of Anatomy 200:225-232, 2002. (cited 213)
    Books
    1. Amit M, Itskovitz-Eldor J. Atlas on Human Pluripotent Stem Cells – Derivation and Culturing. Series: Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine. Turksen
      (Ed), Springer 2012.
    Book Chapters

    Chapters in Books

    1. Amit M. CHAPTER 1- Sources and Derivation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells, in “Pluripotent Stem Cells: Methods and Protocols” published by Springer, edit by Uma Lakshmipathy and Mohan C Vemuri, 997:3-11, 2013.
    2. Amit M. Derivation of stem cells from epiblasts. Emerging technology platforms for stem cells, Editors: Uma Lakshmipathy, Jonathan D Chesnut, and Bhaskar Thyagarajan, Wiley Publishers, 2009, 29-38.
    3. Amit M, Itskovitz-Eldor J. Embryonic stem cells: isolation, characterization and culture. Advanced Biochemestry Engineerining Biotechnology. 114:173-184, 2009. (cited 6)
    4. Amit M. Feeder layer free culture system for human embryonic stem cells. In Methods in Molecular Biology 407, Stem Cells Assays, Mohan C Vemuri (Ed), Humana Press, Chapter 2 pp. 11-20, 2007. (cited 13)
    5. Amit M, Itskovitz-Eldor J: Isolation, characterization and maintenance of primate ES cells. In: Essentials of Stem Cell Biology, Lanza RP (Ed), Elsevier Science, 2005.
    6. Amit M, Itskovitz-Eldor J: Derivation and maintenance of human embryonic stem cells. In: Human embryonic stem cells:methods and protocols,  Turksen (Ed), Humana Press, Canada 2005.
    7. Amit M, Gerecht-Nir S, Itskovitz-Eldor J: Derivation, subcloning, spontaneous and controlled differentiation of human embryonic stem cells. In: Stem cells: from bench to bedside, Bongso and Lee (Eds), World Scientific Publishing, Singapore, 2005.
    8. Amit M, Itskovitz-Eldor J: Maintenance of human embryonic stem cells in animal-serum- and feeder-layer-free culture conditions. In: Human embryonic stem cells:methods and protocols, Turksen (Ed), Humana Press, Canada 2005. (cited 25)
    9. Amit M and Itskovitz-Eldor J. Isolation, characterization and maintenance of primate ES cells. In: Handbook of Stem Cells. Lanze RP (Ed) Elsevier Science, chapter 40, 2004.
    10. Amit M, Segev H, Manor D, Itskovitz-Eldor J: Subcloning and alternative methods for the derivation and culture of human embryonic stem cells. In: Human Embryonic Stem Cells. Chiu A, Rao M, O’Grady E (Ed), Humana Press, New Jersey 2003. (cited 5)
    11. Amit M and Itskovitz-Eldor J: Human embryonic stem cells. In: An Atlas of the Human Blastocyst. Lucinda Veeck, Micika Zaninovic, Nicika Zaninovic (Eds), CRC Parthenon Publishing, London/New York, Chapter 11, pp 213-229, 2003.
    12. Amit M and Itskovitz-Eldor J: Human embryonic stem cells. In: The Embryo from Conception to Birth: Scientific Discovery, Medical and Ethical Dilemmas. Zimmer, Blazer (Eds), Karger, Basel, 2003.
    13. Amit M, Suss-Toby E, Manor D, Itskovitz-Eldor J: Human embryonic stem  cells and embryo cloning In: Biotechnology of Human Reproduction. Revelli A, Tur-Kaspa I, Gunar Holte J, Massobrio M (Eds), Parthenon Publishers, London/New-York 2002.

Other Publications

Theses:

  1. M.Sc. 1997. “Neurotransmitters in meiotic resumption of mammalian oocytes.” The Ruth and Bruce Rapaport Faculty of Medicine, supervised by Prof. Joseph Itskovitz-Eldor.

Ph.D. 2004. “Human embryonic stem cells: derivation, maintenance and differentiation into hematopoietic progeny.” Faculty of Medicine, supervised by Prof. Joseph Itskovitz-Eldor, and Prof. Dov Zipori (Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot).

Patents

  1. Amit M and Thomson JA. Clonal human embryonic stem cells lines and methods of generating same. Patent number 7,217,569, submitted to the USA Patents Committee. Granted. Publication date October 9, 2003.
  2. Levenberg S, Langer B, Amit M, and Itskovitz-Eldor J. Endothelial cells derived from human embryonic stem cells. Patent application number US20040009589, submitted to the USA Patents Committee. Publication date January 15, 2004.
  3. Amit M and Itskovitz-Eldor J. Human Feeder Layers for Human Embryonic Stem Cells. Patent number 7,267,981, submitted to the USA Patents Committee. Family of several patents, all are granted. Publication date April 8, 2004.
  4. Amit M and Itskovitz-Eldor J. Feeder layer-free culture system for human ES cells. Patent number 7,592,175, submitted to the USA Patents Committee. Family of several patents, all are granted. Publication date July 7, 2004.
  5. Amit M and Itskovitz-Eldor J. Stem cells and embryoid bodies carrying defective genes and use of same or tissues or organs developed therefrom as in vitro or in vivo experimental models for developing course for genetic diseases. Publication number WO 2005/053601, sbmitted to the USA Patents Committee. Publication date June 16, 2005.
  6. Gepstein L, Itskovitz-Eldor J, Kehat I and Amit M. Methods of generating human cardiac cells and tissues. Publication number US-0037489, sbmitted to the USA Patents Committee. Publication date December 17, 2005.
  7. Amit M and Itskovitz-Eldor J. Stem cell lines derived from delayed blastocyst culture and their uses. Patent number 8,354,277 submitted to the USA Patents Committee. Family of several patents, all are granted. Publication date April 20, 2006.
  8. Amit M and Itskovitz-Eldor J. IL6-IL6 receptor chimera supports the feeder layer-free culture of hESCs. Publication number WO 2007/026353, sbmitted to the USA Patents Committee. Publication date March 8, 2007.
  9. Amit M and Itskovitz-Eldor J. Methods of expanding embryonic stem cells in a suspension culture. Publication number WO 2009/0311781, sbmitted to the USA Patents Committee. Publication date December 17, 2009. Allowed.
  10. Aberdam E, Barak E, Amit M, Itskovitz-Eldor J, Aberdam D. A pure population of ectodermal cells derived from human embryonic stem cells. Publication number WO 2139989, sbmitted to the USA Patents Committee. Publication date January 6, 2010.
  11. Amit M and Itskovitz-Eldor J. Defined, xeno-free media for culturing hESCs. Patent number 8,476,070, submitted to the USA Patents Committee. Granted. Publication date September 2, 2010.
  12. Amit M and Itskovitz-Eldor J. Suspension culture of undifferentiated induced pluripotent cells. Publication number WO 2011/058558, sbmitted to the USA Patents Committee. Publication date May 19, 2011. Allowed.
  13. Amit M and Itskovitz-Eldor J. Culture media, cell cultures and methods of culturing pluripotent stem cells in an undifferentiated state. Publication number WO 2012 032521, sbmitted to the USA Patents Committee. Publication date March 15, 2012. Allowed.

 

Academic Appointments

2007- 2014 Head, National Center for Stem Cells Technology
Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel.

2011- present Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Medicine, Technion.

2014- present External Lecturere, Prof. Ephraim Katzir Department of Biotechnology,
ORT Braude college of Engineering

Teaching Experience

ORT Braude college of Engineering
Undergraduate Courses:
1997- 2004 Course instructor – “Topics in Biology”

2004- 2005 Seminar instructor – “Tissue culture”

2004-1012 Course instructor – “Tissue culture of animal cells”

2007 Course instructor – “Biology of the cell”

2006-2012 Course instructor – “Molecular mechanisms in eukaryotic cells”

2014-present Course instructor – “Molecular mechanisms in eukaryotic cells”

2014-present Couese instructor – “Enzymology and Metabolism” metabolism part.

B. TECHNION – Israel Institute of Technology
Graduate Courses:
2004-2009 Chief instructor – “Human embryonic stem cells: culture techniques”
Conducted under the auspices and sponsorship of the National Institutes of Health, USA. The course took place twice yearly in Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA and on an individual basis at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.

2005 Chief instructor – “Human embryonic stem cells: culture and analysis techniques” Coriell Institute, Camden, New Jersey, USA.

2010- Course instructor – “Embryonic stem cells: from bench to the bed side”Technion, Faculty of Medicine, course 278473.

Academic and Professional Awards and Grants

  1. The Gutwirth Family Scholarship for Excellence, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, 2002. Due to the achivement of the first Israeli embryonic stem cell lines and a leading publication in Development Biology.
  2. The Hershel Rich award innovation award: “NutriStem – human embryonic stem cells culture medium for clinical and industrial applications”, Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, 2010.
  3. 2002-2006 Ministry of Science, Culture & Sport, Israel (Itskovitz-Eldor, PI) Project manager Differentiation of human embryonic stem cells into hematopoietic stem cells. (1,000,000 NIS).
  4. 2003-2005 National Institutes of Health, USA (Itskovitz-Eldor, PI) Chief instructor Short term course in human embryonic stem cell culture techniques, with Rao M, collaborator. (340,000 USD).
  5. 2003-2005 National Institutes of Health, USA (Itskovitz-Eldor, PI) Project manager Infrastructure for stem cells production and distribution. (720,000 USD)
  6. 2004-2008 Ministry of Industry and Trade, Israel (“Bereshit, Magnet”) (Itskovitz-Eldor, PI) Project manager, Production and scale-up of human embryonic stem cells. (6,500,000 NIS).
  7. 2005-2008 National Institutes of Health, USA (Itskovitz-Eldor, PI) Project manager Infrastructure for stem cells production and distribution. (825,000 USD).
  8. 2006-2009 National Institutes of Health, USA (Itskovitz-Eldor, PI) Chief instructor Short term course in human embryonic stem cell culture techniques, with Rao M, collaborator. (420,000 USD).
  9. 2004-2008 Ministry of Industry and Trade, Israel, (“Magneton”) (Itskovitz-Eldor, PI) Project manager, Development of serum and animal free medium for the culture of human embryonic stem cells. (1,512,000 NIS).
  10. 2008-2010 Ministry of Science, Israel, (“Knowledge Center”) (Itskovitz-Eldor, PI) Center manager, Stem Cell Technology Center (2,400,000 NIS).
  11. 2008-2010 BIODISC (Itskovitz-Eldor, Co-PI) Project manager, large-scale suspension culture system for the differentiation of human embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells into cardiovascular progenitors and functional cardiomyocytes for high-throughput drug screening and regenerative medicine. (300,000 Euro).
  12. 2010- 2013 Japan-Israel Scientific Research Cooperation (Itskovitz-Eldor, Co-PI) Leading scientist, SENDAI virus mediated differentiation of human embryonic stem cells and pluripotent stem cells for mass production of hematopoietic progenitor and endothelial cells. (150,000 USD).
  13. 2010-2013 BIODISC (Itskovitz-Eldor, Co-PI) Project manager, Industrialization of Pluripotent Stem Cells for Neurological Disease Modeling and Compound Development. (510,000 Euro).
  14. 2010-2013 Merck sponsered research (Itskovitz-Eldor, PI) Project manager, Industrialization of Pluripotent Stem Cells: medium and process development. (600,000 Euro).

Professional Activities

Membership in international societeis
  1. Israel Stem Cells Society – Active member, Treasurer 2009-2011.
  2. International Stem Cells Forume – Israel representative, since 2010.
  3. International Society for Stem Cells Research – Active member, since 2004.
  4. Israel Stem Cells Society – Orginaizing meeting comitee, Yuong investigator days and 2011 international stem cells meeting in Tel Aviv, 2010-2011.

 

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