Talk by Prof. Gad Asher

Prof. Gad Asher

Abstract

Circadian clocks are present in almost all light-sensitive organisms, from cyanobacteria, through plants, flies to humans. These clocks oscillate with a period of about 24 h (Circa – around, Dies – day) and orchastrate our daily behaviour, phisology and metbaolism. As earth completes each rotation every 24 hours, these endogenous clocks enable organisms to predict and adapt to daily environmental changes. These diurnal rhythms in physiology and behavior have been studied for centuries, but only recently a tremendous leap has been made in our understanding of these key processes and their underlying molecular mechsnims.

The mammalian circadian timing system consists of a central pacemaker in the brain that synchronizes subsidiary oscillators in virtually all cells of the body. All these oscillators share a similar molecular makeup, and rely on interconnected feedback loops of core clock component. While the brain’s master clock is entrained by daily light-dark cycles, feeding time appears to be the dominant timing cue for some peripheral clocks.

The vocabulary used in circadian research is frequently inspired by music; we often speak of these clocks as orchestrators of internal time, leading to harmony with the rhytmic envioerment. We talk of clocks as setting the tempo for physiological processes, as conductors lead their orchestra. We speak about entrainment of cellular clocks with each other and the environment and about time cues.  

In his talk Prof. Asher will discuss basic principles in circadian biology from a musical perspective.   

Bioskech

Dr. Gad Asher completed his MD degree with distinction at Tel Aviv University in 1999 and worked as a resident internist at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center. In 2006, he earned his PhD in biochemistry from the Weizmann Institute. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Geneva, Switzerland, in 2011 and joined the Department of Biomolecular Sciences at the Weizmann Institute in Spring 2011. In 2017 he was promoted to associate Professor and in 2022 to full Professor. In 2024, he completed his BA in musicology at Tel Aviv University.

Dr. Asher’s research focuses on circadian clocks in mammals. His lab studies the properties of the molecular clock as well as its interplay with metabolism under both physiological and pathological conditions.

He has received numerous prizes and awards including the EMBO young investigator, Alon Fellowship, the Levinson prize for scientific achievements, the Rappaport Prize in Biomedical Research for early career investigators, as well as the ERC starter and consolidator grants.

For those who would like to participate via Zoom, here is the link. The password is 1234.