News
Updates from the lab
2026
Dvir Aran promoted to Associate Professor with tenure
Dvir has been granted tenure and promoted to Associate Professor at the Technion.
CellMentor featured in Israel Hayom →
Israel Hayom featured CellMentor under the headline 'Our AI tool discovered in cancer what other methods missed', highlighting how the tool uncovered mechanisms in neuroblastoma that standard methods had overlooked.
New paper in Lancet Oncology on deep learning for breast cancer recurrence prediction
Our collaborative paper with Kimmel et al. on deep learning applied to histopathological images to predict breast cancer recurrence risk and chemotherapy benefit has been accepted to Lancet Oncology.
2025
CellMentor published in Nature Communications →
Or Hevdeli and Kate Petrenko's CellMentor paper on cell-type aware dimensionality reduction is published in Nature Communications.
Almog Angel wins Faculty Best Paper Award for xCell 2.0
Almog Angel received the Faculty Best Paper Award and presented xCell 2.0 at the faculty seminar.
xCell 2.0 published in Genome Biology →
Almog Angel's xCell 2.0 paper is out in Genome Biology! The new algorithm provides robust cell type proportion estimation and predicts response to immune checkpoint blockade.
New ISF Grant: Deciphering Brain Metastasis Microenvironments (1.35M NIS)
Dvir received a new Israel Science Foundation grant (2025-2030) for the project 'Deciphering Brain Metastasis Microenvironments Through Single-Cell RNA Sequencing to Enhance Immunotherapy', 1.35M NIS.
Cannabis and pain relief paper published in Communications Medicine →
Our collaborative paper with Meiri lab showing that machine learning of medical cannabis chemical profiles reveals analgesia beyond placebo expectations is published in Communications Medicine. The study of 329 chronic pain patients identified specific terpenoids as key predictors of pain relief.
SLAYER published in NAR Genomics and Bioinformatics →
Ziv Cohen and Kate Petrenko's SLAYER framework for identifying synthetic lethal interactions is published in NAR Genomics and Bioinformatics.
In memory of Prof. Atul Butte (1969–2025) →
We are deeply saddened by the passing of Prof. Atul Butte, a pioneering leader in biomedical informatics and Dvir's postdoctoral mentor at UCSF and Stanford. Atul's vision for translating big data into better health inspired our lab's mission. His legacy lives on in the countless researchers and clinicians he mentored and the field he helped shape.
Dvir invited to EACR 2025 and Broad-Israel Consortium
Dvir was invited to speak at the EACR Annual Congress in Lisbon and the Broad-Israel Biomedical Consortium in Cambridge.
Fine-Pruning published in Patterns
Joey Bingham's Fine-Pruning algorithm for personalized machine learning is published in Patterns.
Dvir appointed Individual Expert at European Innovation Council
Dvir has been appointed as an Individual Expert for the European Innovation Council (EIC).
2024
Moshe Zisser's paper on transformer-based CKD prediction in JAMIA →
Moshe Zisser's paper on transformer-based time-to-event prediction for chronic kidney disease deterioration published in JAMIA.
Comparative efficacy of immunotherapy in melanoma published in BJC Reports →
Our collaborative paper with Carelon Digital Platforms comparing CTLA-4 and PD-1 blockade vs PD-1 monotherapy in metastatic melanoma published in BJC Reports.
GPT-4 for clinical decision support preprint
Preprint evaluating GPT-4 as a clinical decision support tool in ischemic stroke management with Shahar Shelly posted on medRxiv.
2023
Dvir invited to The Wistar Institute Distinguished Lectures
Dvir delivered a Distinguished Lecture in Cancer Research at The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia.
Exhausted γδ T cells in kidney cancer published in Nature Immunology →
Collaborative paper with the Fong lab on exhausted intratumoral γδ T cells in kidney cancer published in Nature Immunology.
Technion-Pfizer collaboration on AI for health launched →
Dvir met with Pfizer CEO Dr. Albert Bourla as part of the Technion-Pfizer collaboration to accelerate scientific breakthroughs using AI, contributing to the launch of Tech.AI, the Technion's biomedical AI center.
2022
FOLFIRINOX vs Gemcitabine comparison published in JAMA Network Open →
Our real-world comparison of chemotherapy regimens for metastatic pancreatic cancer published in JAMA Network Open.
2021
ISF Research Grant awarded
Dvir awarded an Israel Science Foundation grant for evaluating the effects of biological therapies on the metastatic microenvironment using single-cell transcriptomics (1.08M + 800K NIS equipment).
First Digital Medicine Conference in Israel
Dvir co-organized the first Digital Medicine Conference in Israel with Prof. Ron Shamir.
COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness study featured in Bloomberg, The Telegraph
Our real-world COVID-19 vaccination effectiveness preprint was featured in Bloomberg, The Telegraph, and other major news outlets.
Nature Neuroscience paper on CNS fibroblasts →
Collaborative paper with Daneman and Arnold labs on CNS fibroblasts forming fibrotic scars published in Nature Neuroscience.
2020
COVID and Common Cold paper published →
Our paper showing prior presumed coronavirus infection reduces COVID-19 risk published in the Journal of Infection.
Dvir awarded the Andre Deloro Career Advancement Chair
Dvir was awarded the Andre Deloro Career Advancement Chair at the Technion.
Dvir awarded the Azrieli Faculty Fellowship
Dvir was awarded the prestigious Azrieli Faculty Fellowship.