Gerontology & Geriatric Research

Gal Bitan

Gal Bitan, PhD
Executive Editor
Associate Professor
University of California, USA

Biography

Gal Bitan completed his graduate studies in organic chemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. He is a co-inventor of patented methodologies for peptide cyclization, which formed the basis for creation of the biotechnology company Peptor, Inc. In his postdoctoral studies on protein misfolding and aggregation at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Dr. Bitan has made fundamental contributions to the study of early events in the pathologic cascades that cause Alzheimer′s disease. He introduced the use of novel photochemical protein cross-linking techniques for investigation of amyloid β-protein assembly and discovered one of the earliest oligomers in the assembly cascade, the paranucleus. In 2004, Dr. Bitan joined UCLA where he is currently an Associate Professor. His research focuses on novel therapeutic strategies for protein misfolding diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and type-2 diabetes. In recognition of his achievements, in 2005, Dr. Bitan received the Turken research award.
 

Research Interest

Mechanisms of aberrant protein aggregation
Amyloid-related diseases
Mechanisms of amyloid formation
Non-fibrillar assemblies of amyloid forming proteins
Oxidative stress in neurodegenerative diseases and aging
Structure-activity relationships of amyloid forming proteins
Structure-based drug design for amyloid-related diseases
Peptide-based modulators of amyloid protein self-assembly
Small-molecule modulators of amyloid protein self-assembly