Prof. Avi Peretz, teaches in the BIU Faculty of Medicine and is the Director of the Academia, Innovation and Research System (AIR) at the Tzafon Medical Center.

Research:

Infectious diseases are one of the most common causes of death worldwide. Among the reasons for this we can list the increase in the resistance  rate  of bacteria to antibiotics, alongside a sharp peak in the rate of hospital acquired infections. One of the challenges in the field is to identify the disease cause (bacterium, virus, parasite or fungus) quickly using various diagnostic tools, and to choose the appropriate treatment, for example, antibiotics.

As part of its activities the laboratory researches the virulence mechanisms of various bacteria, such as the ability to form biofilm, toxins that cause various damages, as well as the response of the immune system and the relationship between the pathogen and the host. The laboratory closely collaborates with various research laboratories around the world and in Israel, and takes part in important multi-center international studies. Many of the studies conducted in the laboratory include the use of clinical samples collected from patients with various infectious diseases, as well as the use of animal models and cell cultures.

In recent years, the laboratory focuses on the research of on Helicobacter pylori and Clostridioides difficile, and holds the largest bacterial bank in Israel.