Professor, Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University
Chair, Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University
Pollak Chair of Biological Anthropology
Honorary Research Fellow, King’s College Medical School, London, UK
Gregory Livshits, Ph.D., Professor
CURRICULUM VITAE
Date of Birth: September 22, 1949.
Marital Status: Married with two children
EDUCATION
1971 MSc degree in Biology and Chemistry
1974 - 1978 Laboratory of Populations Genetics, Institute of General Genetics, Academy of Sciences, Moscow, USSR - Ph. D. student
1979 – 1981- Weiss Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Israel - Ph.D. degree in the field of population genetics.
ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE in TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY
Since 2011 – 2015 Professor and Head of the Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University
Since 2011 - Head of Pollack Chair in Biological Anthropology
2004 - 2012 - Director, Yoran Institute for Human Genome Research, including National Laboratory for Genetics of Israeli Populations, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University.
1996 – 2000 - Professor and Head of the Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University.
Since 1996 - Professor, Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University
1990 – 1995 - Associate Professor, Dept. of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University.
1985 - 1990 - Senior Lecturer, Tel Aviv University, Faculty of Medicine, Dept. of Anatomy and Anthropology
1981 – 1985 - Lecturer Tel Aviv University, Faculty of Medicine, Dept. of Anatomy and Anthropology
1979 – 1981- Assistant Professor, scientific research worker. Tel Aviv University, Faculty of Life Sciences
VISITING POSITIONS
Since 2006 – Honorary Research Fellow, King’s College Medical School, London, UK
July – August, 2006-2014 Visiting Senior Research Scholar, Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology Laboratory, King’s College London, UK (Prof. T. Spector’s invitation).
August-September, 2000 Visiting Professor, Dept. of Public Health, Cornell University Medical College, N.Y., USA (Prof. R.B. Millman’s invitation)
August-September, 1998 Visiting Professor, Dept. of Public Health, Cornell University Medical College, N.Y., USA (Prof. R.B. Millman’s invitation)
August-October, 1996 Visiting Senior Research Scholar, Dept. of Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany (Prof. J. Wahrendorf's invitation)
June-September 1994 Visiting Senior Research Scholar, Dept. of Anthropogenetics, Free University of Brussels, Belgium (Prof. C. Susanne's invitation)
June-September 1991 Visiting Professor and Research Consultant, Center for Theoretical and Applied Genetics, State University of New Jersey, "Rutgers", New Brunswick, U.S.A.
(Prof. P. Smouse's invitation)
1989 - 1990 Sabbatical, Visiting Professor, Laboratory of Biological Anthropology, Department of Ecology and Evolution, State University of New York at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, N.Y., USA (Prof. R. Sokal's invitation)
July – October 1987 Visiting Associate Professor, Center for Demographic and Population Genetics, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas at Houston, USA
(Prof. M. Nei's invitation)
MAIN SCIENTIFIC INTERESTS
1. Genetic epidemiology and heritability of complex traits. Major research projects in the field of skeletal system aging and human body composition.
2. Early child growth and development (with special interest in premature born and low birth weight infants).
TEACHING
1. Human anatomy, course for medical students
2. Comparative anatomy in light of embryology and phylogeny*
3. Advanced course in human biology and genetic epidemiology*
* Advanced courses for MSc and PhD students
ACADEMIC AND PROFFESSIONAL AWARDS (last 15 years)
Principal investigator (PI) in:
Genetic determinants of the major risk factors in vascular morbidity in ethnically different human populations. Israeli Ministry of Sciences
Genetic determinants of blood plasma lipids and lipoproteins in Israeli pedigrees.
Tel Aviv University Sackler Faculty of Medicine grant.
Genetic epidemiology of bone aging and osteoporosis, supported by following foundations:
1. Israeli Ministry of Health;
2. “STRAUSS” Dairy Industry, Israel;
3. National Science Foundation of Israel.
Genetic, Metabolic and Life Style Factors Influence on Longitudinal Changes of Human Skeleton, supported by:
ESF workshop. Personalized medicine Europe: Health, Genes and Society.
European Science Foundation.
Extra-cellular inorganic pyrophosphate transport channel genes are highly promising candidates for bone and cartilage degeneration disease. Recanati Foundation, Israel.
Extensive genetic analysis of candidate genes for hand osteoarthritis in general population.
Israeli Ministry of Health, Chief scientist grant.
Minerva School on Pharmacogentics. Improving the Safety and Efficacy of Medicines.
Minerva Foundation, Germany.
Genetic Epidemiological Study of Sarcopenia Associated Phenotypes in General Human Population, Israel Science Foundation
Genetic Epidemiology of Low Back Pain in Complex Arab Pedigrees in Israel. Tel Aviv University Sackler Faculty of Medicine grant
Genetics, Genomics and Metabolomics of the Low Back Pain and Spinal Disc Degeneration in Complex Arab Pedigrees in Israel. Israel Science Foundation
SUPERVISED STUDENTS IN THE LAST 15 YEARS
S. Fields (1994-1997) Ph.D Thesis: "Growth and Development Standards of Preterm Born Infants During the First Two Years of Life".
D. Karasik (1992-1995) M.Sc. Thesis: "Biological Age Estimation by Mineralization and Age Related Parameters of Hand Bones in Different Ethnic Groups of Israeli Adults".
I. Peter (1993-1999) Ph.D. Thesis: "Genetic Epidemiological Approach to Study Motor and Physical Development in Early Childhood of Preterm and Low Birth Weight Infants".
L. Klezelman (1993-1996) M.Sc. Thesis: "Radiographic Study of the Relationship between Fluctuating Asymmetry and Bone Health Status in Human Population".
M. Mor (1997-2000) M. Sc. Thesis: "Major gene effects on variation of human body size and shape".
D. Karasik (1996-2000) PhD Thesis: "Segregation and Linkage Analysis of Bone Health Status Characteristics Predisposing to Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis.
A. Frishman (1998-2000) M.Sc. Thesis: "Genetic Risk Factors for Preterm Birth in Israel".
N. Frenkel (1998-2002) Ph.D Thesis: "Comparative Analysis of mtDNA and Y-chromosome DNA polymorphisms in Middle Eastern Jewish Populations".
E. Cohen (1999-) Ph. D. Thesis: "Ecological factors in geographical distribution of bone age characteristics in Europe and Asia.
L. Kalichman (1998-2003) M.Sc. Thesis: "Age related changes of thoracic vertebrae and corresponding sympathetic ganglia in humans".
E. Ronen (1998-2000) M.Sc. Thesis: "Relationship between histological and hemodinamic characteristic of rat heart suffering from severe myocardial infarction".
S. Shumer-Gutman (1999 - 2001) M.Sc. Thesis: "Lysyl oxydase in brain and spinal cord injury.
M. Ekshtein (1999 - 2003) Ph.D Thesis: "Genetic sources of the osteoporosis development in human population".
I. Almog (1999 - 02) M.Sc. Thesis: "Search for bone mineral density genes in chromosome 11".
R. Sapir-Koren (1999-2004) Ph.D. Thesis: "Contribution of the candidate genetic loci ER-alpha and COLIA1 to plasma level of biochemical markers of bone turnover and osteoporotic phenotype".
L. Kalichman (2000 - 2004) Ph.D Thesis: "Intrinsic Factors in Development Hand Osteoarthritis".
I. Pantsulaia (2002 - 2004) DrSci Thesis: “Comprehensive quantitative genetic study of circulating cytokines and growth factors involved in bone and cartilage metabolism.”
Bigman Galya (2003 - 2006) M. Sc. Thesis: “Genetic Epidemiological Study of Longitudinal Changes in Chronic Degenerative Disease”.
Vistoropsky Yulia (2004-2009) PhD Thesis: “Genetics of hormonal factors involved in regulation of bone turnover”.
Ermakov Sergey (2003 - 2008) Ph.D Thesis: “Genetic epidemiology of bone size and bone geometry in ethnically homogeneous pedigrees”.
K. Yakovlev (2003 - 2006) M.Sc. Thesis: “Molecular and linkage study of the selected candidate chromosomal areas and hand osteoarthritis.”
R. Matias (2004 - 2006) M.Sc. Thesis: “Contribution of the genetic and molecular factors in correlation between bone mass and obesity traits”.
G. Bigman (2005- 2007) M.Sc. Thesis: “Genetic relationships between anthropometrical characteristics of obesity, blood pressure and bone size and geometry in noramative human population”.
M. Ketter (2004 - 2007) M.Sc. Thesis: “Combined effect of ER-alpha and ANKH gene polymorphisms on bone mass and size and bone turnover in elderly women”.
Olga Yarenchuk (2008 - 2012) M.Sc. Thesis: “Study of the eight candidate genes effect on lean body mass and sarcopenia in a normative human population”.
Anna Leonov (2009 - 2010) M.Sc. Thesis: “Quantitative genetic study of circulating levels variation of amphyregulin, fractalkine and MCP1 factors and their association with arthropaties”.
Ermakov Sergey (2009 – 2010) Postdoctoral fellowship. Fibroblast growth factor receptor genes in relation to craniofacial genetics.
Alina German (2009 - 2010) Postdoctoral fellowship. Genetics of early child growth and development.
Dr. Ruth Birk (2009 - 2010) - Postdoctoral fellowship. New functionally interrelated candidate genes for obesity and lean body mass.
Orit Blumenfeld (2009 - 2015) PhD Thesis: “Comparative epidemiological and genetic epidemiological study of iterleukin-6 (IL6) plasma levels and IL6 structural gene variants on the risk of hand and knee osteoarthritis”.
Adina Bachar (2011 - 2014) PhD Thesis: “Identification of main predictor factors associated with successful weight reduction and maintenance in general population”
Liran Franco (2011- 2014) M.Sc. Thesis: “Association of IGF-1 and fraktalkine circulating levels with body composition and osteoarthritis: A genetic - epidemiological study”
Nader Tarbiy (2012- ) M.Sc/PhD. Thesis: “Genetic epidemiology of the low back pain and spinal disc degeneration in complex Arabic pedigrees in Israel”
Barak Gershon (2012-2014) M.Sc. Thesis: “Genetic and metabolomics analysis of muscle mass and sarcopenia in community-based study”
Jay Prakash (2013-) Postdoctoral fellowship. Genetic epidemiological and molecular study of human body fat and fat free mass variation
Euvgenia Babin (2014- ) M.Sc. Thesis: “New biochemical factors as markers of muscle mass degeneration in general human population”
Miguel Morales (2014- ) M.Sc/PhD. Thesis: “Epigenetics, genetics and metabolomics approach in study of common widespread pain syndrome”
Victoria Volkov (2015- ) M.Sc. Thesis: “Contribution body composition and genetic factors to risk of idiopathic scoleosis in two ethnically different populations”
PARTICIPATION IN SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS
1995 Annual Meeting of the Human Biology Council, Oakland, California, U.S.A.
1995 64th European Atherosclerosis Society Congress, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
1995 Invited Lecturer European Research Conference: "Inherited Disorders and their Genes in Different European Populations", San Feliu de Guixols, Spain.
1995 Invited Lecturer at the International Symposium on Perspectives in Anthropology of Past and Present Populations, Xanthi, Greece.
1995 Invited Lecturer for Scientific Seminar on Genetic Determinants of Lipids, Lipoproteins and Apolipoproteins Variation and Covariation in Israeli Population, Universidad Autonoma, Madrid, Spain.
1996 Annual Meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists, Durham, N.C., U.S.A.
1996 Annual Meeting of the American Association of Human Biologists,Durham, N.C., U.S.A.
1996 Invited Lecturer: Quantitative Genetics of Lipids, SRI, Stanford University, California, U.S.A. Special Guest Seminar.
1996 Invited Lecturer : Plenary Lecture: Outlines of genetic epidemiology: ideas, methods, achievements and limitations. 10th Congress of the European Anthropological Association, Brussels, Belgium
1996 Invited Lecturer: International summer school of anthropology. Introduction to genetic epidemiology. Democritus University of Thrace, Komotini, Greece
1996 Invited Lecturer: Quantitative genetics of plasma lipids, lipoproteins, and apolipoproteins variation and covariation. Ceska Lekarska Spolecnost, J.E. Purkyne, Praha, Czeck Republic.
1996 Invited Lecturer: Genetic and environmental sources of human bone aging rate variation. Institut fur Humangenetic, Virchow-Klinikum, Humboldt - Universitat an Berlin, Germany.
1996 July - October, Visiting Senior Research Scholar, Dept. of Epidemiology, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany (Prof. J. Wahrendorf's invitation)
1997 Invited Lecturer: Tel-Aviv Heidelberg Three Generation Offspring Study: Major Genetic Epidemiological Results. Laboratory of Biochemical Genetics, Rockfeller University, N.Y., U.S.A.
1997 Invited Lecturer: Tel-Aviv Heidelberg Three Generation Offspring Study. Research Conference at Framingham Heart Study, Framingham, Ma. U.S.A.
1997 Invited Lecturer: Tel-Aviv -Heidelberg Three Generation Offspring Study. Special guest seminar at the Dept. of Biochemical Genetics, Rockefeller University, N.Y., U.S.A.
1997 Invited Lecturer: Population Biology of Human Bone Aging: Genetic, Demographic and Environmental Aspects. Human Nutrition Research Center, Tufts University, Boston, U.S.A.
1997 Invited Lecturer: Population Biology of Human Bone Aging. Division of Biostatistics, Washington University Medical Center, St. Louis, U.S.A.
1998 Invited Lecturer: Genetic Determinants of Bone Aging and Osteoporosis. European Research Conference "INHERITED DISORDERS AND THEIR GENES IN DIFFERRENT EUROPEN POPULATIONS", Acquafredda di Maratea, Italy.
1998 Invited Lecturer: How many genes do we need to explain variation in plasma concentrations of various lipids and hemostatic factors, Department of Biology University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Italy, guest seminar.
1998 Invited Lecturer: What Makes Our Bone Age. Institute of Anthropology and Human Genetics, University of Munchen, Germany. Special guest seminar.
1998 Invited Lecturer : Genetic History of Jewish Populations: Continuous Controversy. 3rd Congress of German Anthropological Society (GfA), Gottingen, Germany.
1999 Genetic Analysis of Calciotropic Hormones PTH and Calcidiol in Relation to Bone Mineral Density. 11th International Workshop on Calcified Tissues, Eilat, Israel.
1999 Invited Lecturer : Genetic Epidemiology of Bone Aging in Human Populations. International Workshop on Islands in Transition Anthropological Analysis, Hvar, Croatia.
2000 Quantitative Genetic Study of Bone Aging and Bone Remodeling. International Meeting on Genetic Epidemiology of Complex Traits. Cambridge, England.
2000 Invited Lecturer : Genetic Patterns of Blood Pressure Variation in Ethnically Different Human Populations. International Worshop on Disease Profiles in Developed and Developing Countries. Hvar, Croatia.
2000 Invited Lecturer : Genetic and Common Environmental Sources of Blood Pressure and Obesity Correlation. Department of Public Health, Cornell University Medical College, N.Y., U.S.A., special guest seminar.
2000 Invited Lecturer : Outline of Genetic Epidemiology of Bone Aging, Depts. of Medicine and Molecular Biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sci., Little Rock, U.S.A. special guest seminar.
2000 Invited Lecturer : Genetic and Familial Factors in Early Human Growth and Motor Development, 4th German Anthropological Society (GfA) Congress, Potsdam, Germany.
2001 Invited Lecturer : What Makes Our Bones Age: Climate, Genes and Where they may be Located.
2001: Major Gene Control of Normal Variation of Bone Mineral Density and Geometry and Possible Linkage to Chromosome 11 in Healthy Human Pedigrees. Annual Meeting of the Human Biology Association, Kansas City, U.S.A.
2001: Genetic Epidemiology of Blood Pressure and Obesity Covariation. Meeting of the Israeli Medical Society for Research, Prevention and Treatment of Attherosclerosis, Eilat, Israel.
2001 Invited Lecturer : Outline of the Genetic Epidemiology of Blood Pressure. Nephrology and Hypertension, Franz-Volhard-Klinik and Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine, University of Berlin, Germany. Special Guest Seminar.
2002 Invited Lecturer: Genetic aspects of early and adolescent human growth. Plenary lecture at the 13th Congress of the European Anthropological Association, Zagreb, Croatia.
2003 Quantitative Genetic Analysis of Hand Skeleton Aging and Biochemical Indices of Bone and Cartilage Metabolism. II International Workshop on the Genetics of Bone Metabolism and Disease. Davos, Switzerland.
2003 Invited Lecturer: Genetic Determination and Molecular Mechanisms of Idiopathic Osteoarthritis. Molecular and Quantitative Genetics Seminar at Boston University Medical School, U.S.A. Special Guest Seminar.
2003 Invited Lecturer: Chronic Degenerative Disease – A Complex Biological Problem with Many Humanitarian Consequences. Annual Meeting of IAHB (International Association of Human Biologists) Rome, Italy.
2003 Invited Lecturer: Chronic Degenerative Disease – A Complex Biological Problem with Many Humanitarian Consequences. Georgia Prevention Institute, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA, U.S.A. Special Guest Seminar.
2003 Invited Lecturer: OUTLINE OF GENETIC EPIDEMIOLOGY OF SKELETAL SYSTEM AGING IN APPARENTLY HEALTHY HUMAN POPULATION. International Conference on Searching for Human Longevity Genes. Maagan, Israel.
2004 Invited Lecturer: Genetic and Molecular Aspects of Chronic Degenerative Disease of Human Skeleton. Institute of Anthropology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland.
Special Guest Seminar.
2004 Invited Lecturer: Genetics of Bone Strength and Metabolism. 1st ANZAC Research Institute Symposium, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
2005 Invited Lecturer: New Group of Genes that Encode an Extracellular Inorganic Pyrophosphate Transport Channel are Associated with Bone Size and Osteoarthritis. HRCA Research and Training Institute at Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA. Special Guest Seminar.
2005 Invited Lecturer: Outline of Genetic Epidemiology of skeletal system aging in apparently healthy human population. Dept. of Mathematics and Statistics, Georgia State University, USA. Special Guest Seminar.
2005 Invited Plenary Lecture: Genetics of Bone Strength and Metabolism: Physiological and Bioinformatics Approach. International Osteoporosis Conference -Bone and Joint Decade combined meeting. Hangzhou, China.
2005 Invited Lecturer: Interaction of nutrients and genes in development of frailty “Frailty and Mobility: Musculoskeletal Aspects of Ageing Agenda” workshop devoted to ‘Healthy Ageing’ megaproject, organised by Unilever Corporate Research, UK
2005 Chair and Co-organizer of the ESF sponsered meeting “Personalized Medicine Europe: Health, Genes and Society, Tel Aviv, Israel.
http://www.functionalgenomics.org.uk/sections/activitites/2005/Livshits/info.htm
2006 Association of ANKH Gene Polymorphisms with Hip Geometry in the Framingham Osteoporosis Study, Poster Presentation. ASBMR 28th Annual Meeting, Philadelphia, PA, USA
2006 Genomewide Linkage Scan of Hand Osteoarthritis in Female Twin Pairs
Showing Replication of QTLs on Chromosome 2 and 19. Oral presentation, ACR/ARHP Annual Scientific Meeting in Washington, DC, USA, November 10-15, 2006.
2006 Invited Lecturer: Series of lectures on Quantitaive Genetic Analsysis of Anthropometrical Traits. Advanced course for PhD students, Bilbao University, Spain, 26.11. – 3.12.2006.
2007 Invited Lecturer: Bones growth, loss, heritability and candidate genes in Chuvasha. The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK.
2007 K. Cho, G. Livshits, S. Demissie, J. B. Meigs, J. McAteer, J. C. Florez L. A. Cupples, D. P. Kiel, D. Karasik. ENPP1 as a Candidate Gene for Femoral Bone Geometry: The Framingham Study. Poster Presentation. ASBMR 29th Annual Meeting, USA
2007 Invited Lecturer: Bones growth, loss, heritability and candidate genes: Chuvashian experience. School of Medicine, University of Missouri - Kansas City. Special Guest Seminar.
2007 Invited Lecturer: Genetics of Human Body Composition: From Candidate Genes to Whole Genome Association Study. Dept. of Mathematics and Statistics &
Dept. of Life Sciences, Georgia State University, USA. Special Guest Seminar.
2007 Invited Lecturer: Genetics of Human Body Composition: From Candidate Genes to Whole Genome Association Study.HRCA Research and Training Institute at Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA Special Guest Seminar.
2008 Invited Lecturer: Patterns of joint distribution in hand osteoarthritis: genetic considerations.
World Congress on Osteoarthritis, September 2008, Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI), Rome, Italy.
2009 Invited Lecturer: Quantitative genetics of muscle mass loss - sarcopenia, the new epidemic in developed countries - there is no solution without mathematics. Dept. of Mathematics and Statistics, Emory University, Atlanta, USA. Special Guest Seminar.
2009 Coorginzer and chairman of the Minerva School on Pharmacogenetics: Improving the safety and efficacy of medicines. Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel, June 21-24, 2009
and
International Symposium on Genetics and Pharmacogenetics Advances in Skeletal Disorders. Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel, June 25, 2009.
2010 Invited Lecturer: Quantitative genetics and functional genomics of age-dependent chronic degenerative disease. Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, Russia, May 25, 2010.
2010 Genetic analysis of circulating levels of osteoarthritis related biomarkers: Osteopontin and Amphiregulin in family-based sample. OA_Biomarker, Workshop II _Genetics and Genomics: New Targets in OA. Atlanta, USA, November, 2010.
2011 Invited Lecturer: Genetic-Epidemiological Aprroach to Study Complex Clinically Oriented Traits in Gneral Human Population. Pharmacogenetics Unit, Hospital Virgen de las Nieves, Avenida de las Fuerzas Armadas, Granada, Spain; April, 2011.
2011 Invited Lecturer: Quantitative genetics of age-dependent chronic degenerative disease. International Conference on Population and General Genetics, Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia; November 13-17, 2011.
2012 Invited Lecturer: Quantitative genetics and functional genomics of muscle mass and sarcopenia-related phenotypes. Tulane University Medical School, New Orleans, USA; May, 2012, Special Guest Seminar.
2012 Invited Lecturer: Quantitative genetics and genetic epidemiology of complex traits achievements and unsolved problems. Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Georgia State University, Atlanta, USA; May, 2012, Special Guest Seminar.
2013 Invited Lecturer: Series of lectures (2 weeks course): Introduction to modern genetic epidemiology, with implications of genomics and metabolomics methods. Invitation by the rector of the Kazakhstan's National Medical University, Almaty, Kazakhstan, April, 2013.
2013 Invited Lecturer: Quantitative Genetics and Functional Genomics of Chronic Degenerative Disease. International Symposium on Morphogenesis of organs and tissues under the influence of exogenous factors, Alushta, Ukraine.
2013 Invited Lecturer: Series of lectures (2 weeks course): 1. Methods and approaches in teaching human anatomy at TAU; 2. Quantitative genetics of early human growth and motor development. Invitation by the rector of the Kazakhstan's National Medical University, Almaty, Kazakhstan, October, 2013
2014 Invited Lecturer: Genetics, genomics and metabolomics of muscle mass loss. The international conference: “The Biology of Longevity and Quality of Life”, Bar-Ilan University, Israel, March, 2014.
2014 Invited Lecturer (plenary lecture): Genetics, genomics and metabolomics of human body composition. 19th Congress of the European Anthropological Association, Moscow, Russia, August, 2014.
2014 Invited Lecturer: Series of lectures (2 weeks course): Quantitative genetic analysis of complex traits with special interest to rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis in general human population. Invitation by the rector of the Kazakhstan's National Medical University, Almaty, Kazakhstan, October, 2014.
2015 Invited Lecturer: Series of lectures (2 weeks course): Discovery medicine from a point of view of genetic epidemiology. Invitation by the rector of the Kazakhstan's National Medical University, Almaty, Kazakhstan, May, 2015.
2015 Invited Lecturer (plenary lecture): Genetics of human body composition and omics investigation of sarcopenia -related phenotypes. V International Conference: "CURRENT PROBLEMS OF MEDICAL SCIENCE and EDUCATION [АКТУАЛЬНЫЕ ПРОБЛЕМЫ МЕДИЦИНСКОЙ НАУКИ И ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ]", Penza, Russia, June 2015.
2015 Oral presentation Genomics and metabolomics study of pain syndrome in human population. 12th International Congress of Physiological Anthropology (ICPA2015), Tokyo, Japan, October, 2015
ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSIBILITIES
1995-2000 & 2011- 2015 Head of the Department of Anatomy and Anthropology Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University.
2012 - Pollak Chair in Biological Anthropology
2004-2012 Director, Yoran Institute for Human Genome Research
2003-2010 Director of the fellowship course for the lecturers of the Medical Schools from the Republic of Kazakhstan.
In charge of Human Population Biology Research Unit
Faculty Member of the Master and PhD Degrees Committee
Member of the Faculty Search Committee
Member of the editorial board:
1. Human Biology
2. Annals of Human Biology
3. Journal of Life Sciences
4. International Journal of Orthopedics
מחקרים גנטיים ומטבוליים באוכלוסיות אנושיות של מחלות כרוניות דגנרטיביות התלויות גיל (אוסטיאופורוזיס, אוסטיאוארטריטיס, סרקופניה, כאבי גב, השמנת יתר).
המחקרים מתמקדים במחלות כרוניות דגנרטיביות התלויות בגיל, ובכללן אוסטיאופורוזיס, אוסטיאוארטריטיס, מחלת ניוון חוליות עמוד השדרה (disc degeneration disease), ואובדן מסת השריר (sarcopenia).
שכיחות סרקופניה בקרב אנשים שגילם מעל 60 שנה היא כ- 30%. שכיחות גבוהה זו בקרב בני הגיל המבוגר, נובעת מכך שאובדן מסת השריר נמצא בקורלציה עם העדר משמעותי של פעילות פיסית ו/או נכות. העדר פעילות כזו מאופיינת בהשלכות קליניות חמורות, ובכללן אובדן ניידות, אוסטיאופורוזיס, אוסטיאוארטריטיס, סיכון מוגבר לשברים, דיסליפידמיה, עמידות לאינסולין, ותמותה גוברת. יחד עם זאת, אובדן פעילות פיסית ,עם ההשלכות הקליניות החמורות, מופיע לעיתים גם בקרב אנשים צעירים יותר. למרות המשמעויות הקליניות הנרחבות מצד אחד, והעובדה המקובלת כי השונות של תכונת מסת השריר היא בעלת מרכיב תורשתי חזק מצד שני, הרי קיים מחסור חמור במחקרים גנטיים של תכונה זו. זאת בניגוד לקיומם של עשרות רבות של מחקרים של שתי התכונות האחרות הקשורות במסת הגוף, דהיינו מסת העצם ומסת השומן, אשר התפרסמו במהלך העשור האחרון. מצב זה, בו קיימת חשיבות רבה לחקר של הגנטיקה והמטבוליזם של אובדן מוקדם ומואץ של מסת השריר, בצד יידע קיים מועט ביותר, דורש מחקר נמרץ של תופעה זו. מחקר חשוב ונוסף המתנהל במחלקה הקשור בתופעה זו הינו חקר תופעת כאבי גב תחתון, המייצגת את מרבית הפרעות שלד-שריר השכיחות באוכלוסיה האנושית הכללית. יחד עם זאת, אין מידע כיום אילו פרטים באוכלוסיה עתידים לפתח את התופעה, כלומר מהם גורמי הסיכון לכאבי גב התחתון. אנו מנהלים מחקר בו אנו בוחנים גורמי סיכון אפשריים, כלומר מהי התרומה של גורמים גנטיים, של ניוון הסחוס הלומברי (lumbar disc degeneration) וגורמי סיכון אחרים לכאבי גב תחתון באוכלוסיה הכללית.
פרסומים (3 שנים אחרונות):
Guangju Zhai, Joyce B J van Meurs, Gregory Livshits, Ana M Valdes, Deborah Hart, J Brent Richard, Nicole Soranzo, Panos Deloukas, Tomi Markku Pastinen, John Loughlin, Andre Uitterlinden, Tim D Spector. A genome-wide association study reveals that ataxin 2 binding protein 1 gene is associated with hand osteoarthritis via effects on subchondral bone. J Med Genet 2009; 46: 614-616.
Korostishevsky Michael, Malkin Ida, Tim Spector, Gregory Livshits. Parametric model-based statistics for possible genotyping errors and sample stratification in sibling-pair SNP data. Genet Epidem 2010; 34: 26-33.
Nicole Soranzo, Fernando Rivadeneira, Usha Chinappen-Horsley, Ida Malkina, J. Brent Richards, Naomi Hammond, Lisette Stolk, Alexandra Nica, Michael Inouye, Albert Hofman, et al, Gregory Livshits, Timothy D. Spector, André G. Uitterlinden, Panos Deloukas. Meta-analysis of genome-wide scans for human adult stature identifies novel Loci and associations with measures of skeletal frame size. PLoS Genet 2009; 5: e1000445.
Gregory Livshits, Guangju Zhai, Deborah J Hart, Bernet S Kato, Huizhong Wang, Frances MK.Williams, Tim D Spector. Interleukin Six is a significant predictor of knee osteoarthritis: the Chingford study. Arthr & Rheum 2009; 60:2037-2045.
Meliha Karsak, Ida Malkin, Mohammad R. Toliat, Christian Kubisch, Peter Nürnberg, Andreas Zimmer, Gregory Livshits. The cannabinoid receptor type 2 (CNR2) gene is associated with bone mineral density in a healthy population. Hum Genet 2009; 126:629-36.
Ching-Lung Cheung, Gregory Livshits, Yanhua Zhou, J. B. Meigs, J. McAteer, J. C. Florez, L.A. Cupples, Serkalem Demissie, Douglas. P. Kiel, David Karasik. Hip geometry variation is associated with bone mineralization pathway gene variants: the Framingham study. JBMR 2010; 25: 1564-1571.
Sergey Ermakov, Mohammad R. Toliat, Zvi Cohen, Ida Malkin, Peter Nürnberg, Gregory Livshits. Association study of polymorphisms in the ALPL and ENPP1 loci, related to bone mineralization and diverse skeletal traits. Bone 2010; 46: 1244-50.
Michael Korostishevsky, Zvi Cohen, Ida Malkin, Olga Yarenchuck, Sergey Ermakov, Gregory Livshits. Genetic association between the series of polymorphisms in three mineralization genes and obesity traits in normal human population. Int J Obesity 2010; 34:1308-18.
Sergey Ermakov, Michael Rosenbaum, Ida Malkin, Gregory Livshits. Association of ENPP1 gene with cranio-facial morphology. Ann Hum Biol 2010, 37: 754-66.
Yulia Vistoropsky, Sergey Ermakov, Mohammed Toliat, Svetlana Trofimov, Janine Altmüller, Ida Malkin, Peter Nürnberg, Gregory Livshits. Genetic determinants of circulating levels of Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor II and their association with TNFRII gene variants. Cytokine 2010; 51: 28-34.
Gregory Livshits, Sergey Ermakov, Maria Popham, Alex J MacGregor, Philip Sambrook, Timothy D Spector, Frances MK.Williams. Evidence that bone mineral density plays role in degenerative disc disease: an MRI-based population study. Ann Rheumat Dis 2010; 69: 2102-6.
Sergey Ermakov, Anna Leonova, Svetlana Trofimova, Ida Malkin, Gregory Livshits. Quantitative genetic study of the circulating osteopontin in community selected families. Osteop Intern 2011; 22:2261-71.
Anna Leonov, Svetlana Trofimov, Sergey Ermakov, Gregory Livshits. Quantitative genetic study of amphiregulin and fractalkine circulating levels - potential markers of arthropathies. Osteoarthr & Carti, 2011; 19:737-742.
Gregory Livshits, Maria Popham, Ida Malkin, Philip N. Sambrook, Alex J MacGregor, Timothy Spector, Frances MK Williams. Lumbar disc degeneration and genetic factors are the main risk factors for low back pain in women: the UK Twin Spine Study. Ann Rheumat Dis, 2011; 70:1740-5.
Gregory Livshits, Ida Malkin, Frances MK Williams, Deborah J Hart, Alan Hakim, Timothy D Spector. Longitudinal Study of Variation in Body Mass Index in Middle-Aged UK Females. Age, 2011 Aug 19. [Epub ahead of print]
Sergey Ermakov, Svetlana Trofimov, Ida Malkin, Gregory Livshits. A significant association exists between receptor tyrosine kinase-like orphan receptor 2 gene variants and the OPG/RANKL ratio in human plasma. Osteoporos Int. 2011 Nov 5. [Epub ahead of print]
