Prof. Shamgar Ben-Eliyahu
Prof. Shamgar Ben-Eliyahu is a faculty member at the Sagol School of Neuroscience and the School of Psychological Sciences at Tel Aviv University. He is a leading figure in the field of Psycho-Neuro-Immunology (PNI), which examines the dynamic interactions between the brain, endocrine signaling, immune function, and behavior. He conducted his undergraduate studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and completed his PhD and postdoctoral training at the University of California, Los Angeles.
Research in the Ben-Eliyahu Lab focuses on how stress and physiological challenges are processed by neuroendocrine and immune networks, and how these responses shape long-term health outcomes. A central line of work examines how acute stressors, such as surgery or psychological distress, engage coordinated neural, endocrine, and immune responses that can influence disease progression, including cancer metastasis. Building on this framework, the lab has developed and tested pharmacological and behavioral interventions that modulate stress-immune interactions, with successful translation from preclinical models to clinical trials in cancer patients.