Scientists in Israel Face Crisis but Triumph in Research

It’s almost like a scene from a gripping thriller. Two scientists from Israel found themselves in a dire situation—not just battling a disease but grappling with destruction itself.

Professors Liran Shlush and Amos Tanay from the Weizmann Institute of Science had dedicated years to a pivotal study. They aimed to track subtle alterations in human blood to identify early signs of leukemia. Their painstaking efforts culminated just as they submitted their research for publication, when an Iranian missile struck their laboratory.

This catastrophic event posed a profound threat, potentially erasing vital samples, sensitive data, and countless hours of hard work. Yet, remarkably, their research endured.

With their lab still in ruins, the duo has shared a groundbreaking discovery with the world. Their study, released today in Nature Medicine, details a non-invasive blood test capable of detecting early leukemia processes and estimating how rapidly someone’s blood system is aging—without the need for a painful bone marrow biopsy.

Over the last few years, their team delved into the biology of blood, seeking to understand the reasons behind increasing disease susceptibility as people age. It turns out this vulnerability is linked to the DNA of blood-producing stem cells.

“As stem cells age, they undergo genetic changes,” explains Prof. Shlush. “Over time, these mutations accumulate, leading these cells to dominate the blood system, suppress healthy cells, and potentially cause severe diseases like blood cancers.”

The challenge? Those impaired cells are hidden away in the bone marrow and go unnoticed in standard blood tests. Previously, the only means to detect them was through a painful biopsy.

“It’s a difficult procedure, usually done under sedation or local anesthesia,” he notes. “The process involves inserting a needle into the bone to extract a sample. It’s not just uncomfortable; it’s costly and requires specialized skill—and sometimes doesn’t even yield clear results.”

Recognizing this, Shlush and Tanay set out to replace the biopsy with a straightforward blood test.

Their research centers on myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a condition linked to aging where stem cells fail to develop into functional blood cells. If left unchecked, MDS can result in severe anemia or progress to acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a common and aggressive blood cancer in adults.

“While our current paper focuses on MDS, similar processes occur across various diseases,” states Shlush. “This test could help diagnose a spectrum of blood conditions since they all start with these same evolving stem cells.”

To create the test, they first needed to define “normal.” “Before developing a blood test, scientists need to understand what variability looks like in a healthy population,” Shlush explains. “This hadn’t been done for stem cells, so we had to examine standard blood instead.”

They discovered that rare stem cells sometimes migrate from the bone marrow into the bloodstream, holding the key to their test.

“We had to focus on capturing a handful of these rare cells—just one in a million,” Shlush says. “In every milliliter of blood, only a few exist. We needed to isolate and analyze these using precise methods for such small quantities.”

To make sense of the large amounts of data, Shlush collaborated with Prof. Amos Tanay, a data analysis expert. “Each cell generates thousands of data points, and we analyzed millions of cells together,” he recounts.

The team recruited participants of all ages, drew their blood, and profiled the rare cells. Patterns emerged; older cells differed from younger ones, and men’s cells had distinct characteristics compared to women’s. They then compared samples from 80 patients against healthy cells to illuminate differences.

By analyzing a broad age range, they revealed new insights into the aging process of blood—information previously elusive even to advanced bone marrow tests.

One concerning finding: “Men appear to lose certain blood cell types earlier than women,” says Shlush. “This suggests men’s blood ages more quickly, which might help explain the higher rates of blood cancers among men.”

Looking forward, the researchers believe their test could be applied beyond MDS and leukemia to various hematologic disorders. “We can now investigate the aging mechanisms of the blood system in unprecedented detail. By improving our understanding, we might find ways to halt these processes,” Shlush adds. Clinical trials based on their research are already initiated across multiple medical centers globally.

They aspire for their test to eventually replace bone marrow biopsies entirely. “In the U.S. alone, nearly a million such procedures occur yearly, with numbers even higher around the world,” he states.

Just days before their study’s publication, Shlush’s lab faced a direct missile strike amid a barrage of attacks on Israel. Though their paper was submitted, the destruction threatened not only infrastructure but also years of research and sensitive samples.

“My lab was in the building that took the hit,” he recalls. “Though the lab itself wasn’t damaged badly, the building was deemed uninhabitable for a while. Once we lost power, we knew we needed to act quickly to save the clinical samples stored in our freezers.”

“We worked tirelessly to preserve our samples and those of others. We weren’t just thinking about our own work; we rushed from freezer to freezer, determined to save colleagues’ research. It’s hard to express the enormity of what could’ve been lost.”

“Re-recruiting would have been nearly unfeasible. Everyone quickly came together to help. It was incredibly moving, and amidst wreckage, we managed to salvage a lifetime of scientific achievement. Though there’s been hardship, we are regrouping, and we’ll come back stronger. This is merely a setback; we’re not stopping.”