Michal Hershfinkel

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev - IL

Prof. Michal Hershfinkel is a faculty member in the Department of Physiology and Cell Biology at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel. Her research focuses on zinc as a dynamic signaling molecule that modulates cellular activity in neurons and epithelial tissues. In her early studies, she and her colleagues identified the zinc-sensing G-protein-coupled receptor ZnR/GPR39 as a key mediator of zinc-dependent calcium signaling. Her group later revealed roles for ZnR/GPR39 in maintaining intestinal barrier integrity, regulating salivary gland function, and promoting breast cancer cell proliferation. In addition, her work has illuminated how ZnR/GPR39 modulates neuronal inhibitory tone and how zinc transporters coordinate to preserve neuronal zinc homeostasis. Prof. Hershfinkel has served on the board of the International Society for Zinc Biology (ISZB) and was its fourth president from 2015 to 2017.