S. Nahum Goldberg - Biography#
Professor S. Nahum Goldberg is an interventional oncologist and clinician-scientist whose work transformed image-guided tumor ablation from an experimental technique into a mature oncologic discipline used to treat >10,000 European patients annually based upon his contributions defining its physiological, biological, and molecular foundations. His >20 years of bridging research have shaped not only how ablation is performed, but how its local and systemic consequences are understood and therapeutically leveraged.
He pioneered the development and optimization of radiofrequency ablation (RFA), establishing core engineering principles, imaging–pathologic validation, and scalable clinical techniques. Next, through his Boston–Italy translational collaboration, he facilitated the first clinical RFA procedures in Europe, including hepatocellular carcinoma, colorectal liver metastases, and parathyroid adenomas, catalyzing early European adoption. He added to this by first authoring the first international standardization of terminology and reporting criteria for image-guided tumor ablation and was senior author of the 10-year update.
Beyond RFA, he was instrumental in advancing microwave ablation with Italian groups, irreversible electroporation with Czech collaborators, and image-navigation technologies with Italian and Austrian teams. Beyond device development, he has defined key physiologic determinants of ablation efficacy, including perfusion and tissue conductivity effects, and established rational combination therapies based upon mechanistic science. As an outgrowth, he identified paradoxical pro-tumorigenic effects of RFA mediated by inflammation, growth-factors, and microRNA dysregulation, fundamentally reframing the field. In parallel, he is defining conditions when ablation can induce favorable immunogenicity.
Beyond his Professorship at the Hebrew University and 20 years as Full/Visiting Professor at Harvard Medical School, he currently serves as Visiting Professor at Ludwig Maximilian University, Munich, mentoring junior European faculty and transferring advanced molecular and bioinformatic methodologies. European collaborations include competitively funded bilateral programs, including German–Israeli Foundation support.
