Ruth Itzhaki#
| Membership Number: | 7557 |
| Membership type: | ORDINARY |
| Section: | BIOCHEMISTRY & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY |
| Elected: | 2026 |
| Main Country of Residence: | UNITED KINGDOM |
| Homepage(s): | https://www.ageing.ox.ac.uk/people/view/482 |
| ORCID: | 0000-0001-5167-5276 |
| Publication Link: | https://research.manchester.ac.uk/en/persons/ruth.itzhaki/publications/ |
Present and Previous Positions
- Since 2014 Visiting Prof. Fellow, Inst. of Population Ageing, Univ. Oxford & Emeritus Prof. Fellow, Faculty Life Sci. Univ. Manchester
- 2004 - 2014 Professorial Fellow, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Manchester
- 1983 - 2004 Senior Research Fellow & Honorary Reader, then Professorial Fellow, Dept. Optometry & Neuroscience, UMIST
- Hon Research Fellow, Department of Geriatric Medicine, University of Manchester
- 1979 - 1983 Senior Research Fellow, Department of Virology, South Manchester University Hospital
- 1966 - 1979 Senior Scientist, Paterson Laboratories, Christie Hospital, Manchester, Also
- Honorary Lecturer, Dept., Biochemistry, University of Manchester.
- 1964 - 1966 Wheldale Onslow Memorial Fellow & Praelector, Newnham College, Cambridge
- 1961 - 1964 Beit Memorial Research Fellow, Dept. Radiotherapeutics, University of Cambridge.
Fields of Scholarship
- Alpha-irradiation of natural and synthetic polymers
- Studies on the possible role of aluminium in AD
- Studies on possible role of HSV1 in Alzheimer's disease (AD)
- Studies on the influence of apolipoprotein E on susceptibility to, or severity of, infection by various microorganisms
- Studies on immunosuppression, latent herpesviruses and AD
- Search for various herpesvirus genomes in human brain using PCR
- Studies on chromatin structure
- Studies on the decreased risk of AD after vaccination against shingles and possible role of VZV
- Possible role of VZV together with HSV1, or independently, in AD
- DNA repair in AD
- Effects of alkylating agents on chromatin
Honours and Awards
- Junior & Senior Foundation Scholarships St. Paul’s Girl’s School, London
- Studentship in Biophysics, Royal Cancer Hospital, London
- Beit Memorial Fellow for Medical Research, University of Cambridge
- Wheldale Onslow Memorial Fellow and Praelector, Newnham College, Cambridge
- 1996 Recipient of The Lancet “Investigator Award”, presented at the Lancet International Conference on Dementia
- 1996 Sir Henry Wellcome Commemorative Award for Innovative Research (& short-listed for another proposal)
- 1997, 2009 Olympus Foundation Award
- 2011 Interlaken Leadership Award
- 2011 Manchester Women in Science Award
- 2011 Alzheimer’s Research Forum Research Award
- 2021 Top recipient of Alzheimer’s Germ Quest award
- 2024 Recognised as an inaugural Scholar GPS Highly Ranked Scholar
- 2024 Special Commendation by The Conversation for the 2024 Sir Paul Curran award for Academic Communication
- 2025 Named on 2025 STATUS List featuring "50 influential people shaping the future of health and life sciences across biotech, medicine, health care, policy, and health tech"
