Dr. Meiri’s lab, the largest of its kind in academia with 44 researchers, investigates the therapeutic potential of cannabinoids, the naturally-occurring chemicals found in the cannabis plant. Researchers work on a variety of projects in the lab with its main focus on how cannabinoids affect various types of cancer, epilepsy, and diabetes.

A man on a mission, Dr. Meiri aims to understand the cannabis plant thoroughly enough so that a doctor can prescribe the right treatment at the right dosage for a particular patient. To that end, he collaborates with cannabis growers, clinicians, major manufacturers, and distributors of medical cannabis to identify almost every strain of marijuana grown in Israel, matching them to the diseases they affect. He has launched the Database Project, which exhaustively profiles compounds given to Israel’s 60,000 medical marijuana patients. Dr. Meiri also helps Israel’s Ministry of Health advance its understanding of cannabis usage.

His academic background is highly diverse. Dr. Meiri holds a master’s degree in biochemistry and a doctoral degree in plant biotechnology from Tel Aviv University. He conducted his postdoctoral work at the Ontario Cancer Institute before joining the Technion in 2014.