Prof. Dikstein investigates one the most basic topics in biology—how genes are activated in order to produce proteins. Virtually all our body cells carry the same genes, but only a handful of them are activated in each cell, determining whether this cell will belong to the liver, blood, muscle or any other type of tissue. Prof. Dikstein’s long-term research goal is to achieve a deeper understanding of various stages of gene expression, with an emphasis on their crosstalk and their involvement in diseases. Specifically, her aims are (i) to elucidate the mechanism by which the two major stages of gene expression, transcription and translation, control the cellular response to external stimuli (ii) to reveal the connections between transcription and translation and (iii) to study the molecular basis of a unique genetic switch discovered in her lab, that controls both transcription and translation processes of gene expression. Her findings help clarifying the molecular basis of a common anti-diabetes drug and led to discovery of novel drugs with potential therapeutic effect against inherited neurodegenerative diseases.