Maayan Levy is an award-winning immunologist and microbiologist and an assistant professor of pathology at Stanford University School of Medicine. Her work is all about understanding the role of metabolites in the body. Levy’s lab is focused on the concept of metabotherapy—the use of metabolites to prevent and treat disease.

Levy receives the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science for her interdisciplinary approach, and her leadership to support women and minorities in STEM.

From Humble Beginnings to Groundbreaking Research

Levy grew up in a small town in Israel. Through the life stories of her family members who had immigrated from Eastern Europe and the Middle East, she saw how profoundly displacement can shape a person’s experiences. 

When she enrolled at Tel Aviv University, she discovered a passion for science, and completed her BSc in Biology and Biotechnology, before pursuing an MSc in Life Sciences at the Weizmann Institute of Science. At the Weizmann Institute, she became interested in studying immunology in the context of intestinal diseases, and subsequently earned her PhD in immunology. 

Levy then started her independent research group at the University of Pennsylvania. She and her team focus on intestinal metabolites and their impact on the body, applying the concept of metabotherapy to numerous aspects of health and disease. The lab recently moved to Stanford University. 

In the early stages of Levy’s research, the team explored how certain diets may be helpful in protecting against cancer. They found that the ketogenic diet protects from colorectal cancer, with the ketone body beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) being the driving force. BHB stops tumor growth and prevents early cancer development. Through this work, Levy and her research fellows identified how metabotherapy could be a new line of cancer treatment, which is being evaluated in clinical studies.

Recently, Levy and her team discovered that patients with Long COVID have persistent inflammatory states that can alter peripheral metabolite levels, including the neurotransmitter serotonin. These results demonstrated that changes in gut metabolite levels can contribute to complex conditions such as post-viral syndromes. This means that restoring intestinal metabolite homeostasis may potentially be a viable therapeutic option for patients with Long COVID. 

Championing Women in STEM

For Levy, her work isn’t only about advancing science. She uses her influence as a principal investigator to advocate for better conditions for other women in STEM—especially those with children. 

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“I often find myself multitasking and compromising between my role as a scientist and my role as a mother of young children,” Levy says. Combining family life with a career in science is particularly difficult for immigrants that lack an extensive support system.

Levy wants to inspire other parents to approach these challenges with trust, support, and understanding. She knows that if there were better policies for parents in labs, more working moms would be able to pursue careers in STEM. “Science is a wonderful endeavor that I feel privileged to be a part of,” Levy says. “And the more creative individuals from all over the world who can participate in this endeavor, the more successful it will be.”