About Us
Founded in 1944, the American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science develops philanthropic support for the Weizmann Institute in Israel, and advances its mission of science for the benefit of humanity.
Our mental health is always important, but more so than ever during these challenging times. Between the ongoing COVID pandemic, economic insecurity, social turmoil, and the like, rates of anxiety and depression are skyrocketing. How to cope? And why do we experience mental health issues in the first place?
As with the coronavirus, the answers are found in science.
The Weizmann Institute’s renowned neuroscientists do more than study the brain; they investigate how this most mysterious of organs responds to the world, processes our experiences, plays a role in emotional response, consolidates memories, becomes ill, and more. Our scientists also seek to develop effective medications and treatments. As Prof. Alon Chen – a renowned expert in neuropsychiatry and Weizmann Institute president – says, “I strongly believe that when we identify the mechanisms in the brain, we can use them to develop better ways to treat these conditions.”
Just as COVID-19 is still advancing, so is the research of Weizmann Institute scientists as they develop ways to identify, predict, treat, and prevent the illness. One particularly innovative researcher is Prof. Noam Sobel.
A neurobiologist who is a world leader in olfaction research, Prof. Sobel works in the Weizmann tradition of following his curiosity as he harnesses the sense of smell to fight COVID. His previous studies have shown that our olfactory system has powers that many of us would never have imagined; he has used the sense of smell – our most ancient sense – to quantify the smell of fear; shed light on social miscues in autism and diagnose the condition; help locked-in, vegetative patients communicate; reveal subconscious reactions to the opposite sex; and much more.
Most people who are infected by COVID-19 develop mild symptoms or none at all. In severe cases, however, the virus triggers an uncontrolled reaction of the immune system that damages most vital organs, and can lead to death.
June 03, 2020
While population-wide lockdown policies reduce the number of new COVID-19 infections, these same policies have dramatically slowed economies around the world. High unemployment, bankruptcies, and crashing markets are the standard-bearers for this new economic pandemic, with a variety of other costs...
May 06, 2020
Among more than 50 Weizmann Institute labs seeking answers about the coronavirus pandemic, one team is focusing on an early warning sign that might lead to the early diagnosis of COVID-19: the loss of a sense of smell.
May 04, 2020
With schools shuttered due to COVID-19, teachers all over the world are taking a crash course in digital learning—online technologies that allow educators to manage classrooms remotely, while reaching and teaching individual students. The challenge is significant, but thanks to research and development projects pioneered at the Weizmann Institute of Science, some science teachers are well ahead of the curve.
One of the many challenges facing humankind during the coronavirus pandemic is testing – or, more accurately, lack of it. As the Weizmann Institute of Science pivoted its resources – human and lab alike – to addressing coronavirus, developing accurate, scaled-up testing was one of its main areas of focus. In keeping with the philosophy embraced by the worldwide Weizmann family, Institute President Prof. Alon Chen says: “During this crisis, we are harnessing our capabilities in basic research and applying them to the benefit of humanity.”
April 21, 2020
Weizmann Institute scientists have developed a method for monitoring, identifying, and predicting geographical clusters in which the coronavirus is prevalent and will likely spread, by tracking symptoms throughout the Israeli public…
April 13, 2020
The world medical community is gasping for additional ventilators—machines that move air in and out of the lungs of COVID-19 patients who are having trouble breathing on their own.
April 13, 2020
©2020 American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science