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.
There is a reason that a puzzle piece is the symbol of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Despite all the research, despite the advances, ASD continues to be an enigma. What causes it? Can it be diagnosed earlier? What are the differences between an autistic and a neurotypical brain?
One field of research – the role of the sense of smell – is producing surprising results that could lead to means of early diagnosis and intervention, as well as shed light on the misreading of social cues that is so common in autism.
Issue 52 of Weizmann Views presents the research of Prof. Michal Schwartz, who pioneered the field of neuroimmunity. She is working on methods for treating Alzheimer’s and other age-related diseases.
On April 2, Patricia Gruber presented the 13th annual Gruber Award for Scientific Excellence to the Weizmann Institute’s Dr. Sivan Refaely-Abramson. Established by Patricia and her late husband, Peter, through their Gruber Foundation, the three-year award recognizes brilliant early-career Weizmann scientists.
April 12, 2019
We humans are overrunning our planet and its limited resources, with no end in sight: the UN says that “roughly 83 million people” are born each year, adding another billion in just the next 20 years. Our current population of 7.6 billion alone is already putting a tremendous strain on Earth’s limited water, energy, land, and other resources.
And now, for the third year in a row, there has been a rise in world hunger. The U.N. says that “821 million people – one in nine – still go to bed on an empty stomach each night. Even more – one in three – suffer from some form of malnutrition.” These statistics are concerning for reasons beyond the human suffering; for example, malnourished children often have lifelong health problems and difficulty learning.
We treasure our hearts: we fill them with love, soothe them when they ache, and keep them powerful with diet and exercise. But sometimes, no matter what, our hearts are affected by illness and disease – and that’s where science can help.
It’s American Heart Month, the perfect time to share with you some of the Weizmann Institute of Science’s remarkable research on the heart. After all, this affects all of us: as the Centers for Disease Control says, heart problems are both common and varied, affect people of all ages, and strike equally across gender and economic borders.
As we take a moment to reflect on 2018, one thing is clear: the world needs science now more than ever. The past year was a time of flux, which makes us all the more grateful for Weizmann’s unchanging mission of “science for the benefit of humanity.” Scientific progress holds the promise of a better world – and here are just some of the breakthroughs from 2018 that inspire hope:
Prof. Ruth Arnon, renowned co-developer of Copaxone®, one of the world’s leading multiple sclerosis drugs, has developed a universal flu vaccine. The vaccine, which entered Phase III clinical trials in 2018, could protect people against all strains of the virus, for many years, in a single shot.
At the age of eight, Henry Fenichel, a child survivor of the Holocaust, met Dr. Chaim Weizmann. The young boy would go on to become an accomplished physicist, a visiting scientist at the Weizmann Institute, and the co-author of a biography of the Institute's first scientific director.
On November 29, 2018, American Committee supporters from across the U.S. tuned in for new CEO Dave Doneson’s first video conference, “Weizmann Science: Why Basic Research Matters and Merits Our Support.” In conversation with Bonnie Diamond, Senior Vice President of Donor Relations & National Programs, Mr. Doneson illustrated the value of basic science by sharing the stories of three transformative breakthroughs.
November 29, 2018
In 2017, the CDC reported that “more than 100 million Americans have diabetes or prediabetes,” and that it was the seventh leading cause of death in 2015. And as Western diets and lifestyles spread around the world, so does diabetes.
Nutrition aside, the disease has a number of complex causes – yet treatment consists only of insulin and glucose-level management. That’s why Weizmann Institute of Science researchers in a range of disciplines are working to understand the developmental, genetic, immunological, and environmental contributors to diabetes. Given the potential impact of this work on public health, the scientists regularly collaborate with clinicians in order to bring their findings to the patient.
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