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.
We are nearing the end of 2019: time to look back on the Weizmann Institute’s year in science. The researchers were so productive that we can only touch on their many breakthroughs in fields from climate change to vaccines, Alzheimer’s disease to quantum computing, personalized cancer treatment to nutrition. Here are just a few of the year’s life-affirming advances:
Artificial intelligence, or AI, is transforming our world – and can save lives. Our scientists used machine learning to create a way to diagnose multiple myeloma before it turns cancerous. This means patients can be monitored with simple blood tests, enabling earlier treatment for multiple myeloma – and hopefully other cancers as well.
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and people across the world are helping raise awareness and support through runs, walks, events – and, at the Weizmann Institute of Science, through research.
Before breakthroughs in breast cancer research ever appear in the news or on the market, there are cadres of scientists working tirelessly to discover new ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat this all-too-common disease. Here are some of our advances over just the past year:
Every summer since 1969, an international migration takes place as around 80 highly talented teens flock to the Weizmann Institute’s park-like campus.
Their destination: the Dr. Bessie F. Lawrence International Summer Science Institute (ISSI), a highly competitive program that enables high-school grads, over the summer before they start university, to take part in hands-on research alongside world-renowned scientists.
It’s the height of summer – time to hit the beach, whether for an afternoon or a week or two. People love the ocean and have always been drawn to it, but as much as it affects us, we affect it, too.
The ocean's health is crucial to the planet’s health – and ours. That’s why the devastating impacts from climate change are so concerning: as the temperatures warm, glaciers melt, and seawater becomes more acidic, as fish and mammals are overfished, the oceans are dying.
Weizmann Institute researchers from across the disciplines are pursuing topics in neuroscience, approaching this crucial field from a number of angles. That’s because understanding our brains – in both health and disease – benefits everyone on this planet.
From Alzheimer’s to autism, Parkinson’s to mental health, memory to aging and beyond, here are just some of the Institute’s neuroscience advances over just the past year:
May is Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month – the perfect time, as we head into summer, to think about protecting our skin. The American Cancer Society predicts that in 2019, almost 100,000 American adults will be diagnosed with invasive melanoma, and while that number may not be massive, it’s important, as melanoma is the deadliest of the skin cancers. Treatments are often ineffective; thus, early intervention is crucial.
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
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