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.
Even in 2020, with all we know about health and nutrition, heart disease is still the leading cause of death in America, accounting for one in four mortalities. Fortunately, the Weizmann Institute of Science is taking multiple approaches to understanding and treating this too-common killer. February is American Heart Month – and we’d love to share our very latest research with you.
While there are several vital heart-related projects underway at the Institute, the lab of leading researcher Prof. Eldad Tzahor recently made a significant breakthrough: discovering that a non-toxic dye actually helps repair damaged heart tissue, such as the scarring that occurs after a heart attack.
Dr. Ron Diskin and his team engineered a molecule that could lead to treatments for viruses that cross over from animals to humans – and may even prevent the infection in the first place. They are working to apply it to coronavirus.
February 02, 2020
Immunotherapies, which harness the immune system to fight disease, are revolutionizing treatments for many types of cancer. Having made significant breakthroughs in the field, Weizmann Institute of Science researchers are now exploring ways to apply immunotherapy to conditions other than cancer, including neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. Prof. Ido Amit of the Department of Immunology is advancing this research by developing sophisticated tools and technologies to investigate the immune system’s role in neurodegenerative diseases.
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a cancer of the blood and bone marrow, is usually only diagnosed at an advanced stage, at which point it requires aggressive treatment. Although AML is a relatively rare disease, accounting for just 1.8 percent of cancer deaths in the U.S., its incidence is expected to increase as the population ages. The average age of diagnosis is 68.
What better way to begin a new year than meeting some of the Weizmann Institute’s new scientists?
Every year, the Institute recruits several talented young researchers, each of whom is already a standout in their field. One reason the selection process is so particular is that, once on campus, the scientists are given everything they need to kick off their careers, such as a custom-built lab that has the equipment required for each specialty. The results speak for themselves.
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.
©2021 American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science