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.
Jun 02, 2020... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—June 2, 2020—Cancer cells are comfy havens for bacteria. That conclusion arises from a rigorous study of over 1,000 tumor samples of different human cancers. The study, headed by researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science, found bacteria living inside the cells of all the cancer types – from brain to bone to breast cancer – and even identified unique populations of bacteria residing in each type of cancer. The research suggests that understanding the relationship between a cancer cell and its “mini-microbiome” may help predict the potential effectiveness of certain treatments or may point, in the future, to ways of manipulating those bacteria to enhance the actions of anticancer treatments. The findings of this study were published in Science and featured on the cover.
Jul 20, 2020... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—July 20, 2020—Scientists searching for better diagnostic tests, drugs, or vaccines against a virus must begin by deciphering the structure of that virus. And when the virus in question is highly pathogenic, such research can be quite dangerous. Prof. Roy Bar-Ziv of the Weizmann Institute’s Department of Materials and Interfaces; staff scientist Dr. Shirley Shulman Daube; Dr. Ohad Vonshak, a former research student in the Bar-Ziv lab; and current research student Yiftach Divon have an original solution to this obstacle. They demonstrated the production of viral parts within artificial cells.
Sep 16, 2020... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—September 16, 2020—By tracking the evolution of what may be our oldest means of fighting off viral infection, a group at the Weizmann Institute of Science has uncovered a gold mine of antiviral substances that may lead to the development of highly effective antiviral drugs. These substances are made by virus-fighting enzymes known as viperins, which were previously known to exist only in mammals and have now been found in bacteria. The molecules produced by the bacterial viperins are currently undergoing testing against human viruses such as influenza and COVID-19. The study was published in Nature.
Sep 17, 2020...
Virus-fighting enzymes, known as viperins, which have been previously thought to exist only in mammals, have been also detected in bacteria and are being tried against human viruses, including the coronavirus, according to a new study led by a team of researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science, which was published in the leading scientific magazine Nature.
The team, led by Professor Rotem Sorek from the Molecular Genetics Department in the institute, discovered that bacteria produce a large variety of antiviral substances that have the potential to help fighting viral diseases.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/the-coronavirus-unveiled/
Oct 09, 2020...
In February, as the new coronavirus swept across China and shut down entire cities, a scientist named Sai Li set out to paint its portrait.
At the time, the best pictures anyone had managed to take were low-resolution images, in which the virus looked like a barely discernible smudge.
Dr. Li, a structural biologist at Tsinghua University in Beijing, joined forces with virologists who were rearing the virus in a biosafety lab in the city of Hangzhou. Those researchers doused the viruses with chemicals to render them harmless and then sent them to Dr. Li.
Nov 05, 2020... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—November 5, 2020—Peculiar hybrid structures called retrons that are half RNA, half single-strand DNA are found in many species of bacteria. Since their discovery around 35 years ago, researchers have learned how to use retrons for producing single strands of DNA in the lab – yet despite extensive research into the matter, the retrons’ function in the bacteria was unknown. Now, in a paper published in Cell, Weizmann Institute of Science researchers report that the longstanding mystery has been solved: Retrons are immune system “guards” that ensure the survival of the bacterial colony when it is infected by viruses.
Nov 01, 2020... Seven years ago, an understanding of nature inspired a revolutionary new technology, when researchers turned a defense system used by bacteria to thwart viruses into the gene-editing tool now known as CRISPR. But for another emerging gene editor the understanding has lagged the applications. For several years, researchers have been adapting retrons—mysterious complexes of DNA, RNA, and protein found in some bacteria—into a potentially powerful way to alter genomes of single cell organisms. Now, biology is catching up, as two groups report evidence that, like CRISPR, retrons are part of the bacterial immune arsenal, protecting the microbes from viruses called phages.
Nov 24, 2020... Even before COVID-19, the lack of effective treatments for easily spread diseases was a serious concern for scientists and healthcare providers worldwide – particularly as one of humankind’s greatest achievements, antibiotics, are increasingly ineffective. This is because bacteria, like all life forms, are driven to reproduce and live. Able to evolve rapidly, they continually seek ways to survive our killer drugs … and they’re succeeding.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/video-gallery/bacteria-in-tumors-improving-cancer-treatment/
Dec 17, 2020... This virtual conversation, hosted by the American Committee, features Weizmann’s Dr. Ravid Straussman, the NIH’s Dr. Daniel Douek (Chief of the Human Immunology Section of the Vaccine Research Center), and is moderated by Dr. Alan Leishner, former CEO of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, which publishes the prestigious journal Science.
Feb 01, 2021...
Many bacteria contain retrons, DNA sequences which code for enzymes that transcribe RNA into DNA and an unusual molecule made of both DNA and RNA. But microbiologists have puzzled over retrons’ function. “People suggested . . . this may be a selfish genetic element, [or] it may be involved in virulence,” says the Weizmann Institute of Science’s Rotem Sorek. “But nobody actually knew.”
See “Rotem Sorek Searches for Bacteria’s Defenses Against Viruses”
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