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 future of humanity.
Jan 19, 2021...
Prof. Maya Schuldiner of Weizmann’s Department of Molecular Genetics uses analogies to clarify the nature of cells. These tiny living beings are highly organized communities, and while there are different types – blood, skin, etc. – they have basically the same elements. One of these is the peroxisome, an organelle whose malfunction or absence can lead to devastating diseases in children.
Because cells are so similar, Prof. Schuldiner’s lab is able to use common Baker’s yeast as a stand in for the human cell to study peroxisomes. She hopes to someday offer treatment – even a cure – for the unique children suffering from peroxisomal diseases.
Jan 27, 2021... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—January 27, 2021—Chronic stress could be the prevailing condition of our time. In the short term, our jaws or stomachs may clench; in the long term, stress can lead to metabolic disease and speed up diseases of aging, as well as leading to more serious psychological disorders. The physical manifestations of stress originate in the brain, and they move along a so-called “stress axis” that ends in the adrenal glands. These glands then produce the hormone cortisol. When the stress axis is continually activated, changes occur in the cells and organs along the way, and the continual production of cortisol then substantially contributes to the symptoms of chronic stress.
Jan 29, 2021...
A new study found a secret gene deep in our kidneys that aids with stress removal from cells.
Scientists at the joint neurobiology lab at the Weizmann Institute of Science with the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry in Germany mapped out gene sequences for cells traveling from the brain, when stress is activated, down to the adrenal glands in the kidneys, to track how and where stress develops, to get a better idea of how to treat stress-related health problems.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/seasons-of-our-hormones/
Feb 02, 2021... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—February 2, 2021—Our minds may be affected by winter’s long nights or spring and its flowers, but what about our bodies? A new study at the Weizmann Institute of Science reveals that our hormones also follow a seasonal pattern. By analyzing data on several types of hormones from millions of blood tests, the researchers discovered that some hormones peak in winter or spring and others in summer. This research, which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), provides a broad, dynamic picture of hormone production – covering those connected to fertility, for example, but also hormones such as cortisol, which are mostly short-lived and not thought to be seasonal.
Mar 17, 2021... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—March 17, 2021—To observe how a tiny ball of identical cells on its way to becoming a mammalian embryo first attaches to an awaiting uterine wall and then develops into the nervous system, heart, stomach, and limbs: This has been a highly sought-after grail in the field of embryonic development for nearly 100 years. Now, Prof. Jacob Hanna of the Weizmann Institute of Science and his group have accomplished this feat. The method they created for growing mouse embryos outside the womb during the initial stages after embryo implantation will give researchers an unprecedented tool for understanding the development program encoded in the genes, and may provide detailed insights into birth and developmental defects as well as those involved in embryo implantation. The results were published in Nature.
Mar 17, 2021...
The mouse embryos looked perfectly normal. All their organs were developing as expected, along with their limbs and circulatory and nervous systems. Their tiny hearts were beating at a normal 170 beats per minute.
But these embryos were not growing in a mother mouse. They were developed inside an artificial uterus, the first time such a feat has been accomplished, scientists reported on Wednesday.
Dec 08, 2021... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—December 8, 2021—Cigarette smoking, practiced by over a billion people worldwide, is considered a leading cause of disease, accounting for over six million deaths each year. Many people don’t quit smoking, despite expressing a desire to do so, because they are concerned about the substantial weight gain that often accompanies smoking cessation. The cause of this weight gain is unclear, as studies suggest that most people don’t eat more after quitting smoking. In a study published today in Nature, Weizmann Institute of Science researchers report discovering that obesity developing after “smoking cessation” in mice may be driven by the weight-modulating compounds released by their gut microbes.
Dec 09, 2021... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—December 9, 2021—An exclusive “license” for making insulin in the human body belongs to the beta cells scattered throughout the pancreas. But because beta cells can become scarce or dysfunctional in people with diabetes, scientists have been searching for other cells that might be coaxed into manufacturing the vital glucose-regulating hormone. In a study published today in Nature Medicine, researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science and from Yale School of Medicine discovered insulin-making cells in an unexpected place, the fetal intestine. This discovery may open up new directions in the future development of potential treatments for diabetes.
Dec 20, 2021... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—December 20, 2021—Prof. Eldad Tzahor peered into his microscope one day and saw steak. As part of Tzahor’s research into repairing muscle tissue, Dr. Tamar Eigler, a postdoctoral fellow in his lab at the Weizmann Institute of Science, had been experimenting with cultured muscle stem cells. One of these experiments had produced the surprising sight that appeared before Tzahor’s eyes: The cells had started fusing into tiny fibers that thickened rapidly, within hours creating large muscle fibers resembling those in whole cut meat.
Apr 04, 2022... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—April 4, 2022—Supporting actors sometimes steal the show. In a new study published today in Cell, researchers headed by Prof. Ido Amit at the Weizmann Institute of Science have shown that supporting cells called fibroblasts, long viewed as uniform background players, are in fact extremely varied and vital. A subset of these cells, according to the study, may lie at the origins of scleroderma—a rare autoimmune disease. The findings open a new direction for developing a future therapy against this devastating, incurable disorder.
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