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.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/feature-stories/the-body-s-daily-jam-session/
Jan 07, 2022...
If the biological “clocks” – the genetic networks controlling circadian rhythms – present in virtually every cell of our body ticked out loud, would their sound amount to a chaotic cacophony or a harmonious hum?
Until several years ago, scientists thought that the master clock in the brain brought into line all the sections of the orchestra, from the head on down. In the past few years, however, studies have shown that clocks in other organs are sometimes out of step with the one in the brain, but these clocks were collectively viewed as a uniform group. A new Weizmann Institute of Science study reveals that there are “cross-rhythms” even within that group.
May 25, 2022...
REHOVOT, ISRAEL – May 25 2022 – Our family origins tend to shape our future in many ways. A Weizmann Institute of Science study, published today in Nature, found that the same holds true for blood vessels. The researchers discovered blood vessels forming from unexpected progenitors and went on to show that this unusual origin determines the vessels’ future function.
“We found that blood vessels must derive from the right source in order to function properly – it’s as if they remember where they came from,” says team leader Prof. Karina Yaniv.
Sep 29, 2022...
REHOVOT, ISRAEL—September 29, 2022—Cancer tumors contain multiple species of fungi that differ per tumor type, according to a large study led by researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science and the University of California, San Diego.
The study, published today in Cell, potentially has implications for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, as well as for the detection of cancer through a blood test. It complements scientists’ understanding of the interaction between cancer cells and the bacteria that exist in tumors alongside fungi, bacteria that have been shown to affect cancer growth, metastasis, and response to therapy. The researchers systematically profiled fungal communities in more than 17,000 tissue and blood samples taken from patients with 35 types of cancer. They found that fungi can be detected in all of these cancer types. Fungi were mostly found “hiding” inside the cancer cells or in immune cells inside the tumors.
Sep 29, 2022...
Look up an image of a tumor on Google, and you’ll probably end up with a brightly colored cluster of cancer cells on a drab background of healthy tissue. A tumor may also contain millions of microbes, representing dozens of species.
“I think this is an ecosystem,” she said. “It means the cancer cells are not alone.”
Scientists have long known that our bodies are home to microbes, but have tended to treat tumors as if they were sterile. In recent years, however, researchers have laid that notion to rest, demonstrating that tumors are rife with microbes.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/feature-stories/maya-schuldiner-connecting-organelles/
Feb 15, 2022... Prof. Maya Schuldiner of Weizmann’s Department of Molecular Genetics studies how cells function, which in turn can help understand disease – particularly, rare diseases.In the end, it’s all about making a connection. In their recent study, Prof. Maya Schuldiner and her team from the Weizmann Institute of Science’s Molecular Genetics Department uncover for the first time how the cell’s Most Valuable Players – the nucleus and mitochondria – communicate through the formation of dedicated contact sites. Being able to tune in on these correspondences will allow scientists to better understand conditions where they are disrupted from cancer to neurodegenerative diseases. These findings join a series of recent discoveries in the budding field of contact site biology, some of which were made in Schuldiner’s lab.
Nov 21, 2022... Weizmann Scientist, Prof. Yonina Eldar of the department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics, explains how Artificial Intelligence can be used to improve signal processing. Signal processing is a crucial component that enables many of the devices we use today including hearing aids and medical imaging equipment, like MRI, CT and X-ray, which can all greatly benefit from better imaging and resolution. Prof. Eldar’s specializes in developing algorithms for signal processing, and for the representation and transmission of information using advanced mathematical techniques. Her lab develops AI tools and to acquire and extract information and combine them with other modes like physics or medicine to pave the way to new technologies that can see, hear, and communicate beyond existing limits. Prof. Eldar’s innovations have helped to make ultrasound devices smaller, cheaper, and uploadable to the cloud; optimize MRI scans for medical imaging, improve data storage and communications, create super-resolution microscopy, and support computational biology.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/building-better-enzymes-by-breaking-them-down/
Jan 13, 2023... REHOVOT, ISRAEL— January 12, 2023—Enzymes have the potential to transform the chemical industry by providing green alternatives to a slew of processes. These proteins act as biological catalysts, and with the help of molecular engineering, they can make naturally occurring reactions shift into turbo mode. Tailor-made enzymes could, for example, lead to nonpolluting drug manufacture; they could also safely break down pollutants, sewage and agricultural waste, and then turn them into biofuel or animal feed.
Apr 23, 2023... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—April 27, 2023—To get life-giving oxygen into every cell, the human body produces two to three million oxygen-carrying red blood cells, or erythrocytes, each second – about one-quarter of all the new cells that are produced in the body at any one time. This process is controlled by the hormone erythropoietin, commonly known as EPO, which works by binding to cells in the bone marrow that are poised to become erythrocytes, promoting their proliferation. Erythropoietin was discovered decades ago, but the identity of the cells that make this hormone remained unknown – until now.
May 18, 2023... Dr. Moran Shalev Benami discusses her research on the tiniest details of the human brain: proteins. Using cryo-electron microscope (cryoEM), she works to understand and identify the proteins’ function and how proteins work together.
May 24, 2023...
To get life-giving oxygen into every cell, the human body produces two to three million oxygen-carrying red blood cells each second, a process controlled by the hormone erythropoietin (EPO), which works by binding to cells in the bone marrow and promoting their proliferation. Discovered decades ago, the identity of the cells that make this hormone remained unknown – until now.
In a new paper, published in Nature Medicine, Weizmann scientists from Prof. Ido Amit’s lab and colleagues from Israel, Europe, and the United States have identified a rare subset of kidney cells that are the main producers of EPO in the human body, a discovery that has transformative potential for patients with anemia.
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