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.
Mar 11, 2016...
Kathy Bates for World Lymphedema Day
“There is no cure for lymphedema,” states the Mayo Clinic. That’s one reason people all over the world are coming together to raise awareness of this condition – including Oscar-winning actor Kathy Bates, who developed it after breast cancer surgery.
Lymphedema is swelling, typically in the arms and legs, and affects as many as 10 million Americans, many of them cancer survivors like Ms. Bates. In fact, according to the Mayo Clinic, the condition is “most commonly caused by the removal of or damage to your lymph nodes as a part of cancer treatment.”
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/kathy-bates-my-battle-with-lymphedema/
Jun 24, 2015...
Shortly after I had a double mastectomy, I got lymphedema in my arms. I was devastated. I knew going in what it was, and I was terrified.
Put very simply, the lymphatic system provides cells with nutrients and acts as a means of waste removal. We need it to survive. However, the same system will also carry cancer cells to other parts of the body, which is called metastasis. Cancer cells get trapped in lymph nodes and cause secondary tumors, which is why surgeons will err on the side of caution to keep the cancer from coming back. Curing cancer is their focus after all.
Nov 01, 2014...
A scientist looks through a microscope. (photo credit:INGIMAGE)
How the brain ages is still largely an open question – in part because this most important organ is mostly insulated from direct contact with other systems in the body, including the blood and immune systems. In research that was recently published in the journal Science, Weizmann Institute researchers Prof. Michal Schwartz of the neurobiology department and Dr. Ido Amit of the immunology department found evidence of a unique “signature” that may be the “missing link” between cognitive decline and aging. The scientists believe that this discovery may lead in the future to treatments that can slow or reverse cognitive decline in older people.
Feb 01, 2013... Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control’s straightforward statement of that fact belies the complex truth: heart problems are both common and varied, affect people of all ages, and strike equally across gender and economic borders. And according to the American Heart Association, more than 80 million Americans have one or more forms of cardiovascular disease, such as high blood pressure. Factors such as obesity, diabetes, and inactivity greatly contribute to heart and cardiovascular disease, although congenital and genetic issues also come into play.
Dec 04, 2018...
Early diagnosis of acute myelocytic leukemia (AML) paves the way for treatment. Image Credit: National Cancer Institute
A study of more than half a million blood samples has allowed scientists to pinpoint the risk factors for a rare type of leukemia, enabling them to predict if someone will develop the disease eight years before symptoms appear and opening the door to preventative treatments.
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a rare cancer usually detected at an advanced stage. ‘It usually comes out of the blue,’ said Dr Liran Shlush of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. ‘Most patients survive just a few weeks or months after diagnosis.’
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/resolving-a-lymphatic-riddle/
May 20, 2015...
Zebrafish embryos with fluorescent “glow in the dark” blood vessels helped solve the mystery of the origin of the lymphatic system
For more than a century, scientists have debated the origins of the lymphatic system – a parallel system to blood vessels, and which serves as a conduit for everything from immune cells to fat molecules to cancer cells. This issue has now been resolved by Dr. Karina Yaniv of the Weizmann Institute of Science’s Department of Biological Regulation. In a study reported in Nature, she and her team revealed how the lymphatic system develops in the embryo and – in a world’s first – managed to grow lymphatic cells in the lab.
Mar 15, 2016...
On March 23, at the Gordon Research Conference on Lymphatics in Ventura, CA, LE&RN Spokesperson and Academy Award-winning actress Kathy Bates will present LE&RN's 2016 Wendy Chaite Leadership Award to Dr. Karina Yaniv of the Weizmann Institute. (Dr. Yaniv is pictured at right with her team at the Weizmann Institute.)
LE&RN received multiple nominations for this prestigious award. Dr. Yaniv was ultmately chosen for the honor based on her significant contributions to lymphatic research.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/feature-stories/leukemia-and-lymphoma-research/
Sep 01, 2012...
According to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, over the past 50-plus years survival rates for such cancers "have doubled and tripled, and in some cases quadrupled." Despite these advances, they say, "more than 1 million North Americans are fighting blood cancers, the third leading cause of cancer death." Among children, leukemia alone is responsible for 40 percent of cancer fatalities.
Fortunately, world-renowned researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science are actively investigating cancers of the blood-forming organs. Over half of all life sciences research at the Institute is focused on cancer, and Weizmann's unique multidisciplinary environment means that collaborative teams armed with the most advanced research tools, as well as with a massive body of institutional expertise, are bringing their considerable resources to bear on the unique problems posed by blood-related cancers.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/feature-stories/blood-test-for-smokers/
Sep 30, 2003...
Clockwise from bottom left: Dr. Meir Krupsky, Dalia Elinger, Dr. Edna Schechtman, Dr. Tamar Paz-Elizur, Dr. Sara Blumenstein, and Prof. Zvi Livneh. Calculated risks
Lung cancer is one of the most deadly malignancies, responsible for 30 percent of all cancer deaths. Most sufferers from the disease – about 90 percent – are smokers. Weizmann research has now yielded a new blood test that can detect smokers who are at especially high risk of developing the cancer.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/feature-stories/target-blood-cancers/
Feb 06, 2017...
Our blood is our very life force, performing the basic functions that keep us alive. It carries nutrients and oxygen to our cells, and bears away metabolic waste. And yet it also plays a role in a number of all-too-common diseases, such as blood cancers. In fact, according to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer every three minutes.
Blood cancers begin in the bone marrow, where blood cells are produced, or in the lymphatic system, which removes excess fluids from the body’s tissues and produces immune cells. In most blood cancers, uncontrolled growth of abnormal blood cells interferes with the development and function of normal, healthy blood cells.
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