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.
Sep 29, 2020... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—September 29, 2020—The odors we give off are a sort of body language – one that may affect our relationships more than we realize. New research from the lab of Prof. Noam Sobel at the Weizmann Institute of Science suggests that this “chemical communication” may extend to human reproduction as well. The study, which was published in eLife, found that women who suffer from a condition known as unexplained repeated pregnancy loss (uRPL) process messages concerning male body odor – especially their husband’s – in a different way than other women. These findings may point to new directions in the search for causes and prevention of this poorly understood disorder.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/does-the-nose-talk-to-the-womb/
Dec 08, 2020... To be an expectant mother, or the anxious partner of one, is to be keenly, even agonizingly aware of how chemicals affect a developing life. The basic advice is well known, and obsessively followed: Alcohol in strict moderation, and no nicotine at all. Don’t mess with mercury. Folic acid is your friend. More protein and less caffeine. Stay away from BPA, PBCs and PFA, and generally make an enemy of the unpronounceable.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/a-future-where-women-don-t-need-to-give-birth/
Feb 22, 2022...
In this fascinating video produced by the BBC, Prof. Jacob Hanna from Weizmann’s Department of Molecular Biology joins several global experts to discuss embryonic growth outside of the womb.
Hanna and his team made history by growing mouse embryos externally, and Hanna believes in the next ten years clinical trials in humans could be possible.
The potential impacts of growing human fetuses in a synthetic womb are wide-ranging, saving premature babies too underdeveloped for traditional incubators, preventing life-threatening pregnancy complications, and providing an opportunity for people who are unable to conceive for a variety of reasons, to have children.
Aug 01, 2022... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—August 1, 2022— An egg meets a sperm – that’s a necessary first step in life’s beginnings, and it’s also a common first step in embryonic development research. But in a Weizmann Institute of Science study published today in Cell, researchers have grown synthetic embryo models of mice outside the womb by starting solely with stem cells cultured in a petri dish – that is, without the use of fertilized eggs. The method opens new horizons for studying how stem cells form various organs in the developing embryo, and may one day make it possible to grow tissues and organs for transplantation using synthetic embryo models.
Sep 05, 2023... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—September 6, 2023—A research team headed by Prof. Jacob Hanna at the Weizmann Institute of Science has created complete models of human embryos from stem cells cultured in the lab – and managed to grow them outside the womb up to day 14. As reported today in Nature, these synthetic embryo models had all the structures and compartments characteristic of this stage, including the placenta, yolk sac, chorionic sac and other external tissues that ensure dynamic and adequate growth.
Sep 06, 2023... Scientists grow whole model of human embryo, without sperm or egg
Sep 07, 2023... Lab-grown human "embryo-like structures" bring hope for research into early-pregnancy complications
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