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.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/leukemia-cells-are-addicted-to-a-healthy-gene/
Sep 29, 2013... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—September 29, 2013—What keeps leukemia cells alive almost forever, able to continue dividing endlessly and aggressively? New research at the Weizmann Institute of Science suggests that, in about a quarter of all leukemias, the cancer cells rely on an internal “balance of terror” to keep going. When one version of a certain gene is mutated, it becomes a cancer-promoting gene – an oncogene. But the new findings show that the second, normal version of the gene, which functions alongside the mutation, is what keeps the cells both cancerous and alive, able to continue forging their destructive pathway in the body. This research appeared last week in Cell Reports.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/rewriting-dna-to-understand-what-it-says/
May 31, 2012... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—May 31, 2012—Our ability to "read" DNA has made tremendous progress in the past few decades, but the ability to understand and alter the genetic code – that is, to "rewrite" the DNA-encoded instructions – has lagged behind. A new Weizmann Institute study advances our understanding of the genetic code: it proposes a way of effectively introducing numerous carefully planned DNA segments into genomes of living cells and of testing the effects of these changes. The study is being reported in the June issues of Nature Biotechnology and Nature Genetics.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/human-primordial-cells-created-in-the-lab/
Dec 24, 2014...
Clusters of human embryonic stem cells that were differentiated to a primordial germ cell (PGC) state (colored cells). Each color reveals the expression of a different gene. (l-r) NANOS3, NANOG, OCT4 and, on the right, all three combined in a single image. From the Weizmann Institute of Science
REHOVOT, ISRAEL—December 24, 2014—Groups at the Weizmann Institute of Science and Cambridge University have jointly managed the feat of turning back the clock on human cells to create primordial germ cells – the embryonic cells that give rise to sperm and ova – in the lab. This is the first time that human cells have been programmed into this early developmental stage. The results of their study, which were published December 24 in Cell, could help provide answers as to the causes of fertility problems, yield insight into the earliest stages of embryonic development and potentially, in the future, enable the development of new kinds of reproductive technology.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/science-tips-august-2014/
Aug 11, 2014... Blood stem cells have the potential to turn into any type of blood cell, whether it be the oxygen-carrying red blood cells, or the immune system’s many types of white blood cells that help fight infection. How exactly is the fate of these stem cells regulated? Preliminary findings from research conducted by scientists from the Weizmann Institute of Science and the Hebrew University are starting to reshape the conventional understanding of the way blood stem cell fate decisions are controlled, thanks to a new technique for epigenetic analysis they have developed. Understanding epigenetic mechanisms (environmental influences other than genetics) of cell fate could lead to the deciphering of the molecular mechanisms of many diseases, including immunological disorders, anemia, leukemia, and many more. It also lends strong support to findings that environmental factors and lifestyle play a more prominent role in shaping our destiny than previously realized.
Sep 27, 2019... Glioblastoma, a typically incurable brain cancer, is a master of diversity. Not only do the tumors differ from one patient to the next, but cells within each tumor differ greatly from one another. In a study published recently in Cell, researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science, working in collaboration with Boston researchers and physicians, have found that glioblastoma cells come in as many as four “states,” or subtypes, and – as if that were not enough – these cells can transition from one state to another. These findings might help explain why glioblastoma is so difficult to treat and point toward ways of developing future therapies.
Jan 27, 2020...
When Weizmann Institute of Science Prof. Rivka Dikstein set out to study a gene regulating inflammation, she had no idea she’d find a promising route to developing a drug for Huntington’s disease.
Dikstein’s biomolecular sciences team focused on a gene called Spt5, which regulates how DNA is copied for manufacturing proteins. The scientists discovered that Spt5 plays a key role in inflammation.
Sep 11, 2019...
JERUSALEM, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) – Israeli scientists have developed a method that allows unprecedented observation of embryonic stem cell differentiation, the Weizmann Institute of Science (WIS) reported Tuesday.
The study, published in the journal Molecular Cell, is another step in solving one of the great mysteries of life – a tiny ball of identical cells implants itself in the uterus, and somehow, these cells begin to differentiate – each heading for a different fate.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/viruses-overheard-talking-to-one-another/
Jan 18, 2017...
Prof. Rotem Sorek uncovered a virus code
Viruses may be stealthy invaders, but a study at the Weizmann Institute of Science reveals a new, chatty side of some: for the first time, viruses have been found communicating with one another. This communication – short “posts” left for kin and descendants – helps the viruses reading them to decide how to proceed with the process of infection. The research was reported in Nature.
Apr 08, 2019... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—April 8, 2019—The project, led by Prof. Eran Segal and his team in the Department of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics and Department of Molecular Cell Biology, aims to use state-of-the-art artificial intelligence technologies to generate personalized predictions for disease risk factors. The 10K project is a longitudinal study designed to collect lifestyle and clinical data from 10,000 individuals who will be recruited from the Israeli population, and is suitable for Hebrew speakers only.
Jul 27, 2012...
Researchers conduct a study at the Weizmann Institute of Science. Photo credit: Doron Horowitz/Flash90
Scientists have long been aware of the mechanics of epigenetics in the body, in which environmental and other factors affect cells, in a sort of non-genetic “mutation.” As cells divide, they “activate” only the genes that are necessary for their own use, even if they carry the entire gene sequence of a person. But sometimes, proper differentiation of the cells into different types with different functions fails, possibly because of improper molecular “labeling” in a cell. And following this line of research, a team led scientists at the Weizmann Institute have discovered a link between cancer and epigenetic changes.
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