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/brain-research-gets-a-boost-from-mosquitos/
May 11, 2021... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—May 11, 2021—Can a protein found in a mosquito lead to a better understanding of the workings of our own brains? Prof. Ofer Yizhar and his team in the Weizmann Institute of Science’s Department of Neurobiology took a light-sensitive protein derived from mosquitos and used it to devise an improved method for investigating the messages that are passed from neuron to neuron in the brains of mice. This method, reported in Neuron, could potentially help scientists solve age-old cerebral mysteries and pave the way for new and improved therapies to treat neurological and psychiatric conditions.
May 14, 2021... The American Committee’s Women for Science (W4S) initiative hosted an engaging webinar, featuring two leading neuroscientists: Weizmann Institute President Prof. Alon Chen and Prof. Michal Schwartz of the Department of Neurobiology. Following introductory remarks by W4S Co-Chair Ellen Merlo, Prof. Chen provided an overview Weizmann’s flagship Institute for Brian and Neural Sciences. Featured speaker Prof. Michal Schwartz then presented her trailblazing research, based on her groundbreaking discoveries about the connection between the immune system and the brain. Her innovative work is paving the way to a revolutionary platform for the treatment of Alzheimer’s and age-related dementia. To conclude the program, Prof. Schwartz participated in a dynamic Q&A, moderated by Ellen Merlo.
May 11, 2021...
Israeli scientists have developed a way to switch off connectors that link different parts of the brain, in an advance they say could prove key to treating neurological disorders like epilepsy.
The innovation, which relies on a light-sensitive protein from mosquitos, was reported on Tuesday in the peer-reviewed journal Neuron. The breakthrough has been discussed in medical circles for several weeks, and dozens of neurobiology teams around the world are already ordering the protein and using the protocol in their own labs.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/feature-stories/june-is-alzheimer-s-brain-awareness-month/
Jun 07, 2021...
Despite decades of research, we don’t know much about the brain. It is as strange as the deep sea, as complex as a computer, as mysterious as the universe – and it makes us who we are, as humans and individuals.
Understanding this most complex of organs is more important now than ever: lifespans are increasing and, thus, so are age-related conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s; awareness of mental illness is rising, as is the need for effective treatments; rates of autism are still going up. Fortunately, technological advances over the past several years are, for the first time, allowing scientists to study the brain at a level of detail never before possible.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/when-the-brain-s-gps-goes-off-the-grid/
Aug 11, 2021... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—August 11, 2021—In a new study published in Nature, Weizmann Institute of Science researchers revealed, for the first time, how three-dimensional space is represented in the mammalian cortex by the brain’s “GPS” system. The team, led by Prof. Nachum Ulanovsky of Weizmann’s Department of Neurobiology and including scientists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, was surprised to find that this representation is very different from the way two-dimensional space is represented – a finding that turned several longstanding hypotheses on their heads.
Nov 09, 2021... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—November 9, 2021—The Weizmann Institute of Science is thrilled to announce a lead philanthropic donation of $50 million (USD) from the Azrieli Foundation. The historic gift will enable catalytic brain research with the establishment of The Azrieli Institute for Brain and Neural Sciences. The donation is among the largest of its kind for the Foundation. The Azrieli Foundation is a longstanding supporter of research at the Weizmann Institute, and this generous donation adds to its past philanthropic investments of nearly $30 million in Weizmann research facilities and faculty and student fellowships.
Mar 31, 2022... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—March 31, 2022—Genetic mutations linked to a disease often spell bad news. Mutations in over 25 genes, for example, are associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, and they all increase the risk of developing this incurable disorder. Now, a research team headed by Prof. Eran Hornstein of the Weizmann Institute of Science has linked a new gene to ALS, but this one contains mutations of a different sort: They seem to play a defensive, rather than an offensive, role in the disease.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/a-new-way-to-measure-creativity/
Apr 07, 2022... Creativity is crucial—at the heart of human endeavors ranging from art to entrepreneurship. It’s also notoriously hard to study. Usually in psychological tests we see whether people produce a particular predetermined response to a particular question. The essence of creativity, however, is to spontaneously make something new, something no one could predict beforehand. The few measures of creativity we have are more than 50 years old, and they are hard to score and often unreliable.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/feature-stories/a-new-gene-linked-to-als/
May 25, 2022... ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known by the name Lou Gehrig’s disease) is a rare – and devastating – neurological disease. Many of us probably didn’t know about it until the Ice Bucket Challenge a few years ago. So what research developments on the disease have been made since then? ALS Awareness Month is a chance to reflect on that and to share a recent discovery at Weizmann that could slow or prevent the disease.
May 31, 2022... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—May 31, 2022—Ketamine, a well-known anesthetic used in smaller doses as a party drug, was hailed as a “new hope for depression” in a Time magazine cover story in 2017. Two years later, the arrival of the first ketamine-based antidepressant – the nasal spray esketamine, made by Johnson & Johnson – was applauded as the most exciting development in the treatment of mood disorders in decades. Yet the U.S. Food and Drug Administration still limits the spray’s use. It is mainly given to depressed patients who have not been helped by other therapies – in part, because the new drug’s mechanism of action is insufficiently understood, leading to concerns over its safety.