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/in-the-news/the-coronavirus-unveiled/
Oct 09, 2020...
In February, as the new coronavirus swept across China and shut down entire cities, a scientist named Sai Li set out to paint its portrait.
At the time, the best pictures anyone had managed to take were low-resolution images, in which the virus looked like a barely discernible smudge.
Dr. Li, a structural biologist at Tsinghua University in Beijing, joined forces with virologists who were rearing the virus in a biosafety lab in the city of Hangzhou. Those researchers doused the viruses with chemicals to render them harmless and then sent them to Dr. Li.
Oct 15, 2020...
A new questionnaire by the Weizmann Institute of Science could tell you what your chances of having COVID-19 are and help countries decide who to prioritize for testing as testing materials remain hard to get.
The survey was built based on a model detailed in a paper published by researchers from the Weizmann Institute, Rambam Medical Center, Maccabi and Clalit Healthcare Services, King’s College London and Tel Aviv University, among others.
Oct 15, 2020... This crisis has shown me just how fragile our social systems are — from the ways we do business to the ways we interact with family and friends. We’ve seen our world change at a pace we couldn’t have envisioned before this pandemic struck. As a result, I’m more sensitive to how quickly the fabric of our lives can be disrupted. And I’m more keenly aware of how important it is to find solutions before the next major disruption happens. Whether we’re attempting to address climate change, the global energy crisis, or another emerging virus, scientists will, once again, be instrumental in charting the path forward.
Oct 24, 2020...
Most marathoners follow up long training runs with an ice bath and a nap. Gamini Sugathadasa, a bellman at the Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas, runs 20 miles and then spends eight more hours on his feet. According to his fitness tracker, he averages 14,000 steps during a typical shift.
When the hotel closed in mid-March due to the coronavirus, he made up for the steps by pounding out more miles on his treadmill. The concept of a marathon was foreign to Mr. Sugathadasa until 2009, when he was greeting guests who had finished the Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon. “I just remember everyone looked so happy,” he says. Intrigued, he left work that day and ran 11 miles. Despite some stiffness, he went out and ran the same distance the following three days. He was a natural.
Nov 16, 2020...
When Mikael Dolsten, the head scientist at Pfizer, heard the news last week that the COVID-19 vaccine that he has been helping to develop for the better part of a year was over 90% effective, he and his colleagues literally leapt with joy at a corporate office in Connecticut.
“This may turn out to be one of the biggest medical advances of the past 100 years,” Dolsten said by Zoom from his home office last week, the emotion clear in his voice and on his face.
Nov 18, 2020...
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the causative pathogen of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – spreads via respiratory droplets, aerosols or airborne particles. When the virus enters the body, it binds with the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors of healthy cells to gain entry and promote viral replication.
A new study has found that there are about ten virus particles in each cell in the body. The research team from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel and the University of California in the USA estimate that each infected person carries around 109-1011 virions during peak infection.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/blog/what-is-happening-to-our-sense-of-time-during-covid/
Dec 31, 2020...
We have all experienced a warped sense of time during these Groundhog Blursdays of the pandemic – but why?
Some reasons are obvious. We have lost our guideposts, and events that occurred like clockwork – holidays, birthdays – have largely been cancelled. Seasons and school days aren’t well-defined. Weekends – what’s the diff?
And if you are fortunate enough to work remotely, you no longer have the adjustment period of a commute; going straight from bed to the kitchen coffeemaker to one’s makeshift office is simply not the same. Our environment, clothing, and habits are unchanging.
Jan 12, 2021... Prof. Roee Ozeri, Vice President for Resource Development, hosts this session of the Institute’s 72nd board meeting. He presents the state of the research on the coronavirus – and what’s next, including stopping future pandemics.
Jan 12, 2021... This webinar, hosted by the Latin American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science features Prof. Gabi Barbash, Director Emeritus-General of Israel’s Ministry of Health and Director of Weizmann’s Bench-to-Bedside Program, and Prof. Igor Ulitsky of the Department of Biological Regulation.
Jan 16, 2021...
We are rapidly learning how SARS-CoV-2 mutates to create variants with new characteristics. Some of these new variants, such as those found in the UK and South Africa, may affect our ability to control the pandemic, including contagion mitigation, diagnosis, and vaccination.
Over the past few weeks, reports show that some variants of SARS-CoV-2 are more contagious than earlier strains. Sequence analysis of these variants reveals that their genome and proteins differ subtly from their less infectious origins. The viral protein studied in most detail is the spike protein. Multiple independent isolates harbor changes in the spike protein that account, at least partially, for their increased transmissibility.
©2023 American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science
