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 benefit of humanity.
Jan 31, 2018...
SPENCER HEYFRON FOR READER'S DIGEST
In 2008, just after she’d started kindergarten, Tori Lee was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), an aggressive form of blood cancer. Chemotherapy cures most children of the disease, but Tori wasn’t as lucky. A playful little girl who was doted on by her three older sisters, she “was treated with chemotherapy for about two years, and then she relapsed,” says her mother, Dana Lee. “We started a new protocol, with more intensive chemotherapy and radiation. She spent hundreds of days in the hospital.” And still the cancer held on.
Jul 26, 2018...
The Bladder EpiCheck diagnostic kit developed by Nucleix Ltd. (Courtesy)
Israeli startup Nucleix Ltd., a cancer detection screening company, has developed a urine test that it says can detect with high levels of accuracy the recurrence of bladder cancer in patients.
The company’s diagnostic kit studies a patient’s urine for changes in the DNA of the cells that could signal the repeated onset of cancer. “Ours is a noninvasive, very sensitive and cost effective liquid biopsy test,” said Dr. Opher Shapira, the CEO of Nucleix, in a phone interview.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/science-tips-february-2013/
Feb 07, 2013... Before they go all-out supernova, certain large stars undergo a sort of “mini-explosion,” throwing a good-sized chunk of their material off into space. Though several models predict this behavior and evidence from supernovae points in this direction, actual observations of such pre-explosion outbursts have been rare. In new research led by Dr. Eran Ofek of the Weizmann Institute of Science, scientists found such an outburst taking place a short time — just one month — before a massive star underwent a supernova explosion.
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.
Oct 10, 2017... On October 10, 2017, nearly 200 American Committee supporters from across the country joined a special conference call with CEO Marshall S. Levin. The second in a series of semi-annual calls focused on “Science at the Leading Edge: Latest Breakthroughs from the Weizmann Institute of Science.” Mr. Levin opened with the news of the Weizmann Institute’s sixth place ranking in the prestigious Nature Index of Innovation, and Weizmann Prof. Michal Schwartz’s distinction as “Lady Globes” Woman of Year for her groundbreaking Alzheimer’s research.
Jan 28, 2015...
Prof. Moshe Oren, Head, Moross Integrated Cancer Center
Several decades after President Nixon declared war on cancer, it remains one of the most common and deadliest diseases worldwide, with scientists still working feverishly to unravel the complexities that make fighting it – much less defeating it – so difficult. The Weizmann Institute of Science realized that a different way of looking at cancer was needed – a holistic approach that considers cancer in its totality, that incorporates information from the genomics revolution, that harnesses the power of personalized medicine.
May 16, 2017...
Did you know that May is National Cancer Research Month? As the American Association of Cancer Research states, this observance “recognizes the importance of cancer research”: after all, without basic research and the skilled scientists pursuing it, we would never have means of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.
Cancer research has been a major focus of the Weizmann Institute of Science since its early days. Our scientists were among the first in the world to demonstrate that cancer develops in a multistage process; since then, they have made major advances in cancer diagnosis and treatment. Today they are deeply invested in the development of personalized cancer therapies.
Sep 25, 2017...
Being diagnosed with breast cancer can make a person feel powerless, but there are some things women can do to potentially improve how they feel throughout the process. Here are some strategies recommended by experts—and others that are still being explored—which may help improve the effectiveness and symptoms of treatment.
Physical activity
“Exercise is one of the best things women can do for themselves,” says Dr. Ann Partridge, director of the Program for Young Women with Breast Cancer at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute . “It doesn’t mean marathons or hot yoga, but walking three to five times a week can make a huge difference it terms of energy, stamina and how you feel during treatment.” Partridge says that while exercising during treatment won't be easy for every woman with breast cancer, it can be worthwhile if there days during treatment cycles where women feel up to it.
Feb 26, 2007... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—February 26, 2007—Cancer cells differ from normal cells in, among other things, the way they divide. When a normal cell complies with a signal telling it to divide, it also begins to activate a “braking system” that eventually stops cell division and returns the cell to a resting state. When that braking system is faulty, uncontrolled cell division and the growth of cancer can result. Weizmann Institute scientists studied this system of brakes, and identified a number of the genes involved.
Jul 23, 2015...
Photo via www.shutterstock.com
Lung cancer patients know that the statistics for a full recovery are not in their favor, but new research coming out of Israel could alter these grim figures. According to the Weizmann Institute of Science’s Prof. Yosef Yarden, an innovative strategy involving a three-pronged approach might keep an aggressive form of lung cancer at bay.
Yarden and his lab staff showed on mouse models that their approach stops lung cancer cells from developing resistance to chemotherapy.
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