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 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.
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.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/lineage-trees-reveal-cells-histories/
Feb 23, 2012...
Prof. Ehud Shapiro's research team.
REHOVOT, ISRAEL—February 23, 2012—In recent years, a number of controversial claims have been made about the female mammal's egg supply, including that it is renewed over her adult lifetime (as opposed to the conventional understanding that she is born with all of her eggs) and that the source of these eggs is stem cells that originate in the bone marrow. Now, researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science have disproved one of those claims and pointed in new directions toward resolving the other. Their findings, based on an original method for reconstructing lineage trees for cells, were published online February 23 in PLoS Genetics.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/feature-stories/cancer-research-understanding-the-p53-gene/
Dec 01, 2006...
In their quest to better understand, prevent, and treat cancer, Weizmann Institute of Science researchers are getting to the heart of the matter by exploring the genetics of the disease.
Prof. Varda Rotter, head of the Institute's Department of Molecular Cell Biology, studies p53, a gene that suppresses tumor growth and may one day open doors to the development of new cancer treatment drugs. "There is really a strong feeling that a critical breakthrough in preventing cancer and designing future therapies will occur once it is understood how this gene works," said Prof. Rotter.
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.
Sep 19, 2017...
Humans and fish share about 70% of their protein-coding genes, but only about 0.5% of their regulatory long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs)
One often hears about the multitude of genes we have in common with chimps or other living creatures, but such comparisons are sometimes misleading. “Humans and fish, for instance, share about 70% of their protein-coding genes, but only about 0.5% of an important class of regulatory genes – ones that give rise to so-called long non-coding RNAs, or lncRNAs,” says Dr. Igor Ulitsky of the Department of Biological Regulation at the Weizmann Institute of Science.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/one-patent-three-drugs/
Mar 16, 2016...
A protocol that arose from Weizmann Institute of Science research has led to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of a new biological drug for the treatment of a certain form of lung cancer. This is the third cancer drug to be developed on the basis of studies conducted by the Department of Immunology’s Prof. Michael Sela and colleagues.
Prof. Michael Sela
All three drugs are antibodies that block a receptor called the epidermal growth factor receptor, or EGFR. This receptor, which is on the surface of cells, plays a role in the formation and spread of cancerous tumors. Used in combination with chemotherapy or radiation, blocking EGFR may prevent cancer from growing. Prof. Sela and colleagues Drs. Esther Aboud-Pirak and Esther Hurwitz discovered, a number of years ago, that EGFR-inhibiting antibodies produce a synergistic anticancer effect when used together with chemotherapy.
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.
Jun 01, 2017...
Humans are exposed to stress at different intensities throughout life but many researchers maintain that the critical effect of stress occurs prenatally, inside the womb.
Stress affects the body and can trigger illness – from psychiatric disorders to heart disease. Humans are exposed to stress at different intensities throughout life: as children, in adolescence, and in old age. But when is the impact of stress on our systems most powerful? Many researchers maintain that the critical effect occurs prenatally, inside the womb. This hypothesis was, until recently, based mainly on statistical data indicating a correlation between stress during pregnancy and susceptibility to disease. Now, Weizmann Institute of Science research, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, establishes, for the first time, a clear causal link between prenatal stress and the onset of eating disorders. Furthermore, in a study in mice, researchers successfully prevented the onset of a compulsive eating disorder by the sole means of a unique diet.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/sense-for-scents-traced-down-to-genes/
Aug 01, 2013...
Although the genetics of smell are usually highly involved, people's ability to sense the distinctive fragrance of sweet violets (Viola odorata) has been traced back to a single gene. Wild Wonders of Europe/Bartoch/Naturepl.com
When it comes to our sense of smell, we are all experiencing the world in very different ways.
Scientists already know that humans' sensitivity to smelly molecules varies considerably from person to person (see: 'Soapy taste of coriander linked to genetic variants'). But evidence that genetic variations — as opposed to habit, culture or other factors — underlie these differences has been hard to come by.
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