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.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/will-this-man-discover-a-vaccine-for-hiv/
Feb 18, 2014...
HIV researcher Ron Diskin
The search for a cure or vaccine for HIV hasn’t always inspired optimism—but hopes are buoyed now by recent advances, including a new understanding about how certain rare antibodies can fight the virus.
“There has been a substantial amount of research that has already been done” since scientists isolated some such antibodies in 2009 and 2010, says Ron Diskin, a biomedical researcher at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, who recently visited the U.S. to share some of his findings and participate in a variety of HIV awareness efforts with the Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles.
Sep 17, 2014...
Should we drink diet soda or not? The latest study doesn't really clear things up.
The debate over whether diet sodas are good, bad or just OK for us never seems to end.
Some research suggests zero-calorie drinks can help people cut calories and fend off weight gain.
But in recent years, the idea that artificial sweeteners may trick the brain and lead to "metabolic derangements," as one researcher has theorized, has gained traction, too.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/bacterial-immune-systems-take-the-stage/
Jan 25, 2018...
Bacteria like these have numerous defenses against the phages (dots) that infect them
REHOVOT, ISRAEL—January 25, 2018— Until a decade ago, scientists were not aware that bacteria had complex immune systems – ones that could keep up with the pace of evolution in viruses called phages that infect bacteria. That changed with the discovery of what is now the most famous bacterial immune mechanism: CRISPR. Scientists realized that CRISPR is a natural gene editor, and it has revolutionized the world of biological research in thousands of labs around the world. Researchers now understand that most microorganisms have sophisticated immune systems, of which CRISPR is just one element, but there has been no good way to identify these systems.
May 20, 2013...
Emily Whitehead, 8, celebrates a year of remission after cancer therapy at Children's. Photo from The Philadelphia Inquirer
It is vanishingly rare for an experimental treatment to wipe out advanced, recurrent cancer, then keep the disease from coming back.
Yet therapies driven by CARs have been doing exactly that in a small but growing number of blood-cancer patients at the University of Pennsylvania and other centers.
Oct 28, 2014...
Targeting cognition through the body. Cognition by Shutterstock
When we age our whole body gradually deteriorates. This includes our brains, where our personality, memories and personal values reside. It is therefore understandable that dementia and memory loss are some of the most devastating hallmarks of aging, for the elderly, their families, and the healthcare system.
This is why researchers want to find ways to rejuvenate the brain and therefore maintain the young mind and cognition in old age.
Aug 15, 2016...
Basel, August 15, 2016 - Today Novartis announced that six scientists will receive the 2016 Novartis Prizes for Immunology at the upcoming 16th International Congress of Immunology (ICI) in Melbourne, Australia on Aug 22, 2016.
The Novartis Prizes for Immunology are awarded every three years for breakthrough contributions to the fields of basic and clinical immunology. Each of the two Prize categories is endowed for CHF 100,000 and can be shared by up to three scientists.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/looking-in-cellular-trash-cans/
Oct 22, 2018...
The MAPP profile of discarded proteins from healthy subjects (top) and lupus patients (bottom) shows an abnormally high turnover of particular proteins in the histone family (browns)
REHOVOT, ISRAEL—October 22, 2018—If we really want to know how our body’s cells work – or don’t work, in the case of disease – we might need to look beyond our genes and even beyond the proteins the genes are made of. We may need to start going through the cellular “trash.” The group of Dr. Yifat Merbl of the Weizmann Institute of Science developed a system to do just that, finding that “cellular dumpster-diving” contains information about the cell’s function that is not otherwise seen. The group applied their new approach to profiling the immune cells of patients with an autoimmune disorder, discovering clear evidence of a signature pattern that provides a new way of thinking about the underlying causes of the disease. Furthermore, in the future, this may lead to better diagnostic techniques.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/what-are-the-benefits-of-probiotics/
Nov 27, 2019...
Photo Illustration by The New York Times; Getty Images
Walk into a health food store, or even a drugstore, and you’re likely to find an entire aisle, maybe two, dedicated to probiotics. Probiotics are live micro-organisms, usually bacteria, that provide health benefits when consumed at appropriate doses.
According to some surveys, approximately four million Americans take probiotics, which are available as pills, powders, foods and drinks. Probiotics are a huge industry — at least a $40 billion dollar one, according to Zion Market Research — and popular brands sell for 35 cents to $1 a dose, with a shelf life of several months.
Mar 19, 2019...
BiondVax CEO Dr. Ron Babecoff (upper row, center) and employees at the company’s new Jerusalem production facility. (photo credit: Courtesy)
New vaccines are developed every year, based on three strains of the influenza virus that experts believe to be most likely in the upcoming season. Frequent and unpredictable mutations of the virus, however, mean that vaccine effectiveness significantly varies from year to year.
Dec 25, 2016... We’ve known that bacteria live in our intestines as far back as the 1680s, when Leeuwenhoek first looked through his microscope. Yogurt companies use that information in the sales pitch for their product, claiming it can help keep your gut bacteria happy. The bacteria growing on our skin have also been effectively exploited to sell the underarm deodorants without which we can become, ahem, malodorous. Until fairly recently our various microbes were thought of as freeloaders without any meaningful benefit to our functioning as healthy human beings.
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