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/feature-stories/understanding-alzheimer-s/
Jun 28, 2010... One in 10 Americans over the age of 65 has Alzheimer's disease, a debilitating neurological disorder that slowly destroys memory and cognitive function and for which there is no cure. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), because the risk of developing the disease increases with age and more people are living longer, the number of people suffering from Alzheimer's is likely to grow dramatically over the next few decades. Despite years of research by scientists all over the world, Alzheimer's is still poorly understood.
Nov 18, 2013...
Nobelist Ada Yonath delivers the Efraim Racker Lecture in Biology and Medicine Nov. 14 on campus. Robert Barker/University Photography
One hundred may one day be the new 80, but it may be some time before living past 80 is a global standard for life expectancy, said Nobel laureate Ada Yonath, who delivered the 21st Efraim Racker Lecture in Biology and Medicine Nov. 14.
Yonath linked widespread use of antibiotics to increased human life expectancy. Her work on ribosomes has offered insight into helping researchers understand antibiotic resistance.
Sep 01, 2012... Lipids are fatty substances found in every cell in our bodies. They make up the membranes that separate the cell from its surroundings and are responsible for regulating the passage of nutrients to and from the cell. One particular family of lipids — sphingolipids — fascinates Prof. Anthony (Tony) Futerman of the Weizmann Institute of Science’s Department of Biological Chemistry. “Sphingolipids were discovered in the 19th century by the German biochemist Johann Thudichum, who named them after the sphinx because they were enigmatic,” says Prof. Futerman.
Apr 12, 2018...
On April 11, 2018, American Committee supporters from across the country tuned in for CEO Marshall S. Levin's most recent conference call focused on “Science at the Leading Edge: Latest Breakthroughs from the Weizmann Institute of Science.”
As one of the deadliest flu seasons comes to a close, Mr. Levin informed the audience that Weizmann scientists have developed a universal flu vaccine that may provide full protection from all strains of the virus. The vaccine is now in late-stage clinical trials.
Apr 05, 2017...
Weizmann alumnus Dr. Jeffrey Rothenberg wears many hats. Over the course of a single day, you might find him seeing patients, leading an executive hospital meeting, teaching medical students, or delivering newborns. You might also find him practicing an entirely different occupation: glassblowing.
An accomplished obstetrician-gynecologist, a celebrated professor, and a prolific artist, Dr. Rothenberg says his vocations and his avocation are integral to who he is. And while friends, family, and colleagues marvel at his ability to use both sides of his brain, he sees the two as intertwined. The arts and humanities, he believes, nurture skills such as observation, introspection, and empathy—all of which make physicians better healers.
Dec 01, 2009... A bicycle accident and polar bears came together in one curious scientist’s mind, and became the catalyst for research that is changing the world.When Prof. Ada Yonath of the Weizmann Institute of Science was recovering from a concussion suffered while riding her bike, she read an article about hibernating polar bears, which led her to consider the physical processes that enable and support a dormant state. It occurred to her that in order for the bears to go in and out of hibernation, it was possible that ribosomes were packed in an orderly manner—an idea that went against then-current thinking. And she wondered, “Why do they do this?”
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/science-tips-january-2009/
Jan 28, 2009...
Even when the results of the basic research at the Weizmann Institute are translated directly to medical application, it may take years to reach patients. But, once in a while, a finding can change lives almost immediately.
In 2006, Prof. Nava Dekel of the Institute’s Biological Regulation Department, together with doctors in the in vitro fertilization (IVF) unit of the Kaplan Medical Center, made the surprising discovery that performing a uterine biopsy — causing a slight injury to the lining of the uterus just before a woman undergoes IVF doubles the chances of a successful pregnancy. Although the mechanism was not completely clear, Dekel and her team assumed that the injury provokes a response in the uterus that makes it more receptive to the embryo’s implantation.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/feature-stories/making-personalized-medicine-a-reality/
Nov 24, 2014...
The Nancy and Stephen Grand Israel National Center for Personalized Medicine is the Weizmann Institute of Science’s first comprehensive initiative to translate genetic and molecular data into information that may one day be used for more precise, more individualized patient care.
“Personalized medicine – or ‘precision medicine,’ as it has been termed by the NIH – is a form of medicine that uses information about a person’s genes, proteins, and environment to prevent, diagnose, and treat patients,” says Dr. Berta Strulovici, the new center’s director. “In the future, this knowledge will give doctors the ability to assess medical risks and monitor and treat patients according to their specific genetic makeup and molecular phenotype.”
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/stem-cell-reprogramming-made-easier/
Sep 18, 2013... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—September 18, 2013—Embryonic stem cells have the enormous potential to treat and cure many medical problems. That is why the discovery that induced embryonic-like stem cells can be created from skin cells was rewarded with a Nobel Prize in 2012. But the process of creating such cells has remained frustratingly slow and inefficient, and the resulting stem cells are not yet ready for medical use. Research in the lab of the Weizmann Institute of Science’s Dr. Jacob (Yaqub) Hanna, which appears September 18 in Nature, dramatically changes that: He and his group have identified the “brake” that holds back the production of stem cells, and found that releasing this brake can both synchronize the process and increase its efficiency from around one percent or less today to 100 percent. These findings may help facilitate the production of stem cells for medical use, as well as advancing our understanding of the mysterious process by which adult cells can revert back into their original, embryonic state.
Aug 28, 2019...
Image via Shutterstock.com
Prescribing the right anti-depression medication often involves tedious trial and error. Your psychiatrist suggests one type of pill, but it doesn’t work or has too many side effects. So you go on to the next medication and then another one until you finally find a prescription that seems to work. Meanwhile, the debilitating symptoms of depression continue.
Neuroscientist Dekel Taliaz found the entire drawn-out process to be, well, depressing. So, together with his brother Oren, he set up a company bearing the siblings’ family name – Taliaz – to apply the latest in artificial intelligence and machine learning to enable psychiatrists to prescribe the right anti-depression medication the first time.
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