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.
Oct 11, 2017... You're not alone! Right now, you've got 100 trillion bacteria living in your digestive system. Most of us are familiar only with these tiny critters' embarrassing habit of releasing smelly gas at the wrong moments, but the truth is, your gut bugs are intimately involved with your weight. There's growing evidence that the right mix of bacteria in your intestines can help you make healthier food choices and stay slim, while the wrong mix encourages weight gain and a taste for junky processed foods.
Feb 24, 2019...
Embryonic stem cells. (Credit: Giovanni Cancemi via shutterstock.com)
Modern medicine sometimes really is a miracle, with many illnesses and conditions that in the past spelled sure death now treatable and curable. Not only is medicine effective, but in recent years it’s becoming more convenient, futuristic and innovative.
So why is it that many people still need to inject themselves every day to stay alive?
Apr 18, 2019...
New studies, from the Weizmann Institute of Science and the University of California, Irvine, found mice that exercised in the evening were 50% more efficient than in the morning (file image)
Taking an evening jog may be better for you than going on a morning run, two new studies find.
In research conducted on mice, scientists said that exercise performance was about 50 percent better during the evening hours.
Nov 24, 2016...
New research offers insight into why it’s so difficult for dieters to maintain their weight loss. (Getty Images)
For those who have lost the same 10, 20 or 50 pounds not once but many times over, new research may help explain why yo-yo dieters so often fail to maintain their hard-won weight loss.
The community of microorganisms that inhabit the gut are a key culprit, experiments in mice suggest. After being altered by obesity, this collection of bacteria, viruses and protozoa — collectively known as the gut microbiome — subverts any effort to keep lost weight off. Instead, it seems to encourage the body to regain lost weight by storing more calories as fat, and it does so in ways that exaggerate the body’s unhealthy metabolic response to weight gain.
Apr 19, 2010... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—April 19, 2010—The constant stress that many are exposed to in our modern society may be taking aheavy toll: Anxiety disorders and depression, as well as metabolic(substance exchange) disorders, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, andarteriosclerosis, have all been linked to stress. These problems are reaching epidemic proportions: Diabetes alone is expected to affect some 360 million people worldwide by the year 2030. While anyone who has ever gorged on chocolate before an important exam recognizes the tie between stress, changes in appetite, and anxiety-related behavior, the connection has lately been borne out by science, although the exactreasons for the connection aren't crystal clear. Dr. Alon Chen of the Weizmann Institute's Department of Neurobiology and his research team have now discovered that changes in the activity of a single gene in the brain not only cause mice to exhibit anxious behavior, but also lead to metabolic changes that cause them to develop symptoms associated with type 2 diabetes. These findings were published online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
May 26, 2016...
A receptor related to stress turns out to be related to eating - in female mice. Credit: Reuters
Studying a protein in the brain that is related to stress may have led to insight on why women are more prone than men to eating disorders.
Granted, the findings at the Weizmann Institute of Science were made on mice, among whom anorexia isn't usually a problem. But the serendipitous discovery may well apply to all mammals.
Sep 15, 2015...
Your body's immune system might be able to fight obesity. Photo: Emilio Labrador CC BY 2.0
It is well known that this country is in the midst of an obesity epidemic. No matter how long we exercise or how healthy we try to eat, it just does not seem to be enough, as there also seem to be other causes of obesity, including genetics. Some people even consider it an autoimmune, inflammatory disorder, because fat cells may produce various inflammatory molecules that can disrupt the balance established by a normal immune system. Considering this, is there a way to manipulate the immune system in order to battle obesity?
Nov 09, 2017...
Image via Shutterstock.com
November 14 is World Diabetes Day and the month of November is National Diabetes Month in the United States. While there is not yet a cure for diabetes, many Israeli researchers and companies offer improved approaches for avoiding, managing and treating the condition.
Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas cannot make insulin – the hormone that regulates blood sugar — or when the body cannot make good use of the insulin it makes.
Sep 17, 2014...
Sweeteners alter the microbiome, the population of bacteria that is in the digestive system. Weizmann Institute of Science
Artificial sweeteners may disrupt the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar, causing metabolic changes that can be a precursor to diabetes, researchers are reporting.
That is “the very same condition that we often aim to prevent” by consuming sweeteners instead of sugar, said Dr. Eran Elinav, an immunologist at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, at a news conference to discuss the findings.
Aug 28, 2010...
Stress is one of life’s universal experiences – everyone is familiar with it, regardless of who they are, where they live, or what they do. But while stress is common, it is hardly simple. Prof. Alon Chen of the Weizmann Institute of Science’s Department of Neurobiology is working to clarify the biological underpinnings of stress and elucidate the brain’s mechanisms for coping with the condition.
Prof. Chen defines stress as the result of any demand or challenge to homeostasis – our internal balance system – and says it is important to remember that stress can be real or perceived, current or anticipated, physiological or psychological, or a mixture of these. In addition, the perception of and response to stress are very individual, and both genetic and environmental factors play a role in how a person copes. Many scientists believe that stress is left over from early human existence, when challenging situations required an instinctive “fight or flight” response. Today, people have more choices; however, when confronted with stress, the body still automatically activates a series of coordinated responses organized to protect homeostatic equilibrium and, thus, enhance the probability of survival.
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