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/news-releases/gut-microbes-may-affect-the-course-of-als/
Jul 22, 2019...
Gut microbes such as these were found to have altered levels in ALS patients
REHOVOT, ISRAEL—July 22, 2019—Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science have shown in mice that intestinal microbes, collectively termed the gut microbiome, may affect the course of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. As reported in Nature, progression of an ALS-like disease was slowed after the mice received certain strains of gut microbes or substances known to be secreted by these microbes. Preliminary results suggest that the findings on the regulatory function of the microbiome may be applicable to human patients with ALS.
May 02, 2017...
For most of his life, Joshua Meier has been the textbook definition of a whiz kid. At four, he received his first computer game – a gift that fascinated him until he realized that the experience it created was “fundamentally limited.” Eager to push beyond those limitations, he opened his first email account when he was five and began programming at the age of eight.
His interests soon expanded to biology. By the time he was a high school junior in Teaneck, New Jersey, he was the head of a biotechnology company, Provita Pharmaceuticals, and had already gained recognition from Google for his stem cell research.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/feature-stories/networking-with-the-lymphatic-system/
Feb 07, 2018... Running parallel to our blood vessels is another network of vessels: the lymphatic system. This equally lifegiving network serves as a conduit for everything from immune cells to fat molecules to cancer cells. Prof. Karina Yaniv of the Weizmann Institute of Science’s Department of Biological Regulation became fascinated with the lymphatic system early in her career, when she realized that this crucial, basic network was surprisingly poorly understood.
Mar 20, 2019...
Yeda CEO Gil Granot-Mayer (left to right) BioLeaders CEO, Dr. Young-Chul Park and Weizmann Institute Vice President for Technology Transfer Prof. Mordechai Sheves (Weizmann Institute of Science)
An anti-cancer therapy that has been developed by scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Technology will get a $10 million investment from a South Korean biopharmaceutical company that is traded on the Korea Stock Exchange. This is the Korean firm’s first investment in an Israeli venture, the Weizmann Institute said in a statement.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/coral-on-a-chip-cracks-coral-mysteries/
Mar 16, 2016...
The mouth of a coral polyp (center): Symbiotic algae are labeled in red; pathogenic bacteria that enter through this region are labeled in blue
We know that human-induced environmental changes are responsible for coral bleaching, disease, and infertility. Loss of the world’s stony coral reefs – up to 30% in the next 30 years, according to some estimates – will mean loss of their services, including sequestering some 70–90 million tons of carbon each year and supporting enormous marine biodiversity. Yet despite many advances, we are still far from understanding the causes and processes contributing to the corals’ demise. Weizmann Institute of Science researchers have developed a new experimental platform for studying coral biology at microscale resolutions, which is already providing new insights into this complex problem. The work was published in Nature Communications.
Oct 11, 2011...
“I believe there is real magic in the way thatembryos develop. I’ve been studying them for almost 15 years and Ihaven’t stopped being amazed,” says Dr. Karina Yaniv of the WeizmannInstitute of Science’s Department of Biological Regulation.
Dr. Yaniv focuses on examining how blood and lymphatic vessels formduring embryonic development. Her research may, in the future, lead tonew therapies for heart disease, stroke, cancer, and other illnesses. “Ithink it’s imperative for us to learn how to manipulate vessel growth,”she says. “Sometimes we want to encourage vessel growth and sometimeswe want to stop it.”
Sep 17, 2014...
The artificial sweeteners in diet sodas, yogurt and other foods can raise blood-sugar levels, according to a new study. WSJ's Gautam Naik reports. Photo: iStock
The artificial sweeteners in diet soda, yogurt and other foods consumed by millions can raise the blood sugar level instead of reducing it, according to new experiments in mice and people.
The provocative finding—made possible through a new avenue of research—is likely to stoke the simmering controversy over whether artificial sweeteners help or hinder people's ability to lose weight and lower their risk of diabetes.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/first-blood-cells/
Aug 15, 2017... One of the first organ systems to form and function in the embryo is the cardiovascular system: in fact, this developmental process starts so early that scientists still have many unresolved questions on the origin of the primitive heart and blood vessels. How do the first cells – the progenitors – that are destined to become part of this system participate in shaping the developed cardiovascular system?
Apr 01, 2020...
JERUSALEM — Teams of epidemiologists and computer scientists on three continents have started mass population surveys to try to get ahead of the coronavirus and ensure that scarce diagnostic tests, and even scarcer ventilators, are sent where they can do the most good.
More than two million people in Britain and 150,000 Israelis have already completed simple questionnaires, and many are updating their answers daily. Analysts of the data — including symptoms of Covid-19 and test results, as well as risk factors and demographics — say they have been able to identify incipient outbreaks days ahead of the authorities.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/bacterial-immune-systems-take-the-stage/
Apr 08, 2018...
Bacteria (illustrative). (photo credit: REUTERS)
Until a decade ago, scientists were not aware that bacteria had complex immune systems 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. This is a natural gene editor that 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.
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