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/blog/high-flyers-are-more-likely-to-get-cancer/
Sep 28, 2018...
First class in fighting second-hand smoke: Did you know we have flight attendants to thank for exposing the dangers of second-hand smoke? Well, we do.
Don’t let the glamorous, globe-trotting lifestyle – and snappy, stylish uniforms! – fool you: flight attendants have much more serious things to contend with than obnoxious passengers.
It has been known for years – particularly by the attendants themselves – that the job carries increased risk of certain cancers, such as lung, breast, and melanoma. But a recent Harvard study is making news for revealing that the range of cancers is greater than expected, and include uterine, gastrointestinal, cervical, thyroid, and non-melanoma skin cancers.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/blog/toxic-migration-cancer-cells-on-the-move/
Jul 20, 2018...
The road best traveled: finding supportive microenvironments helps cancer cells survive.
What do we have in common with Lake Michigan?
As Siddhartha Mukherjee writes in The New Yorker, the way cancer metastasizes through the body is similar to the way invasive zebra and quagga mussels have taken over that great lake, their expanding populations decimating the resident ecosystem. In their native Ukraine, however, the mussels are in balance with their environment.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/blog/scientists-inspiring-scientists-with-cartoons/
Oct 25, 2018...
“Still life: mouse with T-body.” A work by Zelig Eshhar, scientist and cartoonist. From A Cure Within: Scientists Unleashing the Immune System to Kill Cancer, Neil Canavan
The Weizmann Institute is rightly proud of its scientists’ creativity. It is actively encouraged, and has led to many important advances and partnerships (research projects and jazz combos alike). And recently, our Prof. Zelig Eshhar inspired other immunologists with a sketch on a bit of paper.
Jul 16, 2008...
REHOVOT, ISRAEL—July 16, 2008—In two complementary studies, Weizmann Institute scientists have developed a new method for reconstructing a cell’s “family tree,” and have applied this technique to trace the history of the development of cancer.
The quest to understand a cell’s path of descent, called a cell lineage tree, is shared by many branches of biology and medicine as gleaning such knowledge is key to answering many fundamental questions, such as whether neurons in our brain can regenerate, or whether new eggs are created in adult females.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/feature-stories/the-tumor-microenvironment-s-big-impact/
Oct 23, 2018...
Dr. Ruth Scherz-Shouval
In order to execute the complex maneuvers of metastasizing and evading the body’s immune response, tumors need help. And they get that help from a surprising place: their healthy neighbors.
The noncancerous cells that surround cancer cells are known collectively as the tumor microenvironment, and include cells of the immune and blood systems and fibroblasts, which produce fibers such as collagen.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/looking-for-the-genes-that-drive-cancer/
Dec 01, 2012... Prof. Yardena Samuels of the Weizmann Institute’s Department of Molecular Cell Biology uses the power of DNA sequencing to identify new groups of genetic mutations involved in the deadliest form of skin cancer, melanoma. One of her discoveries, a mutation found in nearly one-fifth of melanoma cases, was particularly encouraging because it is located in a gene already targeted by a drug approved for certain types of breast cancer, and preliminary clinical trials are underway.
Aug 08, 2007... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—August 8, 2007—Metastasis—when cancer cells dissociate from the original tumor and migrate via the blood stream to colonize distant organs—is the main cause of cancer death. A team of scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science has now revealed new details about the mechanisms controlling metastasis of breast cancer cells. Their findings, published recently online in Nature Cell Biology, add significantly to the understanding of metastasis and may aid, in the future, in the development of anti-cancer drugs.
Aug 14, 2018... Staining of normal liver tissue (upper row, second image from left) reveals high levels of four different urea cycle enzymes (brown or reddish-brown), whereas liver cancer samples (bottom row, second image from left) have low levels of these enzymes. In contrast, markers for cell growth are low in the normal tissue (upper row, left) and extremely high in the liver cancer (bottom row, left). Image generated with the help of Dr. Raya Eilam
Sep 12, 2019...
Prof. Yardena Samuels
REHOVOT, ISRAEL—September 12, 2019—Diversity – at least among cancer cells – is not a good thing. Now, research from the Weizmann Institute of Science shows that in melanoma, tumors with cells that have differentiated into more diverse subtypes are less likely to be affected by the immune system, thus reducing the chance that immunotherapy will be effective. The findings of this research, which were published in Cell, may provide better tools for designing personalized protocols for cancer patients, as well as pointing toward new avenues of research into anti-cancer vaccines.
Oct 02, 2019...
The lungs of a mouse with untreated Ewing sarcoma (left) contain numerous tumor cells (shown by luminescent colors) that have spread from the bone; the lungs of a mouse treated with a drug reducing the synthesis of glucocorticoids are almost free from the sarcoma (right)
REHOVOT, ISRAEL—October 2, 2019—Ewing sarcoma is a bone cancer that appears mainly in teenagers. Caused by a single defective gene, once it spreads to distant organs it is hard to treat. Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science have now discovered molecular interactions underlying Ewing sarcomas and proposed a potential treatment that has shown promise in a study in mice. These findings were published in Cell Reports.
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