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.
Jul 10, 2018...
Prof. Yardena Samuels wants to reveal the big cancer picture.
“We don’t just want to find the genes involved in cancer,” says Prof. Yardena Samuels of the Weizmann Institute of Science’s Department of Molecular Cell Biology, “we want to understand what those genes do. We want to reveal the complete picture of a cancer genome.”
That is something of a tall order, considering that cells from melanoma, the cancer Prof. Samuels is researching, can contain anywhere from tens to thousands of mutations. On average, melanoma – the deadliest form of skin cancer – has more mutations in the DNA of its cells than any other solid tumor. Among other things, this range of mutations explains why a recent treatment designed to target melanoma will only help around 50% of those with the disease, despite representing a large step forward.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/science-tips-june-2012/
Jun 12, 2012... Financial loss can lead to irrational behavior. Now, research by Weizmann Institute scientists reveals that the effects of loss go even deeper: loss can compromise our early perception and interfere with our grasp of the true situation. The findings, which recently appeared in the Journal of Neuroscience, may also have implications for our understanding of the neurological mechanisms underlying post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/science-tips-may-2009/
May 05, 2009...
One can have a dream, two can make that dream so real, goes a popular song. Now a Weizmann Institute study has revealed that it takes two to perform an essential form of DNA repair.
Prof. Zvi Livneh of the Weizmann Institute’s Biological Chemistry Department has been studying DNA repair for some two decades: “Considering that the DNA of each cell is damaged about 20,000 times a day by radiation, pollutants, and harmful chemicals produced within the body, it’s obvious that without effective DNA repair, life as we know it could not exist. Most types of damage result in individual mutations – genetic ‘spelling mistakes’ – that are corrected by precise, error-free repair enzymes. Sometimes, however, damage results in more than a mere spelling mistake; it can cause gaps in the DNA, which prevent the DNA molecule from being copied when the cell divides, much like an ink blot or a hole on a book page interferes with reading. So dangerous are these gaps that the cell resorts to a sloppy but efficient repair technique to avoid them: it fills in the missing DNA in an inaccurate fashion. Such repair can save the cell from dying, but it comes at a price: this error-prone mechanism, discovered at the Weizmann Institute and elsewhere about a decade ago, is a major source of mutations.”
Apr 16, 2019... The Weizmann Institute brings together scientists from a variety of disciplines to tackle cancer head-on. In the fourth episode of Weizmann in Focus, CEO Dave Doneson highlights a recent headline-making breakthrough from the labs of Profs. Ido Amit and Amos Tanay. Working with hospitals across Israel, the scientists identified a very small number of malignant cells in what is considered a pre-malignant stage of multiple myeloma—the second-most common type of blood cancer. Their discovery holds the promise of earlier, more precise treatment.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/feature-stories/saving-your-skin-melanoma-awareness/
May 10, 2016...
May is Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month: the perfect time to learn more about the disease – and what the Weizmann Institute of Science is doing to help.
Skin cancer is the most common cancer in America, and it’s on the rise, at least in part due to the increased intensity of ultraviolet (UV) rays as a result of climate change. In fact, while skin cancers can have several causes, “the vast majority of melanomas are caused by the sun,” according to the Skin Cancer Foundation, which also cites a U.K. study finding that “about 86 percent of melanomas can be attributed to exposure to ultraviolet … radiation from the sun.”
Sep 12, 2018...
T cells (red) attacking melanoma cells (green). The neo-antigen-specific T cells in this image are especially effective at killing cancer cells
REHOVOT, ISRAEL—September 12, 2018—With new immunotherapy treatments for melanoma, recovery rates have risen dramatically – in some cases to around 50%. But they could be much higher. A new study led by researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science showed, in lab dishes and animal studies, that a highly personalized approach could help the immune cells improve their ability to recognize the cancer and kill it. The results of this study were published in Cancer Discovery.
Oct 16, 2019...
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and people across the world are helping raise awareness and support through runs, walks, events – and, at the Weizmann Institute of Science, through research.
Before breakthroughs in breast cancer research ever appear in the news or on the market, there are cadres of scientists working tirelessly to discover new ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat this all-too-common disease. Here are some of our advances over just the past year:
Jul 25, 2018... Response to treatment in cancer cells: The abundance of the EGFR (top row) and HER2 (bottom row) receptors is reduced when the cells are exposed to triple therapy – Tagrisso®, Erbitux®, and Herceptin® (right column) and to the two antibodies, Erbitux® and Herceptin® (second from right column), but not when they are exposed to Tagrisso® alone (second column from left) or to no therapy at all (left column)
Sep 09, 2015...
At 29, Eran Hodis has achieved what many scientists dream of accomplishing in a lifetime: He discovered two of the most common genetic mutations in all of cancer. His work has global implications and could, in the future, lead to more effective cancer therapies. This year, in recognition of his scientific achievements, Hodis was named to Forbes’s prestigious “30 under 30” list.
“Without a doubt, my Weizmann training made that possible,” said Hodis, who earned his master’s in bioinformatics at Weizmann’s Feinberg Graduate School.
Oct 09, 2014...
It’s news to no one that your body works differently when you’re awake and when you’re sleeping. But could the different states also affect how your body processes certain life-saving drugs? Researchers, reporting Friday in the journal Nature Communications, found that when it comes to cancer drugs, the answer may be yes.
Researchers at the Weizmann Institute discovered – by happy accident – that some of the body’s molecular functions during the day may interfere with the effectiveness of certain cancer medication. Specifically, they found that the normal day-time production of some steroid hormones in the body actually inhibited the work of epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptors – which are the proteins targeted by a class of anti-cancer drugs. Tumor cells plant these receptors on their surfaces to attract nutrients that help them survive and grow. Drugs, including the breast cancer agent lapatinib, can block these receptors on tumors, and such medications are a popular way to treat breast cancers expressing epidermal growth factor.
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