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/news-media/news-releases/science-tips-may-2014/
May 15, 2014... TEDx Weizmann Institute, a conference on excellence in science and science education, will be held on May 20 at the Weizmann Institute of Science. The Institute has been working for the past 50 years to advance science education in Israel. The conference will be led by the Davidson Institute of Science Education, the educational arm of the Weizmann Institute, together with scientists and staff of the Weizmann Institute and with the support of the Trump Foundation, which promotes the advancement of science and math education.
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/new-hope-for-gaucher-patients/
Jan 21, 2014... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—January 19, 2014—What causes brain damage and inflammation in severe cases of Gaucher disease? Little is known about the events that lead to brain pathology in some forms of the disease, and there is currently no treatment available — a bleak outlook for sufferers and their families. Now, scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science have discovered a new cellular pathway implicated in Gaucher disease. Their findings, published today in Nature Medicine, may offer a new therapeutic target for the management of this disease, as well as other related disorders.
May 25, 2017... Prof. Yardena Samuels: Breakthroughs in Cancer Diagnosis Research
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).
Jun 19, 2007... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—June 19, 2007—Our bodies could not maintain their existence without thousands of proteins performing myriad vital tasks within cells. Since malfunctioning proteins can cause disease, the study of protein structure and function can lead to the development of drugs and treatments for numerous disorders. For example, the discovery of insulin’s role in diabetes paved the way for the development of a treatment based on insulin injections. Yet, despite enormous research efforts led by scientists worldwide, the cellular function of numerous proteins is still unknown. To reveal this function, scientists perform various genetic manipulations to increase or, conversely, decrease the production of a certain protein, but existing manipulations of this sort are complicated and do not fully meet the researchers’ needs.
Jul 25, 2018... The effects of p53 in cancer-associated fibroblasts on cancer cell migration: Cancer cells (magenta) migrate in the direction of cancer-associated fibroblasts (yellow) that express a non-mutated p53 gene (left); this migration slows down (center) when the p53 in the fibroblasts is silenced; when substances released by the cancer-associated fibroblasts are added to the laboratory dish, the migration is restored (right)
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/feature-stories/february-is-american-heart-month/
Feb 09, 2016... Our hearts mean many things – love, strength, loyalty. But even if we set aside everything they represent and consider hearts from a purely biological perspective, they are still awesome. These four-chambered, fist-sized, muscular powerhouses pump up to 2,000 gallons of blood a day! However, while they never tire and are astonishingly resilient, they are susceptible to a number of illnesses, which can be caused by a number of things: congenital issues, genetics, obesity, diabetes, inactivity, and more. In fact, heart disease is the leading cause of death for female, male, black, white, and Latino Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and is responsible for one in every four deaths in the U.S.
Feb 01, 2013... Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control’s straightforward statement of that fact belies the complex truth: heart problems are both common and varied, affect people of all ages, and strike equally across gender and economic borders. And according to the American Heart Association, more than 80 million Americans have one or more forms of cardiovascular disease, such as high blood pressure. Factors such as obesity, diabetes, and inactivity greatly contribute to heart and cardiovascular disease, although congenital and genetic issues also come into play.
Jan 05, 2016...
The p53 gene is known as the “guardian of the genome” because it plays a key role in preventing healthy cells from turning cancerous. When p53 is mutated, however, it loses this function. This is significant, as more than 50 percent of all human cancers involve defects, mutations, or other alterations in the p53 gene.
“No other gene is implicated in so many cancers,” says Prof. Moshe Oren of the Weizmann Institute of Science’s Department of Molecular Cell Biology. “It makes you want to understand why.”
https://www.weizmann-usa.org/news-media/feature-stories/an-enzyme-could-decide-who-gets-lung-cancer/
Sep 01, 2006...
Lung cancer is one of the deadliest cancers, primarily because it is rarely diagnosed in its early stages. Lung cancer is largely preventable, since 90 percent is caused by smoking. Yet only 10 to 15 percent of heavy smokers develop lung cancer, and these odds give many smokers a false sense of security.
Prof. Zvi Livneh and his team of Weizmann Institute scientists in the Department of Biological Chemistry have pinpointed an enzyme that plays a role in protecting individuals against lung cancer. Genetic differences in the activity of this enzyme may help explain why some get cancer and others don't. The scientists hope the finding will be used to assess a smoker's risk for lung cancer, making it easier to persuade high-risk smokers to kick the habit.
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