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://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/resolving-a-lymphatic-riddle/
May 20, 2015...
Zebrafish embryos with fluorescent “glow in the dark” blood vessels helped solve the mystery of the origin of the lymphatic system
For more than a century, scientists have debated the origins of the lymphatic system – a parallel system to blood vessels, and which serves as a conduit for everything from immune cells to fat molecules to cancer cells. This issue has now been resolved by Dr. Karina Yaniv of the Weizmann Institute of Science’s Department of Biological Regulation. In a study reported in Nature, she and her team revealed how the lymphatic system develops in the embryo and – in a world’s first – managed to grow lymphatic cells in the lab.
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.
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/feature-stories/using-basic-science-to-advance-cancer-research/
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://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/heart-cells-regenerated-in-mice/
Apr 13, 2015... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—April 13, 2015—When a heart attack strikes, heart muscle cells die and scar tissue forms, paving the way for heart failure. Cardiovascular diseases are a major cause of death worldwide, in part because the cells in our most vital organ do not get renewed. As opposed to blood, hair, or skin cells that can renew themselves throughout life, our heart cells cease to divide shortly after birth, with very little renewal in adulthood. New research at the Weizmann Institute of Science provides insight into the question of why the mammalian heart fails to regenerate, and also demonstrated, in adult mice, the possibility of turning back this fate. This research appeared on April 13 in Nature Cell Biology.
Apr 09, 2015...
Regenerating heart tissue could revolutionize heart attack recovery. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock
A breakthrough discovery in cell regeneration may soon change the treatment options for heart attack patients. Doctors have succeeded in regenerating the heart cells of mammals. Although, for now, this feat was only accomplished in lab mice, doctors believe they will be able to confirm in as little as five years if the technique works in humans.
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.
Mar 15, 2016...
On March 23, at the Gordon Research Conference on Lymphatics in Ventura, CA, LE&RN Spokesperson and Academy Award-winning actress Kathy Bates will present LE&RN's 2016 Wendy Chaite Leadership Award to Dr. Karina Yaniv of the Weizmann Institute. (Dr. Yaniv is pictured at right with her team at the Weizmann Institute.)
LE&RN received multiple nominations for this prestigious award. Dr. Yaniv was ultmately chosen for the honor based on her significant contributions to lymphatic research.
May 30, 2018...
Cross-section of the inner lining of a human gut adjacent to a cancerous tumor. The enzyme ASL (red-brown), which helps manufacture nitric oxide, has accumulated in unusually high amounts in cells of the lining, probably in an attempt to alleviate the inflammation that commonly occurs in the gut of colon cancer patients
Treating inflammatory diseases of the bowel is extremely challenging: genes, gut microbes, and disrupted immune function all contribute. Weizmann Institute of Science researchers are proposing a way around this complexity. In a study in mice, published in Cell Reports, they have found a way to trigger a natural defense mechanism that prompts the body itself to alleviate intestinal inflammation.
Mar 06, 2001... Rehovot, Israel—March 6, 2001—Weizmann Institute scientists have succeeded in stopping the progressive loss of eyesight in animals with a glaucoma-like disease. Their innovative study, reported in the March 6, 2001 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests that Copaxone®, a drug developed at the Weizmann Institute of Science to treat multiple sclerosis, may also stop, or at least slow down, the loss of eyesight in people with chronic glaucoma.
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/sky-blue-dye-could-help-repair-damaged-heart-tissue/
Jan 13, 2020...
A non-toxic blue dye commonly used in biology labs helps repair damaged heart tissue in mice, say researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel.
As described in the Journal of Clinical Investigation Insight, a dye molecule called Chicago Sky Blue reduced scar size and improved heart function of adult mice following induced myocardial infarction (heart attack).
Once damaged, heart muscle cells (cardiomyocytes) can never regenerate. But when research student Oren Yifa and his team injected Chicago Sky Blue into the post-heart attack mice in the molecular cell biology lab of Prof. Eldad Tzahor, the mice’s heart function improved.