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.
Mar 20, 2020...
Dear friends and members of the Weizmann Institute of Science community,
The coronavirus outbreak is a global challenge that forces us all to significantly and rapidly adjust our way of life and change our work routines.
Just a few months ago we might have imagined such an event playing out only in books or movies. But epidemiologists, immunologists, and public health officials have long anticipated the possibility of a pandemic. The theoretical policies developed during these more peaceful days are now being implemented worldwide to address the current crisis.
Jan 21, 2020...
A new computer algorithm developed by researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot can predict which women are at a high risk of gestational diabetes in the early stages of pregnancy or even before it has occurred, the institute said in a press release Monday afternoon.
The study analyzed data on nearly 600,000 pregnancies available from Israel's largest health insurance provider, Clalit Health Services, the Weizmann Institute of Science said. According to the institute, the algorithm may help prevent gestational diabetes using nutritional and lifestyle changes.
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.
Mar 25, 2020... Israel is suffering a shortage of coronavirus tests, and the Weizmann Institute – working with the Ministry of Health – has transformed scientific facilities into medical facilities in order to conduct more testing. Institute leadership expects that the labs should be able to run 4,000 tests per day.
Mar 23, 2020... Dr. Nir London of the Weizmann Institute’s Department of Organic Chemistry explains his lab’s approach to fighting the coronavirus: creating a novel antiviral treatment. After identifying candidates for an antibody, he and his team are designing second-generation compounds that will go to colleagues in Germany and the U.K. for testing against the virus. Dr. London emphasizes the fact that this is open science: research that is freely available to all, for the benefit of everyone.
Jan 21, 2020...
Non-communicable diseases including heart disease, cancer and lung disease are now the most common causes of death, accounting for 70 percent of deaths worldwide. These diseases are considered “non-communicable” because they are thought to be caused by a combination of genetic, lifestyle and environmental factors and can't be transmitted between people.
A new research paper in Science by a team of fellows in CIFAR's Humans and the Microbiome program throws this long-held belief into question by providing evidence that many diseases may be transmissible between people through microbes (including bacteria, fungi, and viruses) that live in and on our bodies.
Mar 19, 2020... “This is the most important thing I can do,” says the Weizmann Institute’s Prof. Sarel Fleishman. His lab in the Department of Biomolecular Sciences was already studying SARS, which is, like COVID-19, a coronavirus. He is able to quickly apply his knowledge to developing computer models that allow him to design coronavirus antibodies – work that could lead to a vaccine.
Feb 25, 2020...
It’s American Heart Month. In the U.S., heart disease is responsible for one out of every four deaths each year. In the latest episode of Weizmann in Focus, Dave Doneson sheds light on a Weizmann breakthrough that could help change this staggering statistic. Prof. Eldad Tzahor discovered a molecule in newborn hearts that appears to unlock the cardiac renewal process following injury.
Find out how this discovery could lead to innovative therapies that save lives. Please share this video with friends via email or social media.
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.
Mar 19, 2020... In this videoconference, the Weizmann Institute’s Dr. Ron Diskin of the Department of Structural Biology, an expert in animal-borne viruses such as coronavirus, shares his insights on the current pandemic. A Q&A session with participants follows.
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