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.
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.
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/a-new-route-to-blocking-children-s-bone-cancer/
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.
Sep 23, 2019...
JERUSALEM, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) – Israeli and U.S. researchers found that glioblastoma brain cancer cells come in four states and can transition from one state to another, the Weizmann Institute of Science (WIS) in central Israel reported on Monday.
The study, published in the journal Cell, was led by researchers from WIS, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston and the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California.
Nov 21, 2019... Dr. Jonathan Coleman, MD, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Research Center, and Prof. Avigdor Scherz, Weizmann Institute of Science, discuss ongoing clinical trials at MSKCC testing vascular targeted photodynamic therapy for prostate cancer. Developed at the Weizmann Institute, this revolutionary treatment uses light emitted by optical fibers that are inserted into the prostate (and possibly other areas), activating a drug that destroys cancer cells—with little side effects.
Jul 16, 2019... Summer is here! But more fun in the sun also increases our risk for skin cancer, including its deadliest form, melanoma. In the seventh episode of Weizmann in Focus, CEO Dave Doneson highlights a melanoma research breakthrough by Prof. Yardena Samuels, which could lead to “the ultimate personalized cancer therapy.”
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:
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/predicting-immunotherapy-success/
Feb 18, 2020... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—February 18, 2020—One of the frustrations with anti-cancer therapy is that no one drug fits all: Most work well in some people but have little effect in other patients with the same type of cancer. This is as true of the newer immunotherapy treatments as it is of older types of chemotherapy. Weizmann Institute of Science researchers have now identified new markers that can help predict which patients have a better chance for a positive response to immunotherapy treatments. Their findings were reported in Nature Communications.
Sep 27, 2019... Glioblastoma, a typically incurable brain cancer, is a master of diversity. Not only do the tumors differ from one patient to the next, but cells within each tumor differ greatly from one another. In a study published recently in Cell, researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science, working in collaboration with Boston researchers and physicians, have found that glioblastoma cells come in as many as four “states,” or subtypes, and – as if that were not enough – these cells can transition from one state to another. These findings might help explain why glioblastoma is so difficult to treat and point toward ways of developing future therapies.
Feb 25, 2020...
After investing $26 million in research during the past 15 years, NETRF has helped to establish the NET knowledge base needed to expand the exploration of improved treatments, according to Elyse Gellerman, NETRF Chief Executive Officer. “We can see real momentum in this new round of grants. We hope the discoveries from these projects will lead to improved treatment options for patients.”
NETRF is supporting a new pioneering approach to NET immunotherapy with a Petersen Accelerator Award to Steven Libutti, MD, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, to characterize a novel immune regulator called B7x to determine whether it has a role in shutting off the body’s immune response to fight against pancreatic NETs.
Sep 13, 2019...
Illustrative photo of a doctor with a cancer patient (via Shutterstock)
Researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science have found that diversity in cancer cells causes the cancers to be less responsive to immunotherapies — treatments that harness the immune system to tackle the devastating disease.
The Weizmann researchers say their findings indicate that heterogeneity of the cancer cells should be taken into account when trying to understand whether a patient will benefit from immunotherapies.