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.
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 20, 2010... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—April 19, 2010—The constant stress that many are exposed to in our modern society may be taking a heavy toll: Anxiety disorders and depression, as well as metabolic (substance exchange) disorders, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and arteriosclerosis, 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 exact reasons 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).
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/feature-stories/november-is-american-diabetes-month/
Nov 01, 2017... As we enter a time of year abundant with food-centric holidays and gatherings, it can be helpful to pause for a moment to think about how we eat – and how much. We all know that overeating and consuming unhealthy foods often leads to obesity, which often leads to diabetes – frequently as part of metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions comprised of four interrelated illnesses: obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. But despite this awareness, diabetes rates keep soaring worldwide. In the U.S. alone, reports the American Diabetes Association, more than 29 million of us have the disease – that’s 1 in 11 people. Even more alarming is that 86 million Americans have prediabetes, meaning that 1 in 3 are on the verge of becoming diabetic.
Dec 20, 2011...
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., the world’s largest generic-drug maker, is seeking to transform a compound once rejected by Sanofi into the first treatment to succeed insulin for Type 1 diabetes.
The therapy, DiaPep277, is made from a human protein that stops the immune system from destroying the pancreatic beta cells that secrete insulin, a hormone needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy. The drug also helps control sugar levels in the blood, a late-stage study showed last month.
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/unraveling-the-mysteries-of-science-and-disease/
Feb 23, 2014...
PROF. MICHEL REVEL. Photo: JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
Six months after his 75th birthday, after teaching generations of young graduate and post-doctoral students at the Weizmann Institute of Science and with a wife, four children and 12 grandchildren, one could expect Prof. Michel Revel to sit back and enjoy life. Yet, the Frenchborn, internationally acclaimed molecular geneticist, who invented a major drug to treat multiple sclerosis used around the world and received the Israel Prize, EMET Prize and other major awards, has his eyes fixed on the future.
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.
Nov 05, 2018...
In 2017, the CDC reported that “more than 100 million Americans have diabetes or prediabetes,” and that it was the seventh leading cause of death in 2015. And as Western diets and lifestyles spread around the world, so does diabetes.
Nutrition aside, the disease has a number of complex causes – yet treatment consists only of insulin and glucose-level management. That’s why Weizmann Institute of Science researchers in a range of disciplines are working to understand the developmental, genetic, immunological, and environmental contributors to diabetes. Given the potential impact of this work on public health, the scientists regularly collaborate with clinicians in order to bring their findings to the patient.
Dec 26, 2017...
A Year of Wonder
1. Compound kills energy generating system of cancer
An Israeli researcher devised a synthetic compound to disable the enzymes that allow cancer cells to metastasize.
When cancer cells leave the primary tumor and spread to other organs, they reprogram their energy-generating system in order to survive in harsh conditions with a shortage of nutrients like glucose.
Prof. Uri Nir of Bar-Ilan University identified an enzyme called FerT in the energy-generating mitochondria of metastatic cancer cells – an enzyme normally only found in sperm cells (which need to function outside the body they came from). When he targeted FerT in lab mice, the malignant cells soon died.
Feb 01, 2016... Two years ago, 18-year-old Rebecca Perl never would have imagined creating her own start-up. That all changed when she participated in the Camp Inc. Business Academy, a Jewish overnight camp in Colorado that gives high-schoolers the skills to become future innovators. Partnering with other campers, Rebecca developed the concept for DiabeTECH, a company that would create an app, implant, and insulin pump to make managing diabetes easier. When American Committee for the Weizmann Institute of Science leaders spoke at Camp Inc., they were so impressed with Rebecca’s idea that they introduced her to world-renowned Weizmann diabetes researcher, Prof. Michael Walker. After moving to Israel this year, Rebecca finally had the opportunity to meet Prof. Walker and visit the Weizmann Institute. Now living in the “start-up nation,” Rebecca shares the genesis of her invention – and how the Institute is helping her make her vision a reality.
Feb 24, 2019...
Embryonic stem cells. (Credit: Giovanni Cancemi via shutterstock.com)
Modern medicine sometimes really is a miracle, with many illnesses and conditions that in the past spelled sure death now treatable and curable. Not only is medicine effective, but in recent years it’s becoming more convenient, futuristic and innovative.
So why is it that many people still need to inject themselves every day to stay alive?
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