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://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/the-germs-that-love-diet-soda/
Apr 06, 2018...
Credit Julian Glander
There are lots of reasons to avoid processed foods. They’re often packed with sugar, fat and salt, and they tend to lack certain nutrients critical to health, like fiber. And now, new research suggests that some of the additives that extend the shelf life and improve the texture of these foods may have unintended side effects — not on our bodies directly, but on the human microbiome, the trillions of bacteria living in our guts.These substances may selectively feed the more dangerous members of our microbial communities, causing illness and even death.
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/father-runs-and-writes-to-help-his-children/
Jul 02, 2013...
Jonathan Hersch and his son, Ben, practice for a race to benefit Ben and Shira’s Endowment Fund for Diabetes Research at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel. Photos courtesy Jonathan Hersch
For his entire life, Jonathan Hersch has been running, as a track star and marathon racer. But now his goal is beyond the finish line.
The Edison resident is the father of two children with diabetes, and he is donating part of the proceeds of a book he wrote on these two facets of his life — Relax and Go: On Running and Surviving Parental Trauma — to help advance research on the disease being conducted in Israel.
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/feature-stories/new-hope-for-kidney-patients/
Sep 21, 2003...
For people suffering from fatal diseases, such as leukemia or kidney failure, the scarcity of available transplants is often the cause of feelings of hopelessness. Thousands of people in the U.S. alone languish on waiting lists, tied to dialysis tubing, hoping for the transplant that may save their lives.
But if there were a way to make transplants immediately and widely available to all who need them, suddenly, it would be something everyone could afford, and something that would be accessible to all.
Dec 21, 2015...
University studies – and informal surveys of our friends and family – clearly show that the number one New Year’s resolution is to lose weight and be healthy. Year after year, people garner their resolve, join the gym, research the Paleo diet, Atkins, veganism – and vow that this year will be different. This time, the diet will work.
And yet, unfortunately, most dieters don't succeed. Still, we all know someone who committed to a diet and did get healthier – so why doesn’t everyone achieve the same results?
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/time-to-eat/
Mar 16, 2016...
The circadian clock regulates the mitochondria’s utilization of nutrients throughout the day
When one eats may be as important as what one eats. New research at the Weizmann Institute of Science and in Germany suggests that the cells’ power plants – the mitochondria – are highly regulated by the body’s biological, or circadian, clocks. This may help explain why people who sleep and eat out of phase with their circadian clocks are at higher risk of developing obesity, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. The research recently appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/in-the-news/dietary-advice-based-on-the-bacteria-in-your-gut/
Feb 25, 2018...
Evidence is growing that the 100 trillion organisms in the human gut play a role in individuals’ differing responses to food. PHOTO: WEIZMANN INSTITUTE
For almost a decade, researchers have been sequencing the bacteria that live in the human gut. Now, some startups are claiming they can use that technology to help people diet more effectively—and in at least one case, scientists say the approach is showing some promise.
Nov 22, 2011... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—November 22, 2011—The clinical trial conducted by Andromeda Biotech on a drug developed by Prof. Irun Cohen of the Weizmann Institute of Science to treat Type 1 diabetes was random, regulated, double-blinded, and broad-based. The drug was tested on 457 patients, aged 16-45, who had been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes a short time before joining the trial. The trial took place in around 40 medical centers in Europe, Israel, and South Africa. The involved patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups: one received the trial drug, DiaPep277®, through a subcutaneous injection once every three months, for a period of two years, while the second group, a control group, was given a placebo in the same way. In addition, all of the patients received insulin as needed to stabilize their glucose levels.
Feb 28, 2018... REHOVOT, ISRAEL—February 28, 2018— The question of nature vs. nurture extends to our microbiome – the personal complement of mostly friendly bacteria we carry around with us. Study after study has found that our microbiome affects nearly every aspect of our health, and that the composition of our microbes, which varies from individual to individual, may hold the key to everything from weight gain to mood. Some microbiome researchers had suggested that this variation begins with differences in our genes, but a large-scale study conducted at the Weizmann Institute of Science challenges this idea and provides evidence that the connection between microbiome and health may be even more important than we thought.
Feb 28, 2018... In just the past few years, understanding of the microbiome has transformed how we perceive diet and nutrition, and is already altering how we take care of ourselves. Weizmann Institute scientists from a range of disciplines – just some of which are immunology, neuroscience, biology, genetics, chemistry, machine learning, mathematics, and computer science – have led the way in microbiome research, regularly producing headline-making discoveries. Several of these researchers are also medical doctors, and their experience in working with patients helps move therapies more quickly from the lab to you.
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/feature-stories/the-diabetes-and-obesity-connection/
Mar 15, 2011... More than 220 million people around the world suffer from diabetes, a chronic condition in which abnormally high levels of glucose (sugar) circulate in the blood. Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease, develops when the body cannot adequately produce, or improperly uses, insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar levels. People with type 2 diabetes are at an increased risk for many serious health problems, including heart disease, blindness, and kidney damage. Notably, according to the National Institutes of Health, more than 85 percent of those with type 2 diabetes are overweight.
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