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.
Mar 25, 2020... In this videoconference hosted by Weizmann Canada, Prof. Sarel Fleishman of the Weizmann Institute’s Department of Biomolecular Sciences gives a progress report on his lab’s coronavirus research. The coronavirus is so named because it is covered in “spikes” that look like the sun’s corona; Prof. Fleishman seeks to bind and neutralize the spike proteins, thus stopping the virus.
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/looking-in-cellular-trash-cans/
Oct 22, 2018...
The MAPP profile of discarded proteins from healthy subjects (top) and lupus patients (bottom) shows an abnormally high turnover of particular proteins in the histone family (browns)
REHOVOT, ISRAEL—October 22, 2018—If we really want to know how our body’s cells work – or don’t work, in the case of disease – we might need to look beyond our genes and even beyond the proteins the genes are made of. We may need to start going through the cellular “trash.” The group of Dr. Yifat Merbl of the Weizmann Institute of Science developed a system to do just that, finding that “cellular dumpster-diving” contains information about the cell’s function that is not otherwise seen. The group applied their new approach to profiling the immune cells of patients with an autoimmune disorder, discovering clear evidence of a signature pattern that provides a new way of thinking about the underlying causes of the disease. Furthermore, in the future, this may lead to better diagnostic techniques.
Mar 16, 2020... Prof. Gabi Barbash, Former Director General of Israel’s Ministry of Health and Director of the Weizmann Institute Bench-to-Bedside Program, which brings together scientists and physicians to fight disease, explains coronavirus from the perspective of public health. He also speaks to how it spreads and how it is different from other contagions.
Mar 19, 2019...
BiondVax CEO Dr. Ron Babecoff (upper row, center) and employees at the company’s new Jerusalem production facility. (photo credit: Courtesy)
New vaccines are developed every year, based on three strains of the influenza virus that experts believe to be most likely in the upcoming season. Frequent and unpredictable mutations of the virus, however, mean that vaccine effectiveness significantly varies from year to year.
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/science-tips-february-2011/
Feb 10, 2011...
Two new studies support a novel approach based on Weizmann Institute scientists’ research
Much of the devastation of stroke and head trauma is due to damage caused by the overproduction of a substance in the brain called glutamate. Preventing this damage has been impossible, until now, as many drugs don’t cross the blood-brain barrier, and those that do often don’t work as intended. But a method originally devised at the Weizmann Institute of Science may, in the future, offer a way to avert such glutamate-induced harm.
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/spare-parts-might-jump-start-protein-design/
Sep 26, 2017...
Computer designs (lime green) are compared with experimental structures (purple) at the atomic level, revealing atomic accuracy in overall structure (left) and in loop regions (right)
The idea of proteins that can be designed on computers for specific functions has been a cutting-edge concept that has stubbornly remained “in the future.” New research at the Weizmann Institute of Science may bring that future a bit closer. By going back to nature’s drawing board – evolution – the scientists have created new proteins, based on “existing natural parts,” that carry out their intended function with flying colors. These findings were reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Jan 09, 2018... Dr. Shimanovich speaks at London’s how to: Academy about her work with silk fibers and how they affect the brain in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/news-releases/cell-economics-101/
Aug 15, 2017...
Single-celled lining of the intestines under a microscope. Messenger RNA molecules of two different genes (red and green) are located on different sides of the cell nuclei (blue)
Every time we swallow food, cells that line the intestines must step up their activity in a sudden and dramatic manner. According to a new study by Weizmann Institute of Science researchers, reported in Science, they rise to the challenge in the most economic fashion.
https://weizmann-usa.org/news-media/feature-stories/tiny-rna-molecules-have-a-big-role-in-disease/
Feb 01, 2010... For many years, much of the RNA—the coded copies of the information contained in our DNA—floating around our cells was thought to be “junk” that had no visible role in protein production. In particular, microRNAs (miRNAs) did not initially appear to have an important function. But recently it was discovered that these small molecules actually play a key role in helping to regulate gene expression—the process by which genetic information is turned into proteins.
Aug 28, 2019... Did you know that malaria kills about half a million people each year? In the eighth episode of Weizmann in Focus, CEO Dave Doneson explains how Weizmann is helping to fight this terrible disease. Using computer-based tools, PhD student Adi Goldenzweig developed a groundbreaking malaria vaccine in the lab of Dr. Sarel Fleishman. Because the vaccine is inexpensive to produce and does not require refrigeration, it has the potential to help millions of people in developing countries where the battle against malaria is particularly devastating.
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