TWIM Fall 2015
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TWIM Fall 2016
FALL 2016 WEIZMANN MAGAZINE FALL 2016 No. 10 VOLUME 10 The immune system The body’s police force The future of the past Judy and David Dangoor’s passion for archaeology The Schwartz-Reisman Institute for Theoretical Physics From the President Dear Friends, When the New York Times recently ran an in-depth series of articles about the promise of immunotherapy, we were not surprised. After all, immunotherapy has been the focus of keen scientific interest here at the Weizmann Institute for years, with some of the world’s most important immunotherapy-related discoveries emerging from our labs, both historically and right up to the present day. In fact, it was our recognition of the dynamism of the field that inspired us to choose the topic of this magazine’s cover story: an overview of the Weizmann Institute’s contribution to both immunology research and breakthroughs in immunotherapy for cancer. When Prof. Zelig Eshhar of the Institute’s Department of Immunology began exploring how genetic modification of immune cells could cause such cells to seek out and destroy cancer back in the 1980s, he was in the company of just a few other scientists worldwide convinced of cancer immunotherapy’s potential. Today this hoped-for potential is “settled science” and Prof. Eshhar’s T-cell research, which is now the basis for a successful drug therapy for leukemia, is just the latest success from our renowned scientists working in immunotherapy- related topics—a group that includes Prof. Michael Sela, Prof. Ruth Arnon, and others. Credits One of the stories to which I’d like to draw your attention describes A publication of the Department the establishment of the Schwartz-Reisman Institute for Theoretical of Resource Development Physics. -
Israel's First Lunar Voyage, Spaceil's Beresheet, Takes Off with Weizmann
No. 15 • Spring 2019 TheWe i z m a n n International magazine of science and people Israel’s first lunar voyage, SpaceIL’s Beresheet, takes of with Weizmann-led experiment on board From the President Dear Friends, Science is a global enterprise. Today, scientists rely on the input of colleagues in other countries—in an interconnected web of knowledge—to bring good ideas to the point of discovery. In other words, science moves forward by leveraging the expertise of many individuals. For this reason, the Weizmann Institute has entered into formal collaborations with a series of leading research institutions, building on years of organic collaborations between scientists. This is one way in which the Institute has expanded its international reach, but there are others. In these pages, you’ll read about our new Gershon Kekst International Office, which assists our many foreign students and scientists and their families. You can read here about the Weizmann research taking place on the exciting and extraordinary SpaceIL mission to the Moon; breakthroughs in identifying the biological players underlying anxiety; new ways to leverage bacteria to solve pressing health challenges; and, in one particularly important story, the identification of multiple myeloma well before the disease is symptomatic. And Credits much more. A publication of the Department of Resource Development We had a delightful and productive meeting of the International Board in November, and celebrated a very special group of individuals in our honorary Editorial Staff doctorate ceremony. I believe the breadth and depth Prof. Israel Bar-Joseph, Vice President for Resource of our global community of scientists, students, Development and Public Affairs ¶ Kelly Avidan, supporters, and friends comes alive in these pages. -
Wezimann Magazine Spring 2019
WEIZMANN MAGAZINE SPRING 2019 No. 15 • Spring 2019 TheWe i z m a n n International magazine of science and people VOLUME 15 Israel’s first lunar voyage, SpaceIL’sBeresheet, takes off with Weizmann-led experiment on board From the President Dear Friends, Science is a global enterprise. Today, scientists rely on the input of colleagues in other countries—in an interconnected web of knowledge—to bring good ideas to the point of discovery. In other words, science moves forward by leveraging the expertise of many individuals. For this reason, the Weizmann Institute has entered into formal collaborations with a series of leading research institutions, building on years of organic collaborations between scientists. This is one way in which the Institute has expanded its international reach, but there are others. In these pages, you’ll read about our new Gershon Kekst International Office, which assists our many foreign students and scientists and their families. You can read here about the Weizmann research taking place on the exciting and extraordinary SpaceIL mission to the Moon; breakthroughs in identifying the biological players underlying anxiety; new ways to leverage bacteria to solve pressing health challenges; and, in one particularly important story, the identification of multiple myeloma well before the disease is symptomatic. And Credits much more. A publication of the Department of Resource Development We had a delightful and productive meeting of the International Board in November, and celebrated a very special group of individuals in our honorary Editorial Staff doctorate ceremony. I believe the breadth and depth Prof. Israel Bar-Joseph, Vice President for Resource of our global community of scientists, students, Development and Public Affairs ¶ Kelly Avidan, supporters, and friends comes alive in these pages. -
Wezimann Magazine Spring 2017
SPRING 2018 No. 13 Artificial Intelligence Are we outsmarting ourselves? Prof. Ruth Arnon’s one-shot strategy Sami and Tova Sagol From the President Dear Friends, Technology has vastly changed the way we live our lives today, as compared to several decades ago—or even five years ago. It has revolutionized the way we work, how our medical ailments are diagnosed, how our cars keep us safe, and the way in which scientific research is conducted. But what if this revolution is just the beginning? The age of artificial intelligence—which integrates a deep understanding of how the human brain works with feats of computer engineering—is perhaps just at the starting gate. In launching a new Institute for Artificial Intelligence, the Weizmann Institute is creating a platform for our scientists to invent, plan for, and safely steward in the coming age of AI—ensuring that the next age of computer science will do good for humanity, and preclude a dystopian world in which machines replace humans in all areas of life. You may read about our efforts in AI in this issue, among many other exciting developments in science. I would also like to turn your attention to stories on Sami and Tova Sagol, who recently generously Credits funded the new Sagol Institute for Longevity Research and are funding a new collaboration with A publication of the Department of Resource Development MIT; and on Ted Teplow and David Teplow, who have their own personal ties with the Institute—and a very Editorial staff special family connection to its very origins. -
Wezimann Magazine Spring 2017
SPRING 2018 No. 13 Artificial Intelligence Are we outsmarting ourselves? Prof. Ruth Arnon’s one-shot strategy Sami and Tova Sagol From the President Dear Friends, Technology has vastly changed the way we live our lives today, as compared to several decades ago—or even five years ago. It has revolutionized the way we work, how our medical ailments are diagnosed, how our cars keep us safe, and the way in which scientific research is conducted. But what if this revolution is just the beginning? The age of artificial intelligence—which integrates a deep understanding of how the human brain works with feats of computer engineering—is perhaps just at the starting gate. In launching a new Institute for Artificial Intelligence, the Weizmann Institute is creating a platform for our scientists to invent, plan for, and safely steward in the coming age of AI—ensuring that the next age of computer science will do good for humanity, and preclude a dystopian world in which machines replace humans in all areas of life. You may read about our efforts in AI in this issue, among many other exciting developments in science. I would also like to turn your attention to stories on Sami and Tova Sagol, who recently generously Credits funded the new Sagol Institute for Longevity Research and are funding a new collaboration with A publication of the Department of Resource Development MIT; and on Ted Teplow and David Teplow, who have their own personal ties with the Institute—and a very Editorial staff special family connection to its very origins. -
The Weizmann Institute of Science Sixty Years of Achievements
The Weizmann Institute of Science Sixty Years of Achievements Haim Harari Edited transcript of a lecture delivered in a conference celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Weizmann Institute Paris, France, May 4, 2009 Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Friends. It is customary, in the scientific world, to celebrate the 60th birthday of a prominent scientist. The normal routine is to hold a scientific symposium, in which the colleagues, the former students and sometimes even the PhD thesis advisor of the 60 year old "Bar-Mitzvah boy", are giving talks related to the life achievements of the distinguished scientist. As I gracefully age, I find myself participating in more and more such events, often being invited to address the gathering. I have developed my own special formula, guiding me as to what to say on such an occasion. I believe that the proper mixture is about 30% facts, 30% admiration, 30% nostalgia and 10% anecdotes. This seems to work well, in most cases. Today the birthday boy is not an individual scientist. It is the Weizmann Institute and its forerunner, the Daniel Sieff Institute. Nevertheless I will try to pursue the same winning formula. As we look back at these years, it is extremely important to understand the background in which our story is evolving. This is not a normal Institute, in a normal country, at a normal time period. Allow me to begin with a brief encapsulated history of almost 200 years, describing the circumstances that led then, and accompany now, the Weizmann Institute of Science. With your permission, I will do so in a very personal way, relating the events to my own family history and to my own association with the Institute. -
Wezimann Magazine Spring 2017
SPRING 2017 WEIZMANN MAGAZINE SPRING 2017 No. 11 VOLUME 11 g Algae infected with a virus as seen in a 3D electron microscope Resolution revolution Modern microscopy’s impact on science Editing the genome: the story of CRISPR André Deloro: a builder of Israel’s future From the President Dear Friends, I always say that basic science takes years of investment and large sums of money to generate insights that lead to advances in human health and enlightenment about our universe. But some things have just sped up—and dramatically so. Our cover story highlights the revolution in microscopy: Because microscope technology has advanced by leaps and bounds, particularly in the last decade, the pace of research has quickened, allowing our scientists to see the elements of life—from cells to interactions between proteins to the movement of atoms—in vivid detail. That enables them to focus on ever-more-nuanced questions and reach levels of understanding that simply weren’t possible even a decade or two ago. The implications for the life sciences, and thereby human health, are substantial. We are thrilled to congratulate Prof. Yossi Yarden on his winning of the Israel Prize, the country’s highest honor. Prof. Yarden has made crucial discoveries in the biochemistry of cancer over the course of his career, which have paved the way for treatment protocols that have entered into clinical practice. Prof. Yarden, who runs the Dwek Institute for Cancer Therapy Research in the Moross Integrated Cancer Center, is a pillar of our cancer research whose lab Credits has generated several generations of scientists.