Research Achievements
From Improving Health to Advancing Technology, explore the Weizmann Institute's scientific achievements
The Weizmann Institute has made groundbreaking contributions across multiple scientific fields, advancing knowledge and technology for the benefit of all. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, biologists, chemists, mathematicians, computer scientists and physicists combine their specialised areas of knowledge to approach challenges in unique ways which have resulted in countless scientific discoveries. In this section we explore just a few areas of extraordinary scientific achievement from the Weizmann Institute.
Jump to: Improving Health & Medicine Cancer Breakthroughs Exploring the Physical World Advancing Technology Protecting Our Planet
Improving Health & Medicine
Research at the Weizmann Institute of Science has led to improved health and better medicine for people everywhere. Among their achievements, Weizmann scientists developed the procedure of amniocentesis and have pioneered innovative fertility treatments, helping countless families realise their hopes of having children. They developed Copaxone® and Rebif®, two of today’s leading treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS), and discovered how the brain’s own immune system could be activated to help combat Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.
Weizmann scientist Prof. Ada Yonath won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 2009 for discovering the structure of the ribosome, a breakthrough that paved the way for RNA-based vaccines, like those that protected millions during the COVID-19 pandemic, and for new generations of antimicrobial drugs. Using artificial intelligence and molecular data, Weizmann researchers have improved early detection and diagnosis of diseases. They are also pioneering ways to use stem cells to repair damaged tissue and grow new organs. And at the forefront of personalised medicine, The Nancy and Stephen Grand Israel National Center for Personalized Medicine harnesses genomic and molecular information to design pioneering targeted treatments tailored to individual needs.
Cancer Breakthroughs
By combining basic and clinical research with advanced technologies and strong scientific–clinical partnerships, the Institute drives innovative and groundbreaking cancer research. Institute scientists have:
Revealed the genetic key to cancer: Weizmann scientists discovered p53, a tumour-suppressor protein that is faulty in most cancers; knowledge of this protein reshaped understanding of the disease and opened new paths for its diagnosis and treatment.
Developed innovative cancer treatments: Institute research revealed key proteins that drive cancer growth, leading to the development of life-saving drug Gleevec for chronic myelogenous leukaemia and Erbitux, used to treat colorectal, head and neck cancers. Its scientists also developed TOOKAD, a light-activated therapy for prostate cancer, and made possible the world’s first bone-marrow transplant between previously incompatible donors.
Advanced immunotherapy: Weizmann research in immunology helped lay the groundwork for CAR T-cell therapy, which turns a patient’s own immune cells into precision cancer fighters. Building on this legacy, current studies are developing new ways to make cancer cells reveal more of their abnormal proteins, helping the immune system recognise and attack them more effectively.
Improved cancer detection and diagnosis: Weizmann scientists created a non-invasive MRI method (“3TP”) to track tumour–blood vessel interactions in breast and prostate cancers, and they are developing simple blood tests to detect early signs of blood cancers, reducing the need for invasive biopsies.
Exploring the Physical World
Whether it is the study of planet earth or the infinite complexities of outer space, Weizmann scientists uncover the secrets of our physical world. Its archaeologists discovered a way to precisely identify and analyse prehistoric ashes, and found a highly pure, well-preserved source of DNA in fossilised bone. Materials scientists and structural biologists found that bone and shell form in similar ways. Astrophysicists witnessed, for the first time, a massive star, later estimated at a mass of perhaps 200 suns, going supernova. Hydrologists created a model of groundwater movement that could assist in the aftermath of an environmental disaster. Research is revealing new insights into everything from miniscule subatomic particles to the largest galaxies and beyond: to the very existence of space, time, and life itself.
Exploring the Universe: Weizmann astrophysicists developed a new theory of how the moon was formed: after running 800 simulations, they showed that it most likely grew from multiple small impacts that produced 'moonlets', which coalesced over time into our single satellite. They have also identified a potentially habitable planet just four light years away.
Getting to the root of the Amazon Rainforest: Using NASA satellites, a Weizmann scientist found that over half of the mineral dust carried by air currents each year from Africa to the Amazon comes from a single small valley in the Sahara. This dust provides the nutrients necessary for the rich biology of the rainforest.
Advancing Technology
Weizmann’s research into advanced technology is one of its great strengths. Since its earliest days the Institute has been on the cutting edge of the latest technological innovations. Its scientists developed the technology behind light-sensitive spectacles and windscreens; are using quantum electronics to develop next generation computers; are creating artificial vision and image-recognition systems; and finding ways to use technology to increase our security, such as safety-checking complex systems in nuclear reactors and spacecraft. They have used Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create a system that measures neurons after brain damage; satellites that analyse clouds and their role in climate change; methods for identifying a person’s likelihood of disease, even when they have no symptoms and advances toward computers that can produce smells. The next steps will be to responsibly harness the power of AI for further medical, environmental and educational advances.
A Pioneer in Computing: WEIZAC, Israel’s first computer, was built on the Weizmann campus and began operating in 1954. In 2023, the Institute took the next step by building Israel's first Quantum Computer.
Leaders in Cryptography: Three Weizmann scientists have won the Turing Award - known as the Nobel Prize for Computing, including Prof. Adi Shamir the co-inventor of the RSA algorithm - a key defence in cybersecurity and Prof. Shafrira Goldwasser for laying the complexity theoretic foundations for the science of cryptography.
Extending Computing Power: Its scientists developed a DNA computer that can fit the computing power equivalent to a trillion devices into a single drop of water.
Protecting our Planet
Scientists at the Weizmann Institute have made great strides in understanding the causes and impacts of climate change, and are working hard to develop solutions. They are developing mathematical formulae to predict rainfall with greater accuracy; creating crops that can grow in harsh climates and with less need for pesticides, designing nanomaterials that can serve as engine lubricants which will in turn reduce air pollution. They are studying ways to protect and conserve water; examining the Earth’s movements to forecast volcano eruptions and earthquakes and growing a forest in a desert to study CO2.
Enhancing Food Security: Protein-enriched wheat developed at the Institute provides around 40% greater yield than normal wheat.
Protecting Vulnerable Crops: A new method of killing a parasitic weed saved 100 million African farmers from losing 50% of their crops.
Combatting Water Scarcity: They're finding ways to treat 97% of Earth՚s water that is too salty to use.
What's Next?
As we look to the future, discover the Weizmann Institute’s ambitious research programmes tackling the most pressing issues of our time.
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