immunology

Dr. Ohad Waneshk and the biochip. Photo: Weizmann Institute Spokesperson

The biochip that is already ready for the next pandemic

A new DNA chip from the Weizmann Institute of Science produces dozens of viral antigens on silicon in a single experiment and rapidly maps the immune “fingerprint” of subjects – a tool that could accelerate the development of tests, vaccines,
Prof. Paul Ehrlich. Credit: Library of Congress, via Wikimedia

Nobel Prize winner Paul Ehrlich - founder of immunology and chemotherapy

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Paul Ehrlich, Nobel Prize, chemotherapy, syphilis, immunology, magic bullet, Judaism and science, medical history, pharmacology, Hebrew University
Couple therapy of bacteria. Weizmann Institute illustration

in couples therapy

immunotherapy. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Faster, stronger

Weizmann Institute scientists have developed a new approach to increase the rate of division of immune cells in the laboratory, while preserving their ability to kill cancer cells, and have identified optimal time windows in which the cells are particularly lethal. The method may promote
The new yeast was discovered for the first time by chance in a mouse intestine (fluorescence microscope image of intestinal tissue, in red - yeast cells named after Weizmann)

Yeast against yeast: Healthy competition between different fungal species in the gut may protect against life-threatening infections

Scientists of the Weizmann Institute of Science have discovered a new species of Schmer that is able to push the legs of other species that may be dangerous to health; The scientists named the new species after Dr. Chaim Weizman
Antibody engineering. Illustration: depositphotos.com

humanize the messenger

An algorithm developed by the institute's scientists heralds a leap forward in the field of humanizing antibodies and may enable the rapid, efficient and cheaper development of new drugs. The key: stability
Right: Immune clusters in the liver of a mouse containing ILCs, and within them cancer cells (in red). On the left: immune clusters in the liver of a mouse from which ILCs have been removed, and within them cancer cells. The cancer cells thrive more in the mouse liver which contains ILCs

The immune system gets tired - and the cancer spreads

Pools of immune system cells taken from patients and mice with liver cancer and melanoma, partly composed of tired immune cells
Mouse liver tissue under the microscope. Signs of acute liver failure (left) disappeared after administration of a drug that blocks the control protein MYC

Involvement of intestinal bacteria and liver cells in acute liver failure

Weizmann Institute of Science scientists revealed the discovery and outlined a path for future treatment
Imaging of communication between two cells of the immune system - a "combatant" T cell and a "suppressor" myeloid cell. The yellow sparks are meant to illustrate intracellular processes that can be detected using the new method

New technology allows a "peek" into what is happening inside cells

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A niche inside a lymph node where the antibody-producing cells are formed. The laboratory of Prof. Ziv Shulman

Learn from the body to neutralize the corona

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Autoimmune diseases of specific organs are manifested, among others, in the thyroid gland, the adrenal gland, and the beta cells in the pancreas. Why does the immune system attack these organs and not others? Illustration Prof. Uri Alon, Weizmann Institute

What causes autoimmune diseases?

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Regional map of average symptoms characterizing COVID-19. Shown are areas in different cities where there are at least 30 respondents, or neighborhoods with at least 10 respondents to the questionnaire. Each area is colored according to a category determined according to the average amount of symptoms reported by the respondents in that area. Green - low percentage of symptoms, red - high percentage of symptoms

One step before the spread of the virus

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Intestinal bacteria. Photo: Eran Alinev's laboratory, Weizmann Institute

The intestinal bacteria may influence the development processes of ALS disease

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Intestinal bacteria. Illustration: shutterstock

The effect of probiotic preparations varies from person to person, and may even be undesirable

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Quantum tunneling. Illustration: shutterstock

Does quantum tunneling play a role in the activity of biological molecules?

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Growing cells in "microbars" - surfaces containing thousands of niches smaller than the thickness of a hair. At the beginning of the experiment, one or two T cells were inserted into some of the "micro-bars", while in others a larger number was inserted - up to ten cells per "bar". Illustration: Weizmann Institute

How many cells does it take to produce memory?

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The concept behind the new algorithm - the opening of the "black box" called the human immune system. The illustration is courtesy of the Technion.

An innovative algorithm enables a quantitative comparison of biological processes

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Cellular "selfie": an mTEC cell that was photographed using the new method called PLIC. The green dots indicate an interaction between proteins that helps prevent an autoimmune attack. Source: Weizmann Institute magazine.

Security selfie

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Laboratory flasks containing thousands of white blood cells from a patient who developed "immune tolerance" to the donor after a bone marrow transplant. The cells show no signs of rejection of the donor cells (three columns on the left), but secrete chemicals that indicate rejection (indicated in red) when exposed to the cells of a third person (three columns on the right). Source: Weizmann Institute magazine.

Education for tolerance

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Cell T (in red) selects cell B (in blue) for the "training camp". In green - B cells lacking ICAMs. Photographed using a two-photon laser scanning microscope. Source: Weizmann Institute magazine.

Corrective immune discrimination

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Macrophages (in green) and axons (in red) in brown fat tissue. Photographed using two-photon microscopy. Source: Weizmann Institute magazine.

The surprising role of the "big gluttons" in preventing obesity

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On the left: a cancerous tumor under a microscope: the infiltration of normal T cells (purple) into the tumor tissue is not different from that of T cells that were grown under conditions of oxygen deficiency (green). Right: The amount of the enzyme "granzyme B" (red), which kills cancer cells, is much greater in T cells grown in a low-oxygen environment (top) compared to normal T cells (bottom). Source: Weizmann Institute magazine.

Combat fitness for cells

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A white globule is pushed through endothelial cells on its way out of blood vessels. The intracellular skeleton (actin fibers) of the spherule and of the endothelial cells is exposed during the treatment. The location of the globule nucleus is shaded in brown and the globule branch that penetrated through the endothelial cells and is rich in actin fibers is shaded in yellow.

The secret of the power of the white cell

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Carl Landsteiner. From Wikipedia

148 years since the birth of Karl Landsteiner - the discoverer of blood types and the forefathers of the field of immunology

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Know yourself

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protein. Image: shutterstock

Proteins, quanta and electric currents

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Bacteriophages attack bacteria. Illustration: shutterstock

Viruses in the service of future medicine

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The adipose tissue cells are enlarged and arranged less than normal in mice lacking perforin-rich dendritic cells (above), compared to the same tissue in normal mice (below). Small image below left: crown-like structures within the adipose tissue (above, dark brown) indicate an increased inflammatory process within the tissue

Caution, metabolic syndrome

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A balanced diet. Illustration: shutterstock

There are large inter-individual differences between different people in their responses to food

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immune system. Illustration: shutterstock

A discovery in the immune system opens up a new target for developing treatments for cancer and asthma

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Prof. Linda Saif from Ohio State University in her lab. PR photo

Researcher of the immune system in humans and farm animals and who develops strategies for the development of antiviral vaccines won the Wolf Prize for Agriculture

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From the right: Prof. Avraham Ben-Nun, Prof. Yehiel Shai, Dr. Nathalie Kaushensky and Omari Fingold. Inhibitory effect

To take advantage of the infection mechanism of the AIDS virus to fight autoimmune diseases

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Photography from the intestinal cavity to their surface using a scanning electron microscope. You can see groups of bubbles protruding from the surface of the goblet cells, on their way to be released into the intestinal cavity. In a mouse without inflammasome, the bubbles are prominent but not secreted

Control, ripening and excrement

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Single cell populations in the intestine. Scanning electron microscope photograph of single-cell populations on top of intestinal epithelial cells

The second genome

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The small intestine of a live mouse under a two-photon microscope. Photo: Weizmann Institute

Between spying and digestion

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The immune system attacks invading viruses. Illustration: shutterstock

veto right

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The gene expression of immune cells in the colon (left): monocytes before reaching the colon, "criminal" cells that are not educated, immune cells after a series of education, old immune cells

Peer pressure

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The experimental system: two nostrils from which exit ultrasonic beams of excited helium atoms (in blue) and of argon atoms or hydrogen molecules (in red). The blue beam passes through a magnetic device (in yellow) which causes it to bend, and merges with the red beam - then the argon atoms or hydrogen molecules undergo ionization, and enter the detector. The picture above shows a cross-section of the magnetic device

expression and control

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