Historic Partnership between the Weizmann Institute of Science and Institut Curie
25.3.2019 19:54:00 EET | Business Wire | Press release
On March 22, the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel, and Institut Curie in Paris, France, two major world-class research institutes, signed an historic partnership that will allow their teams to work closely together to improve knowledge in the field of life sciences, particularly in the areas of physics and chemistry, and most specifically - in the field of cancer research. This is a milestone in the history of these two institutes that have been working together for 15 years, particularly in the field of biophysics.
Collaborative research programs
This partnership will extend to many disciplines, including physics,
chemistry, cellular biology, epigenetics, genetics, immunology and
single cell approaches, imagery and data collection. The complementarity
of the research between the various groups at Institut Curie and at the
Weizmann Institute has been recognized in particular at the occasion of
joint scientific workshops held regularly alternatively in Paris and
Rehovot. Each research program will be organized around a pair of
researchers with a scientist from Institut Curie and a scientist from
the Weizmann Institute of Sciences, who will receive support on the
annual basis. This partnership also includes exchanges of scientists and
a Curie-Weizmann symposium organized every two years, with alternate
locations in Rehovot, Israel, and in Paris, which will be focused on one
of the subjects of research cooperation.
To finance the start of
this cooperation, Institut Curie and the Weizmann Institute of Sciences
will finance this research program for €200,000 each, and will organize
a joint fundraiser with philanthropists and corporate sponsors.
Projects with high hopes
There are numerous common interests
between the two Institutes. They can range from the description of
defects in cell nuclei to the mechanics of cell migration, or the
behavior of neural networks. A few examples of exciting ongoing projects
are highlighted below.
During his sabbatical visit at Institut
Curie in 2012, Professor Nir Gov (Weizmann Institute) participated in
several projects ranging from cell migration to collective cell
behaviors and neuron growth. For instance, he developed a theory in
collaboration with Raphael Voituriez (Sorbonne University), which
explains the observations of the team of Matthieu Piel (Institut Curie)
on the links between persistence and speed of migrating cells. This
theory gave rise to collaborative developments between these three teams
to predict important aspects of the migratory behavior of immune cells.
He
also collaborated with Pascal Silberzan at Institut Curie to understand
the behavior of cells packed at very high density on a surface. This
joint work combining experiments and theory, has highlighted the
importance of an intrinsic biological ageing of the cell population.
This project has helped understanding how cells can come to an arrest
while maintaining a capacity to respond to external perturbations such
as an injury.
Elisha Moses (Weizmann Institute) has a longstanding
interaction with the group of Professor Jean-Louis Viovy (Institut
Curie), now headed by Stéphanie Descroix, on the applications of
microfluidic devices to the study of living neuronal networks. He spent
three months in Paris, during which he and Dr. Catherine Villard of the
Descroix lab developed an optogenetic assay for guiding axonal growth.
This work has the potential for controlling growth of neurons and of
neuronal tumors within the brain. Drs. M. Vignes and R. Renault, two
talented researchers who were working on the project as students, have
now graduated and branched off into very interesting conceptual and
practical applications of this approach.
An important complementarity
The two institutions are both
highly complementary and display many mutually common attributes.
Institut
Curie is the premier research center in France conducting cancer
research, including all facets of carcinogenesis. Its research center
brings together 1,200 researchers working in 12 joint research units
organized in four areas based on natural scientific interactions and
robust medical potentiality. A strong advocate of international
cooperation , it welcomes more than 80 nationalities. Equipped with
advanced technology platforms, it is an important resource for
researchers around the world. Institut Curie is also a state-of-the-art
hospital complex that provides care and support for all cancer types and
welcomes more than 50,000 patients each year. It has developed
particularly innovative treatments directly from the work of its
research center. Institut Curie also trains students in science and
cancer research with the goal of increasing the knowledge about the
topic.
The Weizmann Institute of Science is among the ten premier
institutes of fundamental research in the world: 2,500 scientists work
on its campus in Rehovot in the complementary fields of mathematics and
computer science, physics, biology, chemistry, and biochemistry. The
Weizmann Institute of Science has a long history of research and
discoveries rooted in a mission of advancement of science for the
benefit of humanity; cancer research accounts for 40% of the total
budget of the Institute, which shapes and hosts a large part of the
leadership in Israel and contributes to the advancement and
understanding of scientific issues among all audiences.
Both
institutions have powerful means of technology transfer that leverage
the discoveries of their labs for the benefit of patients, whether
through the creation of medications, medical devices or other
technologies.
A shared vision of science
Science at the service of people
- this is the best way to describe the credo of the two institutes, both
of which were founded upon great personalities who have made an
important mark in the history of the world.
Chaim Weizmann, chemist
and author of many discoveries and publications, is the founder of the
Weizmann Institute, and was the first president of the State of Israel
between 1949 and 1952. Marie Curie, born Maria Sklodowska, founded the
Radium Institute in 1909. The first female professor and holder of a
chair position at the Sorbonne, the first woman to win two Nobel prizes
and be enshrined at the Pantheon in Paris on her own merit. In many
ways, these two scientists have had a remarkable journey.
But
beyond these prestigious founders, the two institutes share the same
vision of science, at the service of people and driven by strong values,
the same curiosity for discovery and knowledge at the service of human
health.
The
Weizmann Institute of Science and Institut Curie also share a common
belief that international collaborations in the field of institut-curie.org
science and the exchange of ideas across interdisciplinary boundaries
can accelerate progress to the benefit of humanity.
It is this
common ground which today enables this collaboration to take root and
which will tomorrow allow us to multiply efforts and as a result enjoy
major new discoveries.
To view this piece of content from cts.businesswire.com, please give your consent at the top of this page.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190325005638/en/
Contact information
Yohan Philippe
yohan.philippe@curie.fr
+33
(0)1 56 24 55 53
About Business Wire
For more than 50 years, Business Wire has been the global leader in press release distribution and regulatory disclosure.
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
RealPage Acquires Cherre, Creating a Trusted AI-Powered Intelligence Platform Across the Full Real Estate Capital Stack14.7.2026 16:03:00 EEST | Press release
RealPage, Inc., a leading provider of AI-enabled software and data analytics to the real estate industry, today announced it has completed its acquisition of Cherre, a real estate data intelligence company trusted by institutional owners, investment managers, and operators worldwide. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260714560587/en/ RealPage now with Cherre. "AI can transform real estate only if it understands real estate," said Dirk Wakeham, President and Chief Executive Officer of RealPage. "Cherre has built the kind of trusted, governed intelligence that institutional owners and asset managers depend on. Bringing that expertise into RealPage means every customer, whether they manage one property or a global portfolio, gets access to a stronger, more trustworthy foundation for their decisions.” "We've always believed real estate organizations can't make confident decisions on data alone. They need a trusted,
Statement on Terminating the Letter of Intent With AI Financial Corporation14.7.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
Statement from Matthew Nicoletti, Chief Strategy Officer, Perpetuals.com (Nasdaq: PDC), on the proposed transaction with AI Financial Corporation. “Perpetuals has decided not to further pursue the acquisition of AI Financial Corporation’s subsidiary Alt5 Sigma Canada, Inc. and the earlier letter of intent has been terminated.” About Perpetuals.com Ltd Perpetuals.com Ltd (Nasdaq: PDC) is a fintech company developing AI-powered trading products and prediction markets, with a global footprint across the United States, Europe, and Asia. Its mission is to reduce risk through empowering retail users with intuitive, secure, and efficient trading experiences that span the world’s capital markets. UpsideOnly, the company's flagship consumer product, is the first risk-free trading platform, pairing human market insight with proprietary BayesShield AI so users can share in trading profits without ever risking their own money. Perpetuals’s proprietary AI system, BayesShield AI, combines advanced A
VIVERE Group Selects Rimini Street to Strengthen SAP Support and Accelerate Business Transformation14.7.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
Rimini Street, Inc. (Nasdaq: RMNI), the Software Support and Agentic AI ERP Company™ and the leading third-party support provider for Oracle, SAP and VMware software, today announced VIVERE Group, a leading Indonesian one-stop solution provider for interior contracting, furniture manufacturing and furnishing, has selected Rimini Support™ for SAP to help maintain business continuity, strengthen support for its critical SAP ECC environment and free internal IT resources to focus on digital transformation initiatives. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260714644251/en/ VIVERE Group Selects Rimini Street to Strengthen SAP Support and Accelerate Business Transformation Strengthening SAP support while advancing transformation Founded in 1984 and listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange since 2002, PT Gema Graham Sarana Tbk (IDX: GEMA) has grown into the core company of VIVERE Group, running SAP ECC 6 on IBM Db2 as a crit
Rochester Electronics and Qorvo ® Team to Offer Long-Term Availability of RF Components14.7.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
Rochester Electronics, LLC, a premier continuous source of authorized semiconductors, and Qorvo®, a leading global provider of connectivity and power solutions, today announced the completion of a worldwide distribution agreement. This collaboration significantly expands access to Qorvo’s RF and power high-performance semiconductor solutions for customers worldwide, with a particular emphasis on longevity of supply and lifecycle support. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260714526219/en/ Rochester Electronics and Qorvo® Team to Offer Long-Term Availability of RF Components Through Rochester Electronics’ unique position as a licensed manufacturer and authorized continuing source of semiconductors, Qorvo is extending the availability of its products to meet lifecycle design needs. This agreement not only helps ensure continuity for long-term applications but also contributes to technological sustainability by mini
InterSystems Recognized as a Leader in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Enterprise Electronic Health Records14.7.2026 16:00:00 EEST | Press release
InterSystems, a creative data technology provider powering more than one billion health records globally, today announced it has been recognized as a Leader in the 2026 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Electronic Health Records (EHR). This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260714349759/en/ A Gartner Magic Quadrant is a culmination of research in a specific market, giving you a wide-angle view of the relative positions of the market’s competitors. By applying a graphical treatment and a uniform set of evaluation criteria, a Magic Quadrant helps you quickly ascertain how well technology providers are executing their stated visions and how well they are performing against Gartner’s market view. “Healthcare organizations are under pressure to modernize while continuing to deliver safe, reliable care every day,” said Don Woodlock, President of InterSystems. “The strength of our approach has always been combining prov
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom
