WIM no. 17 Spring 2020

מכון ויצמן למדע Coronavirus Response Ș In parallel, an effort by Profs. Eran Elinav and Ido Amit is underway to develop a new testing method based on a process that involves fewer stages compared to existing tests, vastly expands the number of samples that can be tested at a time, and offers a method that greatly reduces the biological risk to which the teams that perform the tests are exposed. The Weizmann scientists expect to have the capacity to test about 20,000 samples per day. A model to sustain economic activity Ș As the state of the economy becomes an increasing source of concern, Prof. Uri Alon and his graduate students Omer Karin and Yael Korem-Kohanim , together with senior engineer Boaz Dudovich of Applied Materials, have developed an epidemiological model that shows how it is possible to enact a nationwide policy to effectively suppress the coronavirus and at the same time allow sustainable, albeit reduced, economic activity. The model is based on the mathematics of an intermittent lockdown: five days of lockdown and two days of work every week. In this way, the virus replication number— the number of people infected by each contagious carrier—drops below 1: the magic number that would lead to a decline in the epidemic. A four-day work/ten-day lockdown strategy is even better, they suggest, allowing those infected at work to cease becoming infectious at home. Prof. Alon suggests that after several such cycles, the number of infected people will drop dramatically. The epidemic can be contained until sufficient testing, effective treatment, or a vaccine is developed, which would negate the need for a lockdown. The Weizmann Coronavirus Response Fund The Institute has established the Weizmann Coronavirus Response Fund, which will enable Institute leadership to urgently disseminate support to its scientists working on the front lines to find solutions, and to support unique science education initiatives to address the demand for online distance learning. The Response Fund aims to raise approximately $25 million for the urgent allocation of support. More than 50 projects across campus are underway. A sampling of our other efforts are described in this special section, including: Ș Searches for the perfect drug or vaccine, such as the projects underway by Prof. Sarel Fleishman, Dr. Ron Diskin, and Dr. Nir London Ș An effort spearhead by Profs. Eran Segal and Benjamin Geiger is tracking geographic clusters in which the coronavirus is prevalent and will likely spread. Ș The Davidson Institute of Science Education at Weizmann launched a new website called Stuck at Home? which offers a suite of digital science activities at a time when students, teachers, and parents are in need of quality distance- learning content. You can read more about the Weizmann Coronavirus Response Fund on the Institute website, or via the QR code below. Video: It’s a revolution: massive ramp-up in safer testing More on the Weizmann Coronavirus Response Fund 2–3 Weizmann MAGAZINE S P R I N G 2 0 2 0