Disrupting mitochondrial function could improve treatment of fungal infections
August 11, 2016
By identifying new compounds that selectively block mitochondrial respiration in pathogenic fungi, Whitehead Institute scientists have identified a potential antifungal mechanism that could enable combination therapy with fluconazole, one of today’s most commonly prescribed fungal infection treatments. Severe, invasive fungal infections have a mortality rate of 30-50% and cause an estimated 1.5 million deaths worldwide annually. Current antifungal therapies are hampered by the increasingly frequent emergence of drug resistance and negative interactions that often preclude combination use.
Whitehead’s Susan Lindquist to receive prestigious Albany Prize in Medicine
August 3, 2016
Whitehead Institute Member Susan Lindquist has been named one of three recipients of the Albany Medical Center Prize in Medicine and Biomedical Research for 2016.
Jaw-dropping research explains mouth formation during embryonic development
August 2, 2016
Whitehead Institute researchers have identified an area in the developing face of embryonic frogs that unzips to form the mouth. The scientists, who named this region the “pre-mouth array”, have also discovered the cellular signaling that triggers its formation. Elucidating this critical aspect of craniofacial development in a model organism enhances understanding of and potential treatment for human facial birth defects.
Whitehead’s Jing-Ke Weng receives 2016 Beckman Young Investigator Award
July 18, 2016
Whitehead Member Jing-Ke Weng is one of eight early-career scientists nationwide to be named a 2016 Beckman Young Investigator.
Defining what it means to be a naive stem cell
July 14, 2016
Whitehead Institute scientists have created a checklist that defines the “naive” state of cultured human embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Such cells provide a better model of early human embryogenesis than conventional ESCs in later stages of development.
Engineers design programmable RNA vaccines against Ebola, influenza
July 4, 2016
MIT and Whitehead Institute scientists have developed a new type of easily customizable vaccine that can be manufactured in one week, allowing it to be rapidly deployed in response to disease outbreaks. So far, they have designed vaccines against Ebola, H1N1 influenza, and Toxoplasma gondii (a relative of the parasite that causes malaria), which were 100 percent effective in tests in mice.
Tiny alpaca-derived antibodies point to targets preventing viral infection
June 20, 2016
Using tiny, alpaca-derived, single-domain antibody fragments, Whitehead Institute scientists have developed a method to perturb cellular processes in mammalian cells, allowing them to tease apart the roles that individual proteins play in these pathways. With improved knowledge of protein activity, scientists can better understand not only basic biology but also how disease corrupts cellular function and identify potential therapeutics to rectify these aberrations.
Whitehead Members Hidde Ploegh and David Sabatini Elected to National Academy of Sciences
May 3, 2016
The National Academy of Sciences announced today that Whitehead Institute’s Hidde Ploegh and David Sabatini are among 84 new Academy members elected in recognition of distinguished and continuing achievements in original research.
Prion-like protein found in plants
April 29, 2016
Whitehead Institute scientists have determined that a plant protein involved in the timing of flowering could in fact be a prion. This is the first time that a possible prion has been identified in plants, and it may play a role in a plant’s “memory” of cold exposure during winter.
Identifying a genetic mutation behind sporadic Parkinson’s disease
April 20, 2016
Using a novel method, Whitehead Institute researchers have determined how mutations that are not located within genes are identified through genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and can contribute to sporadic Parkinson’s disease, the most common form of the condition. The approach could be used to analyze GWAS results for other sporadic diseases with genetic causes, such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and cancer.
Salk Institute honors Whitehead’s Weinberg for research excellence
April 14, 2016
Whitehead Founding Member Robert Weinberg is one of two scientists to receive the prestigious Salk Institute Medal for Research Excellence, an honor that Salk has bestowed only twice before in its 55-year history.
Whitehead’s Rudolf Jaenisch named a Fellow of the AACR Academy
April 5, 2016
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) announced today that Whitehead Institute Founding Member Rudolf Jaenisch is one of 11 newly elected Fellows of the AACR Academy.