Whitehead’s Jaenisch to receive prestigious Otto Warburg Medal
March 10, 2014
The German Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (GBM) will present this year’s Otto Warburg Medal to Whitehead Institute Founding Member Rudolf Jaenisch later this month.
Yeast model reveals Alzheimer’s drug candidate and its mechanism of action
March 3, 2014
Whitehead Institute scientists have used a yeast cell-based drug screen to identify a class of molecules that target the amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide involved in Alzheimer’s disease (AD).
A protein-production tale of the tape: separating poly(A)-tail length from translational efficiency
January 29, 2014
Whitehead Institute researchers have determined that poly(A) tails on messenger RNAs (mRNAs) shift their role in the regulation of protein production during early embryogenesis. This finding about the regulation of mRNA translation also provides insight into how microRNAs control protein production.
Restarting stalled autophagy a potential approach to treating Niemann-Pick disease
January 8, 2014
Whitehead Institute researchers have determined that the lipid storage disorder Niemann-Pick type C1 (NPC1) disease is caused not only by defects in cholesterol processing but also in autophagy—a key cellular degradation pathway that malfunctions in many neurodegenerative diseases.
New gene-editing system enables large-scale studies of gene function
December 12, 2013
Since the completion of the Human Genome Project, which identified nearly 20,000 protein-coding genes, scientists have been trying to decipher the roles of those genes. A new approach developed at MIT, the Broad Institute, and the Whitehead Institute should speed up the process by allowing researchers to study the entire genome at once.
Rapid evolution of novel forms: Environmental change triggers inborn capacity for adaptation
December 12, 2013
A team of researchers from Harvard Medical School and Whitehead Institute report that, at least in the case of one variety of cavefish, one agent of evolutionary change is the heat shock protein known as HSP90.
Genetic mutation increases risk of Parkinson’s disease from pesticides
November 27, 2013
Gene responsible for hereditary cancer syndrome found to disrupt critical growth-regulating pathway
November 7, 2013
Whitehead Institute scientists report that the gene mutated in the rare hereditary disorder known as Birt-Hogg-Dubé cancer syndrome prevents activation of mTORC1, a critical nutrient-sensing and growth-regulating cellular pathway.
Understanding the evolution of drug resistance points to novel strategy for developing better antimicrobials
October 29, 2013
The most common fungal pathogen in humans, Candida albicans, rarely develops resistance to the antifungal drug amphotericin B (AmB). This has been puzzling as the drug has been in clinical use for over 50 years. Whitehead Institute scientists have now discovered why. The genetic mutations that enable certain strains of C. albicans to resist AmB simultaneously render it highly susceptible to environmental stressors and disarm its virulence factors.
Yeast, human stem cells drive discovery of new Parkinson’s disease drug targets
October 24, 2013
Using a discovery platform whose components range from yeast cells to human stem cells, Whitehead Institute scientists have identified a novel Parkinson’s disease drug target and a compound capable of repairing neurons derived from Parkinson’s patients.
Flu virus wipes out immune system’s first responders to establish infection
October 19, 2013
Revealing influenza’s truly insidious nature, Whitehead Institute scientists have discovered that the virus is able to infect its host by first killing off the cells of the immune system that are actually best equipped to neutralize the virus.
Super-enhancers seen as ‘Rosetta Stone’ for dialog between genes and disease
October 10, 2013
Having recently discovered a set of powerful gene regulators that control cell identity in a few mouse and human cell types, Whitehead Institute scientists are now showing that these regulators—which they named “super-enhancers”—act across a vast array of human cell types and are enriched in mutated regions of the genome that are closely associated with a broad spectrum of diseases.