Weissman Lab

Science in 60 breaks down the latest research at Whitehead Institute through one-minute explainers. In this video, Gayathri Muthukumar discusses how the outer mitochondrial membrane, which is a hub for signaling proteins, helps regulate mitochondrial functions.

Researchers at Whitehead Institute are developing models and approaches that capture more of the rich context in which biological processes are typically immersed, in order to learn more about them and their roles in health and disease. Learn more about how their work is revealing new insights that only become apparent when studying a process within the context of larger systems in which it operates.

Whitehead Institute Member Jonathan Weissman and colleagues, together with collaborators in Xiaowei Zhuang’s laboratory at Harvard University, developed an approach to collect multiple types of imaging and sequencing data from the same set of cells in animals, leading to new insights into liver biology in mice.

Whitehead Institute’s physician-scientists—researchers who also practice medicine—are highly motivated by the goal of improving patients’ outcomes. What drew them to Whitehead Institute is the possibility of making paradigm-shifting discoveries that can lead to major advances in medicine.

Questions about biology, human health, and disease from area students answered by Whitehead Institute scientists in our Ask a Scientist series. Watch the latest Ask a Scientist video or learn more at BioNook.

Jaspreet Sandhu is a postdoc in Whitehead Institute Member Jonathan Weissman’s lab studying how the genetics of individual cells determine their behaviors within the liver. He is also a gastroenterologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. We sat down with Jaspreet to learn more about him and his experiences in and out of the lab.

In order for researchers to understand the biology of living organisms, they must consider what is happening across the size scale. Interactions between molecules drive interactions between cells that affect traits and behaviors. Experiences and decisions made by the organism can lead to changes at the cellular and molecular level. In order to understand the full picture, Whitehead Institute researchers study everything from molecules to cells to whole organisms.

Researchers at Whitehead Institute are employing cutting-edge techniques that combine layers of data — from the function of individual genes to the interactions of all molecules within a living organism — to investigate biological phenomena with unprecedented depth and breadth. Their efforts are yielding a richer understanding of the mechanisms involved in health and disease.

Whitehead Institute graduate student researchers Christopher Giuliano and Julian Roessler have been awarded the 2024 Regeneron Prize for Creative Innovation. In addition, postdoctoral researcher Chen Weng was selected as a finalist in the postdoctoral fellows competition.