Whitehead Institute is a world-renowned non-profit research institution dedicated to improving human health through basic biomedical research.
Whitehead Institute Member Iain Cheeseman and colleagues found that cells not only make many variants of known proteins, but that they switch between making different variants to tailor protein function during cell division.
Bats rarely get sick from deadly viruses like Ebola and Nipah despite carrying them. Now, Whitehead Institute Founding Member Rudolf Jaenisch and colleagues have found that while the SARS-CoV-2 virus can enter bat cells, the innate immune system prevents it from replicating and hijacking the cell's machinery.
Whitehead Institute specializes in foundational research — solving deep scientific mysteries that unlock the mechanisms underlying many diseases, leading to new approaches in medicine.
Foundational research — as opposed to applied research — is research conducted not to solve a specific problem, but to satisfy a driving curiosity about the unknown. Seemingly simple queries, such as ‘How do cells divide?’ or ‘How can plants control how their genes are expressed?’ can pave the way for more applied research in therapeutics, cancer biology and genetics, and open up vast new fields of study that reshape the way we understand biology.
Since its beginnings in 1982, Whitehead Institute has explored the core questions that underlie our basic understanding of biology. And while our mission remains the same, much has changed in the intervening decades; new research tools allow our scientists to look deeper and design better experiments than ever before. The more we understand about how biological systems work, the better we can design informed and effective therapies and treatments to meet the challenges of modern society.
Researchers at Whitehead Institute are world-renowned for their contributions to cancer biology, genomics and more, and the impact of our publications positions us as the top research institution in the world for molecular biology and genetics. The Institute's location in Kendall Square creates an exciting and collaborative scientific environment where our scientists often team up with researchers at Harvard, the Koch Institute, and MIT on cross-disciplinary studies. Whitehead Institute also prioritizes giving back to the community, hosting summer programs, lecture series, and other events for scientists and aspiring scientists.
Unusual Labmates is a series that explores some of the more unusual models used for research at Whitehead Institute. From rare plants to luminescent beetles to regenerative starfish and worms, these organisms and their unusual traits provide insights into the underlying biology and incredible diversity of living things.
Gain a broader perspective on environmental research, epigenetics, COVID-19 and more through these collections of multimedia stories.
Whitehead Institute is dedicated to training the next generation of scientists, especially postdocs. Get to know a few of these remarkable scientists through these profiles.
Located in the biotech and biomedical research hub of Kendall Square, the Whitehead Institute campus features five floors of laboratory space, as well as state-of-the-art facilities for genomics, computing, microscopy and more.
Whitehead Institute's scientists hail from around the world, bringing a multitude of perspectives and ideas. Although our faculty is smaller than many of our peer institutions, the Institute’s contributions to bioscience have long been second to none, and our scientists, administration, and support staff work together to push the boundaries of biology forward.
Whitehead Institute’s collaborative culture encourages researchers at every level to share new ideas and benefit from the experience of their colleagues. Gatherings such as weekly coffee hours and annual scientific retreats facilitate this exchange. The Institute is also active in the Boston-Cambridge community, hosting educational programs for local teachers and students.