News

A new study led by researchers in the lab of Whitehead Institute Member Sebastian Lourido identifies how the widespread parasite Toxoplasma gondii adjusts its metabolism to survive in crowded environments in infected cells. The mechanisms they identify appear to help the parasite persist in long-lasting brain cysts.

The longtime Harvard Business School professor and member of Whitehead Institute’s Finance Committee joins the Board with deep expertise in leadership and organizational decision-making.

A new study led by the lab of Whitehead Institute Director Ruth Lehmann reveals the mechanisms that determine where future egg and sperm cells will form in the fruit fly embryo, illuminating an important aspect of how organisms maintain the ability to reproduce over generations.

Weissman Lab postdoc Ania Puszynska is studying the cell’s recycling centers, called lysosomes, to understand how aging affects cellular function and what those changes can reveal about the biology of age-related diseases.

Researchers in the lab of Whitehead Institute Member Sebastian Lourido have uncovered the protein machinery that enables Toxoplasma gondii parasites to rapidly alter their form and function as they replicate inside human cells. These findings could guide future strategies to treat parasitic infections. 

Whitehead Institute has received three grants from the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center to add advanced instruments to its Innovation Centers, strengthening shared resources that help scientists sort rare cells, image molecules inside cells, and measure and map the physical connections among proteins.

Evan Groover is a postdoc in Whitehead Institute Member Mary Gehring’s lab working on understanding how epigenetics shapes plant development, evolution, and crop performance. We sat down with Groover to learn more about him and his experiences in and out of the lab. 

Researchers in the lab of Mary Gehring have developed a gene expression “map” of seed development in the model plant, Arabidopsis thaliana. Their findings reveal in which tissues and cell types genes that determine agriculturally significant traits, such as seed size and nutritional composition, are expressed. The work could guide future efforts to improve crop yield, nutrition, and resilience.

The Whitehead Institute community fondly remembers Brit d’Arbeloff, Director Emerita of the Board and longtime friend and supporter of the Institute. 

A new study led by Whitehead Institute researchers reveals how tissues that serve as barriers between the body and the outside environment tune their sensitivity to match the severity of a threat, balancing protection with its side effect of tissue damage.