Researchers at Whitehead Institute propose a new model for how the stem cells in aquatic worms called planarians commit to a specific fate. Instead of a long, slow process that occurs over many generations, the researchers suggest that the transition from “blank” stem cells to specialized cells could happen in a single division.
In this special episode of AudioHelicase, we talk to three researchers about the cells in our bodies that can regenerate – and those that can’t. We ask, why can some cells no longer renew themselves? And, importantly, can we change that?
In this video, six Whitehead Institute researchers share what they have learned from the living world, and why it's more important than ever to conserve it.
In this video, learn about new findings from Whitehead Institute researchers including a potential way to make cancer drugs more effective, how malaria-causing parasites could become less susceptible to an essential drug, and how regenerating flatworms rewire their eyes to their brains.
Kutay Deniz Atabay is a postdoc in Whitehead Institute Member Peter Reddien’s lab investigating regeneration, including how neuronal circuits regenerate in various organisms including planarians, a type of flatworm. We sat down with Atabay to learn more about him and his experiences in and out of the lab.
Learn how scientists in Peter Reddien's lab use planarians to probe the mysteries of how animals are able to replace missing body parts after injury — with the goal of one day using this knowledge to guide regenerative medicine techniques.
For nearly 30 years, Salt Creek Catering — led by husband-and-wife team Jim Nally and Tina Truedson — has served Whitehead Institute with delicious food made in-house and reasonably priced. The Whitehead Cafeteria, affectionately known as “the Caf,” is a nexus of the Institute’s community as well as a culinary keystone for people working around Kendall Square.
