Cancer

Using CRISPR technology, Whitehead Institute Member Jonathan Weissman is tracking the lineage of individual cancer cells as they proliferate and metastasize in real time. 

Researchers in the lab of Whitehead Institute Founding Member Robert Weinberg have determined how mesenchymal cancer cells may resist treatment, work that may allow them to make once-resistant tumors respond to certain cancer therapies.

Whitehead Institute’s core facilities set it apart. The cores, staffed by experts and providing state-of-the-art instrumentation and tools, allow our scientists to pursue more ambitious investigations.

Cancer is a disease, or set of diseases, in which abnormal cells in the body experience uncontrolled growth. Cancer biology is complex, with many potential factors contributing to a given cancer’s development and outcome. Researchers at Whitehead Institute are investigating the fundamental biology of cancer cells and have helped drive steady advances in biomedicine’s understanding of cancer, contributing to innovative strategies in both diagnosis and therapy.

Sonia Iyer is a postdoc in Whitehead Institute Founding Member Robert (Bob) Weinberg’s lab investigating ovarian cancer. We sat down with Iyer to learn more about her and her experiences in and out of the lab.