Drug Discovery

A pain-causing compound in the Australian stinging tree has applications for cancer treatment, but it’s difficult to harvest enough to study. Whitehead Institute scientists present a way to synthesize the compound in the leaves of harmless tobacco plants, and potentially in a culture dish.

Whitehead Institute Member Jing-Ke Weng studies plant metabolism, the set of processes plants use to produce thousands of unique molecules, many of which have potent medicinal properties. The Weng lab is hunting for more of these molecules in the wild, and developing strategies to sustainably produce plant molecules already of interest at scale.

Some of the most important tools in researchers’ toolkits are the model organisms they use to study biological questions. How do researchers decide which species, out of the millions that exist, to develop as models? Whitehead Institute researchers have had a hand in establishing and promoting the use of several model organisms over the years.

Whitehead Institute director Ruth Lehmann spoke to STAT reporter Elizabeth Cooney about the importance of fundamental science, the foundational research that supported the creation of COVID-19 vaccines, and the culture of innovation and collaboration she cultivates at the Institute.

The award recognizes Weinberg’s pioneering achievements in the field of cancer biology.
 

Founding Member Harvey Lodish has been twice honored by the international science community for his path-breaking scientific accomplishments and intellectual leadership.

By learning from nature without overtaxing it, Whitehead Institute Member Jing-Ke Weng aims to help develop potent new drugs for a plethora of medical problems while addressing some of the environmental concerns of typical drug development.