Plant Biology

Plants are foundational organisms in both our terrestrial ecosystems and our food chains.  Whitehead Institute researchers are shedding light on the intricacies of plant biology in order to provide insights into plant development that could contribute to improved crop yield and global food security; discover plant-derived medicines and other valuable natural products; and improve our fundamental understanding of biological processes, including gene regulation and protein folding.

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Pink fuzzy flower.

Cockscomb plant.

Credit

Len Rubenstein/Whitehead Institute

Our Focus

The Institute has made many impactful contributions to the field of plant biology. In past years, our researchers helped to establish Arabidopsis thaliana as a primary model organism for plant research. Now, they are discovering the intricacies of gene regulation and its heritability, using knowledge of plants from traditional medicine to discover modern nature-derived drugs, and providing many important insights into the biology of plants and the ways that plant genetics and biochemistry can be harnessed.

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A green spike protrudes from a brown seed against a black background.

Rebecca Povilus

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Picture of a golden root plant

Jing-Ke Weng/Whitehead Institute

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The small while flowers and large leaves of the moonseed plant

Courtesy of Colin Kim/Whitehead Institute

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Closeup of small plants growing in a greenhouse

Len Rubenstein/Whitehead Institute