Whitehead Institute

Jimmy Ly, a graduate student in Whitehead Institute Member Iain Cheeseman's lab, has received the Porter Prize for Research Excellence from @ascbiology.bsky.social. Congratulations, Jimmy! www.ascb.org/society-news...
(@jimmy-ly.bsky.social @iaincheeseman.bsky.social)

Thrilled to see Cheese lab graduate student @jimmy-ly.bsky.social recognized by this award from @ascbiology.bsky.social. Jimmy has done amazing and creative work and is also truly kind and supportive to everyone around him. A great human and amazing scientist. So well deserved. Congratulations!

In order for researchers to understand the biology of living organisms, they must consider what is happening across the size scale — from molecules, to cells to whole organisms. Explore this #WhiteheadStoryArc on scale: wi.mit.edu/series/under...

Looking for new, local science podcasts to keep you up to date on research that matters?

Check out the two podcasts from the @whiteheadinstitute.bsky.social: AudioHelicase and BioGenesis!

🎧 bit.ly/3J9Yw5p

Mapping cells in time and space: New tool reveals a detailed history of tumor growth Whitehead Institute researchers developed a tool to recreate cells’ family trees. Comparing cells’ lineages and spatial data or cells’ location within a tumor provided insights into environmental and ...

PEtracer combines lineage tracing and spatial data, providing a detailed view of how cancer growth is influenced by both environmental cues and factors intrinsic to certain cell lineages.

Tool developed by @weissmanlab.bsky.social. Via MIT News:
news.mit.edu/2025/new-too...

From our latest episode of #AudioHelicase: four Whitehead Institute researchers gain unique insights into biological processes—from regeneration to organ function—by studying them within the rich context of their natural environment. Listen here: wi.mit.edu/multimedia/a...

Meet a Whitehead Postdoc: Alisa White | Whitehead Institute

Advice from postdoc Alisa White in the Page lab: "Don’t get married to any one idea. You could accidentally get an interesting result that might end up being a launching point for your career." wi.mit.edu/news/meet-wh... #WhiteheadPostdocProfiles

“Developing this tool required combining diverse skillsets through the sort of ambitious interdisciplinary collaboration that’s only possible at a place like Whitehead Institute,” @weissmanlab.bsky.social says.

New tool reveals a detailed history of tumor growth: wi.mit.edu/news/mapping...

Functional genomic dissection of MS risk loci reveals convergence of cis and trans gene regulatory mechanisms in microglia Neurological diseases (NDs) are a major source of unmet medical need, and translational insights have been hampered by complex underlying pathophysiologies and limitations of experimental models. Nonc...

Tomorrow @ 8am #AAIC2025 I'll present work on genetic risk mechanisms in #MS #AD using #CRISPR screens in #microglia. Come see poster as well until 4:30! Co-led by @xochitl-luna.bsky.social, Jaenisch/Corradin labs @whiteheadinstitute.bsky.social. Link to paper: www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...

How do proteins know where to go inside of a cell? Postdoc Henry Kilgore answers our latest #AskaScientist question. Learn how students can submit their own questions: wi.mit.edu/bionook/ask-...

Global inhibition of deadenylation stabilizes the transcriptome in mitotic cells In the presence of cell division errors, mammalian cells can pause in mitosis for tens of hours with little to no transcription, while still requiring continued translation for viability. These unique...

New preprint! We solve a mystery you didn't know existed. Mitotic cells lack new transcription but require ongoing translation. Interphase mRNA half life is only 2-4 hrs. So how do cells arrest in mitosis for hours without depleting their transcriptomes?

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

PEtracer provides a detailed view of how cancer growth is influenced by both environmental factors and factors intrinsic to certain cell lineages. The tool, developed by @jswlab.bsky.social, combines lineage tracing and spatial data: wi.mit.edu/news/mapping... @hhmi.org

Meet a Whitehead Postdoc: Jaspreet Sandhu | Whitehead Institute Jaspreet Sandhu is a postdoc in Whitehead Institute Member Jonathan Weissman’s lab studying how the genetics of individual cells determine their behaviors within the liver. He is also a gastroenterolo...

"I talk to my patients about research a lot, to the point where I even show them the latest literature on certain topics," postdoc and gastroenterologist Jaspreet Sandhu says. wi.mit.edu/news/meet-wh... #WhiteheadPostdocProfiles @jswlab.bsky.social

Today's #WorldBrainDay! The brain is home not only to neurons, but to other cells such as microglia, which provide immune defense. In our recent #Sciencein60, grad student Xochitl Luna describes her research on how microglia can contribute to multiple sclerosis (MS).

We had so much fun at Expedition: Bio, Whitehead Institute's summer science program for middle school students! Here's everyone showing off what they learned at Friday's poster session. 🧬🌱🧫

A smooth muscle cell is infected with SARS-CoV-2. By studying different cell types acting together, the Jaenisch lab shows that SARS-CoV-2 affects vascular cells indirectly, by infecting neighboring cells: wi.mit.edu/news/biology... #WhiteheadWonders

Here are some highlights from Whitehead Institute's annual summer BBQ! ☀️🌭

As per tradition, we had some friendly competition between labs, playing tug of war and giant jenga.

Science isn't about knowing all the answers - it's about being curious enough to ask questions. That's one lesson learned from Expedition: Bio, Whitehead Institute's summer science program for middle school students.

Have you seen our latest #Sciencein60 video? Grad student Gayathri Muthukumar shares her research on the outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM), a hub for proteins that can fine-tune the behavior of mitochondria. @jswlab.bsky.social

Don't miss tomorrow's session by ZOOM with Daniela Palacios and @ara-latifkar.bsky.social @whiteheadinstitute.bsky.social @cambiochem.bsky.social

Just as cancer cells can co-opt other cell types to protect themselves, so can therapies co-opt various cell types to destroy the cancer. Read "The company we keep: Revealing cancer’s accomplices": wi.mit.edu/news/company...

Toxoplasma gondii divides by endodyogeny — a process in which two daughters form inside a mother cell, eventually consuming the mother cell. In special cases, as captured in this image, a single cell spawns a multitude of daughters. Credit: Dominic Schwarz. #WhiteheadWonders

Although people don't hibernate, a better understanding of hibernation may lead to advancements in treating age-related diseases — one reason Whitehead Institute Member Siniša Hrvatin studies states of stasis. Learn more: wi.mit.edu/news/manipul...

Certain alleles, called meiotic drivers, cheat the rules of inheritance to increase the chance of transmission.

The Yamashita lab at the @whiteheadinstitute.bsky.social investigated genetic information transmission and found a meiotic driver that operates differently: bit.ly/4nzcFcp

"Recently I’ve been working on understanding a new type of code that we found in protein sequences that guides a protein to its destination within cells," Henry Kilgore says. wi.mit.edu/news/meet-wh... #WhiteheadPostdocProfiles

a 3d rendering of a colorful dna molecule with a black background ALT: a 3d rendering of a colorful dna molecule with a black background

What if viruses held the secret to fixing our mRNA tails? How do viruses influence mRNA degradation? Dive into the topic with @ara-latifkar.bsky.social on July 17 at 17:00 GMT via Zoom. A viral twist on RNA decay you won’t want to miss!
@cambiochem.bsky.social @whiteheadinstitute.bsky.social

On the outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM)

🧪 #Sciencein60 #mitochondria

60 seconds of mitochondrial biology for lunchtime viewing!

@jswlab.bsky.social @hhmi.org

Grad student Gayathri Muthukumar investigates how the outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM), a hub for signaling proteins, helps regulate mitochondrial function. Her research aims to uncover how changes in the OMM’s protein makeup can fine-tune the behavior of individual mitochondria. #Sciencein60