Also in this issue:

Features

Doctors in the house
A number of Whitehead scientists bring unique perspective to their research by virtue of their formal medical training. These MD/PhDs, many of whom currently practice in the clinic, feel their experiences in medicine help put their Whitehead projects in broader context

On target
A team of Whitehead and MIT scientists bridges the disciplines of biology and computer software development to create a tool now helping researchers across the globe predict the mysterious ways of microRNAs

Research news

MicroRNA found to hamper activity of tumor suppressor gene
The first report of a microRNA taking direct aim at a critical cancer-related pathway

Cell pathway regulates tumor response to caloric restriction
Study brings new clarity to why certain tumors are inhibited during low-calorie conditions while others grow in unimpeded fashion

Research points to possible treatment for Rett syndrome
A small molecule could reduce movement and breathing irregularities associated with the syndrome

Protein complex plays catchy number during cell division
Whitehead researchers identify a key player in cells’ quest for successful chromosomal separation

Single gene mutation can cause transmissible prion disease
One change in the prion protein, PrP, is enough to cause a neurodegenerative disease and subsesquent prion infectivity

MicroRNA’s cellular level may predict breast cancer metastasis
Low levels of miR-31 appear to promote the spread of disease in mouse models of human breast cancer

Departments

Community
The latest honors for Whitehead’s youngest faculty members, and two Fellows leave the Institute on wildly divergent paths

Window on Whitehead: Popular science
How do you feel about science? About scientists?