Search by Lab __________ F A C U L T Y David Bartel Iain Cheeseman Gerald R. Fink Rudolf Jaenisch Eric S. Lander Susan L. Lindquist Harvey F. Lodish Paul T. Matsudaira Terry L. Orr-Weaver David C. Page Hidde Ploegh Peter W. Reddien David Sabatini Hazel L. Sive Robert A. Weinberg Richard A. Young __________ F E L L O W S Thijn Brummelkamp Fernando Camargo Hui Ge Andreas Hochwagen Kate Rubins Paul Wiggins Defne Yarar __________ A F F I L I A T E M E M B E R S Dave Gifford

Whitehead Faculty

Ask a visiting scientist to describe the Whitehead Institute and two themes emerge immediately: the exceptional quality of the scientific staff and the collaborative spirit—the ethos that encourages researchers at every level to share new ideas and benefit from the insights and experience of their colleagues. The key to this combination of excellence and accessibility is, of course, the faculty.

Whitehead Institute’s world-renowned faculty include the recipient of the 1997 National Medal of Science (Robert A Weinberg); eight Members of the National Academy of Sciences (Gerald R. Fink, Rudolf Jaenisch, Eric S. Lander, Susan L. Lindquist, Harvey F. Lodish, Terry Orr-Weaver, David C. Page, and Weinberg); five members of the Institute of Medicine ( Fink, Jaenisch, Lander, Lindquist and Weinberg); and seven Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (Hidde Ploegh and Fink, Jaenisch, Lander, Lindquist, Lodish, and Weinberg). All Whitehead faculty are also professors at MIT.

Members

David Bartel is a leader in the discovery and study of microRNAs, which play important gene regulatory roles in both plants and animals. For example, he and his colleagues recently showed that well over one-third of human genes are regulated by microRNAs. His lab also creates new ribozymes—enzymes composed of RNA—which provide support for the view that modern-day life descended from an "RNA world."

Iain Cheeseman studies the kinetochore, a structure of proteins on chromosomes. The kinetochore acts as a hook to which long cellular protein fibers attach during cell division. The kinetochore ensures that chromosomes are positioned and split correctly as the protein filaments pulls them apart. Cheeseman is working to identify the unknown proteins in the kinetochore, define the role of each kinetochore protein in the cell division process, and describe how attachments to kinetochores are regulated throughout cell division.

Gerald R. Fink, a Founding Member, analyzes common baker’s yeast to explore critical pathways in cell growth and metabolism; applications include cancer research and the development of new anti-fungal drugs. He also directs a plant research group recently heralded for new insights into root growth and salt metabolism.

Rudolf Jaenisch is one of the founders of transgenic science. His lab has produced models leading to new understanding of cancers and various neurological diseases. Jaenisch, a Founding Member, also made important contributions to cloning technology. Studies of cloned mice will help decipher how the genome from an adult cell is reprogrammed to create a new organism.

Susan L. Lindquist conducts groundbreaking research on how such diverse processes as stress tolerance, neurodegenerative disease, and heredity can be governed by changes in protein conformation. Her research on prion proteins has provided the definitive evidence for a new form of genetics, based upon the inheritance of proteins with new, self-perpetuating shapes rather than new DNA sequences.

Harvey F. Lodish, a Founding Member and leader in the field of membrane biology, has isolated and cloned numerous proteins that reside on the surface of cells and play a role in cell growth, glucose transport, and fatty acid transport. His results have important implications for the treatment of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.

Paul T. Matsudaira characterizes elements of the molecular “cytoskeleton,” which plays a central role in cell function and structure. Now he is breaking new ground at the interface of biology and engineering, creating microelectromechanical devices to build hand-held diagnostic tools and to enhance the identification of human disease genes.

Terry L. Orr-Weaver deciphers critical events in cell growth and cell division. Two proteins she discovered help ensure proper partitioning of chromosomes (improper partitioning of chromosomes is a major cause of human birth defects). Studies of DNA replication in the lab also are revealing new players in the molecular pathways leading to cancer.

David C. Page studies the Y chromosome — the chromosome that distinguishes males from females. In 1992, his laboratory mapped and cloned the entire Y chromosome. Today, he uses the map and other tools to trace the genetic causes of male infertility, the history of the Y chromosome and human populations, and the origins of common genetic diseases.

Hidde Ploegh investigates the molecular mechanisms by which the immune system responds to antigens such as viruses or bacteria. His work currently focuses on the flu and herpes viruses and the processes by which they evade the immune system.

Peter W. Reddien works to understand regeneration through research on planarians, flatworms with regenerative powers that have captured the imagination of biologists for over a century.

David Sabatini studies the basic mechanisms that regulate growth, the process whereby cells accumulate mass to increase in size. His work has focused in part on a cellullar system called the TOR pathway, a critical regulator of growth in many species. To decipher the molecular pathways that regulate cell growth, Sabatini has developed new technologies to study the functions of large sets of genes in mammalian cells.

Hazel L. Sive traces the earliest stages of neural development in vertebrates using frog and zebrafish embryos. She has identified more than 50 genes involved in the decision to begin making neural tissue from the undifferentiated cells in a young embryo. The work could provide new insights into neurological diseases, spinal cord injuries, and cancer.

Robert A. Weinberg, a Founding Member and pioneer in cancer research, discovered the first human oncogene and the first tumor suppressor gene. Today, much of his research focuses on new models of breast cancer development and studies of telomerase, a key target for cancer therapy.

Richard A. Young is a pioneer in gene transcription, the process by which cells read and interpret the genetic instructions embedded in DNA. The Young lab also uses DNA arrays and other state-of-the-art genomic tools to map the genome-wide circuitry of living cells and to study infectious diseases. Achievements include novel AIDS vaccine candidates and new approaches to drug-resistant tuberculosis.

Affiliate Member

David Gifford directs the Programming Systems Research Group at MIT, where he is a Professor of Computer Science and Engineering. His research focuses on developing novel computational methods for the analysis of data from high throughput molecular biology experiments. He has developed such things as agent-based digital broadcast systems, effect systems for programming languages, and algebraic video systems.

[former whitehead scientists]

Last updated January 23, 2008.