Whitehead Institute

Engineering cells for more efficient biofuel production

Yeast research takes a step toward production of alternatives to gasoline.

February 17, 2013

Whitehead, biology's Gerald Fink chosen to serve as AAAS president-elect

January 25, 2013

Whitehead Institute Founding Member and MIT Professor of Biology Rudolf Jaenisch, left, and Subra Suresh, the Vannevar Bush Professor of Engineering.

Jaenisch, Suresh named Franklin Institute laureates

October 22, 2012

In this image of mouse embryonic fibroblasts undergoing reprogramming, each colored dot represents messenger RNA associated with a specific gene. Red dots represent mRNA for the gene Sall4, green is Sox2 and blue is Fbxo15.

Tracking stem cell reprogramming

Biologists reveal genes key to development of pluripotency, in single cells.

September 13, 2012

Four from MIT win NIH grants

Brown, Gore, Ploegh and Zhang receive grants for innovative biomedical research.

September 13, 2012

Zebrafish with certain genes turned off during embryonic development (center and right images) showed abnormalities of brain formation (top row) and axon wiring (bottom row). At left is a normally developing zebrafish embryo.

Fishing for answers to autism puzzle

Biologists take a new approach to deciphering the roles of genes associated with autism.

June 19, 2012

Four MIT professors elected to National Academy of Sciences

Liskov, Suresh, Townsend and Young bring to 78 the number of Institute faculty who are NAS members.

May 3, 2012

Prions are frequently beneficial. A wine strain of yeast that naturally contains prions — in this case formed by a particular transcription factor — can grow in the presence of an antifungal drug (left), but becomes susceptible to the drug when the prions are eliminated (right). The prions did not affect growth in the absence of the drug (bottom).

Prions play key role in yeast survival and evolution

For the first time, researchers find prions in wild strains of yeast, and show they can help the organisms withstand stress.

February 16, 2012

Rudolf Jaenisch, a founding member of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and professor of biology at MIT, receives his Medal of Science from President Barack Obama.

Jaenisch receives Medal of Science at White House ceremony

Among 12 honored by President Barack Obama on Friday.

October 24, 2011

Whitehead Institute Founding Member and MIT Professor of Biology Rudolf Jaenisch.

Whitehead member, biology professor Rudolf Jaenisch wins National Medal of Science

Honored for work on gene expression, stem cells.

September 27, 2011

Two from MIT named 2011 Pew Scholars in the Biomedical Sciences

Physicist Jeff Gore and biologist Mary Gehring receive the prestigious award for their innovative research.

June 14, 2011

MIT biologist David Bartel elected to the National Academy of Sciences

Ten MIT alumni also among this year’s new members

May 6, 2011