Whitehead Institute

Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research is a

Whitehead Institute for Biomedical
non-profit research institute located in Cambridge,
Research
Massachusetts, United States that is dedicated to
improving human health through basic biomedical
research. It was founded as a fiscally independent
entity from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT), where its 19 members all hold faculty
appointments in the MIT Department of Biology or the
MIT Department of Bioengineering. As of 2023, Ruth
Lehmann is its director; she succeeded David C. Page.
The Whitehead Institute for Biomedical
Research
History Established 1982
Research type A scientific community
Whitehead Institute was founded in 1982 by exploring biology's most
industrialist and philanthropist Edwin C. “Jack” fundamental questions for
Whitehead (1920–1992), who sought to establish a the betterment of human
research institute "dedicated to improving human health
health through basic biomedical science".[2][3][4]
Field of Cancer, Stem Cell,
Whitehead believed that while such an institution research
Immunology, Developmental
should be closely affiliated with an academic
Biology, Regenerative
institution, it should remain wholly independent and
Medicine, Genetics,
self-governing. In David Baltimore (1975 Nobel
Genomics
Laureate in Physiology or Medicine), Whitehead found
a partner who agreed that this approach would create Director Ruth Lehmann

an "optimum environment for basic research".[5] As Endowment $521.3 million (2020)[1]

Whitehead Institute's Founding Director, Baltimore Affiliations Massachusetts Institute of
[6]
handpicked Harvey Lodish, and Robert Weinberg Technology
[7]
from MIT, Gerald Fink from Cornell University, [8]
Website wi.mit.edu (http://wi.mit.edu)
and Rudolf Jaenisch from University of Hamburg,
Germany, to be Whitehead Institute's Founding
Members.[9] This group then identified promising younger scientists to be the first generation of
Whitehead Members; and they established the Whitehead Fellows Program as a vehicle for accelerating
the careers of highly promising young investigators.

Less than a decade after its founding, the Institute for Scientific Information in Philadelphia identified
Whitehead as the top research institution in the world in molecular biology and genetics, based on the
impact of its scientific publications.[3] Whitehead Institute's Center for Genome Research (CGR) became
the single largest contributor to the Human Genome Project, and reportedly contributed one-third of the
human genome sequence announced in June 2000.[10]
In 2004 the CGR formed the independent Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, of which then-Whitehead
Member Eric Lander was named Founding Director and President.

Whitehead Institute's influence continues - over a 10-year period, papers published by Whitehead
scientists had more impact in molecular biology and genetics than those from any of the 15 leading
research universities and life sciences institutes in the United States.[4] Training and education is integral
to Whitehead Institute's mission and approximately 300 undergraduates, graduate students, post-doctoral
researchers, and visiting scientists are integrally engaged in its research programs. Four times since 2009,
the Whitehead Institute has been ranked first as the Best Place to Work for Postdocs in USA by The
Scientist magazine.[11]

Today, Whitehead scientists run research programs in cancer biology, developmental biology, genetics
and genomics, metabolism, neurodevelopment and neurodegenerative disease, and regenerative medicine.
In addition, numerous biotech companies have been launched by Whitehead Members or based on
intellectual property developed at the institute, such as Alnylam Pharmaceuticals,[12] Sanofi Genzyme,[13]
Ironwood Pharmaceuticals,[14] Rubius Therapeutics,[15] and Verastem.[16]

In 2019, according to the NACUBO report, the institute had an endowment of $527.9 million.[17]

Faculty
The Whitehead faculty currently comprises 19 members whose laboratories focus on biology's most
fundamental questions.[18] The Members, who are all also MIT faculty members, are:

David Bartel
Iain Cheeseman
Olivia Corradin
Gerald R. Fink
Mary Gehring
Rudolf Jaenisch
Ankur Jain[19]
Ruth Lehmann
Pulin Li
Harvey F. Lodish
Sebastian Lourido
David C. Page
Peter W. Reddien
Robert A. Weinberg
Jonathan Weissman
Jing-Ke Weng
Yukiko Yamashita
Richard A. Young

Fellows Program
In addition to faculty-led labs, the Whitehead Fellows Program, established in 1984, provides an
opportunity for highly accomplished recent PhDs and MDs to direct their own labs as Principal
Investigators, rather than work in a senior researcher's lab as a traditional postdoctoral researcher.[20]
Fellows receive dedicated lab space and funds for equipment, lab operations, salary, and core staffing.[21]
More than a dozen similar programs have since been established around the country, including those at
the University of California/San Francisco, Carnegie Institution, and Cold Spring Harbor
Laboratory.[22][23]

Past Whitehead Fellows include George Q. Daley, Dean of Harvard Medical School;[24] Angelika Amon,
the late MIT professor and cancer researcher;[25] Kathleen Rubins, NASA astronaut and space
biologist;[26] and Stanford University professor Peter S. Kim, who is former President of Merck Research
Laboratories.[27] Current Whitehead Fellows include Lindsey Backman, who studies the human
microbiome; Tobiloba Oni, who studies pancreatic cancer; and Kipp Weiskopf, who studies activation of
myeloid cells in tumors to treat cancer.[28]

See also
Broad Institute
Salk Institute
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

References
1. As of June 30, 2020. U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2020 Endowment
Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY19 to FY20 (https://www.nac
ubo.org/-/media/Documents/Research/2020-NTSE-Public-Tables--Endowment-Market-Value
s--FINAL-FEBRUARY-19-2021.ashx) (Report). National Association of College and
University Business Officers and TIAA. February 19, 2021. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
2. Teltsch, Kathleen (February 4, 1992). "Edwin C. Whitehead, 72, Dies; Financed Biomedical
Research" (https://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/04/nyregion/edwin-c-whitehead-72-dies-finan
ced-biomedical-research.html). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331 (https://search.world
cat.org/issn/0362-4331). Retrieved January 31, 2023.
3. "Whitehead Institute – History" (http://wi.mit.edu/about/history). wi.mit.edu. Retrieved
February 22, 2019.
4. "About Us" (http://wi.mit.edu/about). Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research. Retrieved
July 3, 2018.
5. "Whitehead Institute – History – Pioneering Vision" (http://wi.mit.edu/about/history/vision).
wi.mit.edu. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
6. Harvey F. Lodish (https://biology.mit.edu/profile/harvey-f-lodish/)
7. The Deadly Side of Cancer: How Cancer Spreads with Robert Weinberg (https://www.dfhcc.
harvard.edu/events/detail/event/the-deadly-side-of-cancer-how-cancer-spreads-with-robert-
weinberg-1/)
8. Biotechnology, National Research Council (US) Committee on Research Standards and
Practices to Prevent the Destructive Application of (2004). "Biographical Sketches of
Committee Members" (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK222050/). National
Academies Press (US). {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
9. Founders (http://wi.mit.edu/about/history/founders)
10. Kumar, Seema (July 12, 2000). "Whitehead scientists enjoy genome sequence milestone"
(https://news.mit.edu/2000/whitehead-0712). Whitehead Institute. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
11. "Best Places to Work Postdocs 2013" (http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/
34849/title/Best-Places-to-Work-Postdocs-2013/). The Scientist.
12. "Whitehead Institute – News – 2005 – Knockout punch: the promise of RNAi" (http://wi.mit.e
du/news/archive/2005/knockout-punch-promise-rnai). wi.mit.edu. June 25, 2005. Retrieved
February 22, 2019.
13. Lodish HF (2017). "Fifty years of mentoring and advising" (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pm
c/articles/PMC5662247). Mol Biol Cell. 28 (22): 2908–2910. doi:10.1091/mbc.E17-07-0481
(https://doi.org/10.1091%2Fmbc.E17-07-0481). PMC 5662247 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.go
v/pmc/articles/PMC5662247). PMID 29084906 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29084906).
14. "Management Team" (https://www.ironwoodpharma.com/management-team).
www.ironwoodpharma.com. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
15. Orcutt, Mike. "Startup Says Engineered Blood Cells Can Deliver Drugs to the Body" (https://
www.technologyreview.com/s/544281/turning-red-blood-cells-into-versatile-drug-carriers/).
MIT Technology Review. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
16. "Xconomy: Verastem, Founded by MIT Big Names, Raises $16M to Fight Cancer Stem
Cells" (https://xconomy.com/boston/2010/11/16/verastem-led-by-mit-big-names-raises-16m-
to-fight-cancer-stem-cells/). Xconomy. November 16, 2010. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
17. As of June 30, 2019. "U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year (FY) 2019
Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY 2018 to FY
2019" (https://www.nacubo.org/-/media/Nacubo/Documents/EndowmentFiles/2019-NTSE-E
ndowment-Market-Values--FINAL-January-30-2020.ashx). National Association of College
and University Business Officers and TIAA. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
18. "Whitehead Institute of MIT" (https://wi.mit.edu/people).
19. "Whitehead Institute – Faculty – Ankur Jain" (http://wi.mit.edu/people/faculty/jain).
wi.mit.edu. May 31, 2017. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
20. "Gale - Product Login" (https://galeapps.gale.com/apps/auth?userGroupName=mlin_oweb&
sid=googleScholar&da=true&origURL=https%3A%2F%2Fgo.gale.com%2Fps%2Fi.do%3Fi
d%3DGALE%257CA12180865%26sid%3DgoogleScholar%26v%3D2.1%26it%3Dr%26linka
ccess%3Dabs%26issn%3D00368075%26p%3DHRCA%26sw%3Dw%26userGroupName%
3Dmlin_oweb%26isGeoAuthType%3Dtrue&prodId=HRCA). galeapps.gale.com. Retrieved
February 1, 2023.
21. "Whitehead Institute of MIT" (https://wi.mit.edu/whitehead-fellows-program). Whitehead
Institute of MIT. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
22. "About the Program" (https://fellows.ucsf.edu/about-program). Sandler Fellows Program.
Retrieved February 1, 2023.
23. "Other Programs" (https://fellows.ucsf.edu/other-programs-0). Sandler Fellows Program.
Retrieved February 1, 2023.
24. "George Q. Daley" (https://hms.harvard.edu/faculty-staff/george-q-daley). hms.harvard.edu.
Retrieved February 1, 2023.
25. "Angelika Amon, cell biologist who pioneered research on chromosome imbalance, dies at
53" (https://news.mit.edu/2020/angelika-amon-cell-biologist-pioneer-chromosome-imbalance
-dies-53-1030). MIT News | Massachusetts Institute of Technology. October 30, 2020.
Retrieved February 1, 2023.
26. Whiting, Melanie (February 21, 2016). "Kathleen "Kate" Rubins (PH.D.) NASA Astronaut" (ht
tps://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/kathleen-rubins/biography). NASA. Retrieved
February 1, 2023.
27. "CAP Profile" (https://med.stanford.edu/profiles/peterkim). CAP Profiles (in Samoan).
Retrieved February 1, 2023.
28. "Whitehead Institute of MIT" (https://wi.mit.edu/whitehead-fellows-program). Whitehead
Institute of MIT. Retrieved February 1, 2023.

External links
Whitehead Institute (http://www.wi.mit.edu/)

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