Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

10/30/2025

"Fruit flies have a lot of fun gene names. Some of my favorites are Asterix and Obelix, which are named after a French comic book, because I have childhood associations with them," postdoc Julia Wucherpfennig says. https://wi.mit.edu/news/meet-whitehead-postdoc-julia-wucherpfennig

Julia Wucherpfennig is a postdoc in Whitehead Institute Member and director Ruth Lehmann’s lab studying the relationship between Wolbachia bacteria, which infect many insects around the world, and their insect hosts. We sat down with Julia to learn more about her and her experiences in and out of ...

10/16/2025

Pawfessor Jake reporting for duty!

Alumni, grab your own pet bandana by joining our alumni LinkedIn group: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12483719/

10/07/2025

Most cells in our body live and die. But the germline, the cells that produce eggs and s***m, must carry on forever. Our first story follows a string of discoveries made in the Yamash*ta lab that tease apart how the germline remains immortal. https://wi.mit.edu/news/one-labs-detective-work-reveals-secrets-our-immortal-cells

10/03/2025

Attention Whitehead alumni — please join us for an informal evening of connection and conversation during the ASHG meeting on October 16. For details and to RSVP, please contact [email protected] or join our Postdoc and Alumni group on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12483719/. (Photos are from our alumni event last month!)

10/01/2025

Next Tuesday our director Ruth Lehmann joins Gina McCarthy, former White House National Climate Advisor and EPA Administrator, for a conversation about science, policy and public trust. RSVP: https://www.eventzilla.net/e/science-trust-and-the-future-of-our-planet-2138685271

09/30/2025

Julia Wucherpfennig studies Wolbachia — a bacteria that lives inside about half of all insects, generally without harming them. The research has real-world implications for pest control. Read our latest postdoc Q&A: https://wi.mit.edu/news/meet-whitehead-postdoc-julia-wucherpfennig

09/23/2025

Join Whitehead Institute President and Director Ruth Lehmann and Gina McCarthy, former White House National Climate Advisor and United States Environmental Protection Agency Administrator, for a conversation about the role of science in informing sound policy, earning public trust, and providing the knowledge needed to protect the well-being of people and our planet. https://www.eventzilla.net/e/science-trust-and-the-future-of-our-planet-2138685271

09/19/2025

The Cambridge Science Carnival is happening this Sunday, September 21. Visit Whitehead Institute's booth to do a fun art project that introduces the basics of micropipetting. Hope to see you there! cambridgesciencecarnival.org

09/18/2025

"I'm working with a legume called pigeon pea, an underutilized crop that has received less attention than globally utilized crops...My project is trying to increase the genetic diversity of pigeon pea," postdoc Sonia Boor says. https://wi.mit.edu/news/meet-whitehead-postdoc-sonia-boor

09/09/2025

Whitehead Institute's Scientific Webinar Series is back! Tune in September 16th to hear AI Fellow Na Sun speak about her work using deep learning to understand how tissues are reorganized in states of disease. https://www.eventzilla.net/e/uncovering-how-tissues-rewire-in-disease-using-deep-learning-2138654220

08/13/2025

Here, the parasite Toxoplasma gondii undergoes cell division. Micronemes, packages of molecules that allow the parasite to invade new cells, are labeled in blue.

Explore our on infectious disease research: https://wi.mit.edu/series/contagious-collection-infectious-disease-research