Whitehead Researchers

Scientists at Whitehead believe they must understand the basic genetic programs of stem cells before rational strategies for their medical application can be designed. They are working with adult and embryonic stem cells to build a foundation for future therapies.

Embryonic stem cell studies

Whitehead Member Rudolf Jaenisch is investigating methods for turning a mature cell into an embryonic stem cell without using an egg. (If such a goal were achieved, the entire stem cell controversy would be moot.) He has also demonstrated a way to generate stem cells without destroying a viable embryo in the process, a procedure termed “altered nuclear transfer.”

Whitehead Member Richard Young is exploring the mechanisms that control an embryonic stem cell’s genome by using a genome-wide analysis technology he originally developed for yeast cells.

Adult stem cell studies

Whitehead Members Harvey Lodish and Robert Weinberg, and Fellow Fernando Carmargo, are involved in adult stem cell research. Lodish is looking at ways that adult stem cells can be multiplied in the lab (something that is necessary to make them more useful in therapy). Weinberg is investigating ways to identify a special subset of adult stem cells that are unique to tumors. Camargo is investigating which genes are essential for adult stem cells, in particular stem cells taken from blood.

Regeneration research

Whitehead Member Peter Reddien studies stem cells in the planarian flatworm, an organism with a dramatic ability to regenerate itself. Since many of the genes in the planarian are also found in higher organisms, including humans, this work will yield broadly applicable insights into how stem cells regenerate tissue.