Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard

04/25/2026

Did you know? Today is ! Broad is proud to advance genomic sequencing - helping turn biological samples into insights that can drive earlier detection, more precise care, and better outcomes for patients everywhere.

04/22/2026

A new drug candidate designed to slow the progression of prion disease is entering a phase 1 clinical trial. The trial, led by Eric Minikel, codirector of Broad’s Prion Therapeutic Science program, will evaluate a divalent small interfering RNA (siRNA) drug candidate for safety and tolerability.

It’s the first time the potential treatment, a small interfering RNA targeting the prion protein, is being tested in humans.

04/14/2026

Scientists corrected a genetic mutation that causes a rare, life-threatening condition called Zellweger spectrum disorder, in a mouse model of the disease. The study points toward an optimal base editor enzyme, said author David Liu, that restored liver and peroxisome function. Early results of the study were so compelling that they spurred Liu to recommend using the same DNA-converting enzyme in KJ Muldoon’s personalized gene editing treatment, which made history in 2025.

The base editing enzyme used in this study is the same one that fixed Baby KJ Muldoon’s disease-causing mutation and saved his life in 2025.

04/09/2026

Leukemia is adept at dodging the immune system, making it resistant to many of the newest generation of cancer immunotherapies. Now Jooho Chung, Mounica Vallurupalli, Todd Golub, Rob Manguso, and colleagues have found a new way that this and possibly other cancers hide from immune cells: leukemia cells have a protein called CD43 on their surface that is coated so heavily in sugar molecules that it forms a physical barrier, shielding the cells from immune attack. CD43 could be a potential target for new cancer immunotherapies.

Targeting this protein, called CD43, could offer a new path to treatment for leukemia and other cancers.

03/31/2026

Researchers including Jess Ewald, Anne Carpenter, and Shantanu Singh show how Cell Painting, an AI-powered, image-based cell profiling method, can potentially detect toxic effects of drug candidates and chemicals faster, more cheaply, and in greater detail than traditional approaches.

By analyzing hundreds of subtle changes in human cells from a single experiment, this method provides deeper insight into how and why compounds may cause harm—not just whether they do. Faster, scalable detection of drug toxicity could mean fewer clinical trial failures, better drug design, less animal testing, and the ability to test thousands of under-studied chemicals.

broad.io/CP-DrugSafety

03/26/2026

The mosquito Anopheles darlingi is the most important vector of malaria in Latin America, but its genetic diversity, demographics, and evolutionary patterns — crucial information for guiding control programs and monitoring the emergence and spread of insecticide resistance — have not been deeply explored. A team led by Jacob Tennessen and Daniel E. Neafsey has now conducted a whole genome analysis of 1,094 A. darlingi collected from six countries in South America. Their findings reveal a deep population genetic structure, significant genetic diversity among and within populations, and signals of selection likely driven by insecticide use.

Sequencing of complete genomes of Anopheles darlingi mosquitoes in the Americas finds resistance may make them harder to kill.

03/26/2026

Celebrate DNA Day with the Broad Discovery Center at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard! We'll have drop-in DNA activities throughout the day for all ages, and public 30 minute tours at 1 pm and 3 pm.

Make a day of it, and check out the MIT Museum's DNA program, just a block away! You can even earn some swag by competing in our joint scavenger hunt. DNA Day activities are included with your MIT Museum admission, and free at the Broad Discovery Center.

03/25/2026

Chronic gut inflammation leaves behind “molecular scars” that may raise the risk for developing cancer, according to a new animal study by scientists at the Broad Institute and Harvard University. Led by Jason Buenrostro and Surya Nagaraja, the team showed that chronic inflammation leaves lasting epigenetic marks on intestinal cells in mice that persist through generations of cell division, even after the tissue appears fully healed. The epigenetic memory is part of a “one-two punch” that, along with a cancer-promoting mutation, can accelerate tumor growth. The work helps explain how inflammation raises risk for cancer, potentially opening the door to new diagnostic and therapeutic possibilities, and may shed light on what’s behind the dramatic rise in colorectal cancer among younger people in recent decades.

A study in mice suggests that even intestinal cells that appear healthy may hold epigenetic “memories” of earlier bouts of inflammation that can promote colon cancer later in life.

03/12/2026

The Stanley Family Foundation has renewed its commitment to accelerate psychiatric research at the Broad Institute, bringing its total investment to more than $1 billion. This funding, including their newest commitment of $280 million to the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, has galvanized the field of psychiatric genetics and schizophrenia/bipolar disorder research, opening up new paths to urgently needed therapies.

broad.io/SC-News

03/05/2026

Scientists have long sought to find ways to convert white fat in the body, which stores energy, into brown fat, which burns energy, as a way to treat obesity and metabolic diseases like diabetes. Now a new study from Broad and researchers has found four gut bacterial strains that do that in mice.

The team discovered that certain gut microbes can help flip this metabolic switch, turning energy-storing fat into energy-burning fat in mice and revealing a new link between the gut microbiome, diet, and how the body uses energy.

03/04/2026

Scientists have long sought to find ways to convert white fat in the body, which stores energy, into brown fat, which burns energy, as a way to treat obesity and metabolic disease like diabetes. Now a new study from Broad and Keio University researchers has found four gut bacterial strains that do that in mice.

Study reveals how the gut microbiome and diet work together to transform white fat cells into energy-burning beige fat in mice.

03/02/2026

An initiative aimed at improving medical care and addressing chronic disease is now underway in Alabama. Catalyst by Southern Research, a precision medicine program led by the Alabama nonprofit Southern Research in collaboration with Broad Clinical Labs and MyOme, Inc., offers free, clinical-grade genetic testing to adult residents across the state.

This public health initiative provides Alabama residents with personalized information about their risk for inherited health conditions and certain chronic diseases. One of Catalyst’s goals is to close healthcare gaps observed across the state by improving access to these important health insights — particularly in rural areas — to empower patients and their doctors to make more informed, proactive healthcare decisions.

Led by Southern Research, MyOme, and Broad Clinical Labs, the program provides participants with personalized health insights, enabling more informed and proactive healthcare decisions.