Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard

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.

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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.

02/28/2026

What does it mean to be a physician-scientist? For Anna Greka, it means carrying patients’ stories into the lab — and bringing discoveries back to the clinic.

The questions she hears from families shape her research. Each insight builds toward something larger: developing treatments for patients with rare genetic diseases.

02/26/2026

The same genetic variants that heighten the risk of autoimmune hypothyroidism (AIHT) may also lower cancer risk, according to a new study led by scientists at Broad Institute, University of Helsinki, and Mass General Brigham Research.

The new research published in Nature Genetics uncovers more than 400 genetic markers linked to AIHT, the most common autoimmune disorder and one that has been largely understudied. By analyzing over 81,000 cases from FinnGen and the UK Biobank, scientists had the statistical power to separate the genetics of autoimmunity from thyroid function — and that distinction revealed a connection between autoimmunity and cancer.

Researchers pinpoint genetic factors linked to both higher risk of a common autoimmune disorder and lower cancer risk

02/26/2026

Tens of thousands of human genetic loci are associated with health and disease risk, but pinpointing the precise variants behind those associations at scale remains a huge challenge. Using a technique called the massively parallel reporter assay (MPRA), researchers tested the ability of more than 220,000 noncoding genetic variants to influence gene expression in five cell types. They resolved more than 13,000 associations at the single nucleotide level, uncovering mechanisms that help explain relationships with cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, and more.

02/25/2026

Tens of thousands of human genetic loci are associated with health and disease risk, but pinpointing the precise variants behind those associations at scale remains a huge challenge. Using a technique called the massively parallel reporter assay (MPRA), Layla Siraj, Hilary Finucane, Steven Reilly (Yale University), Jacob Ulirsch (Illumina), Ryan Tewhey (The Jackson Laboratory), and team tested the ability of more than 220,000 noncoding genetic variants to influence gene expression in five cell types. They resolved more than 13,000 associations at the single nucleotide level, uncovering mechanisms that help explain relationships with cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, and more.

By rapidly testing hundreds of thousands of DNA sequences, scientists have identified specific genetic variations that contribute to blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and more.

02/25/2026

Rare genetic diseases affect 1 in 10 people in the U.S.—more than 30 million individuals, many of them children. Physician-scientist Anna Greka of the Broad Institute and , works at the intersection of medicine and discovery. By combining clinical insight with scientific investigation, her team is looking for new drug targets for these diseases — laying the groundwork for innovative therapies and potential cures.

02/09/2026

A genetic test from Broad Clinical Labs (BCL) and the US Department of Veterans Affairs is enabling a large, nationwide clinical trial on prostate cancer. Developed by Jason Vassy, Niall Lennon, Tyler Seibert (UCSD), and others, the low-cost test uses BCL’s clinical blended genome-exome method to measure both rare and common genetic risk factors. The trial, led by VA researchers, is enrolling 5,000 veterans nationally to explore whether the test can help men at high risk get diagnosed earlier and help those at low risk avoid unnecessary biopsies.

The low-cost method, from Broad Clinical Labs and VA scientists, could potentially identify men at high risk who may benefit from earlier prostate cancer screening.