Genetics/Epigenetics

HSCI scientists find that signaling defects can influence red blood cell traits The field of genetics has made huge strides over the past couple of decades, from the first sequencing of the human genome to a growing understanding of the machinery that...

Two HSCI researchers will receive the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director's New Innovator Award. Jason Buenrostro, Ph.D. and Ryuji Morizane, M.D., Ph.D. have been recognized for their highly innovative biomedical research that has transformative...

By studying a highly cancer-prone family, scientists have identified a rare, inherited gene mutation that dramatically raises the lifetime risk of pancreatic cancer. The discovery of this previously unknown mutation in the gene RABL3 could lead to routine...

Improved single-cell ATAC-seq method scales up research into how genes are controlled Summary Time-saving method makes it possible to profile gene regulation in tens of thousands of individual human cells in a single day. Approach combines microfluidics...

Biotech company Moderna, co-founded by HSCI scientist Derrick Rossi, is set to bring a new class of treatments to patients. Summary Derrick Rossi’s research into using mRNA as a new kind of therapeutic was initially supported by HSCI seed funding, and...

Clifford Woolf wants to reboot drug discovery to find a new way to treat pain: effectively and responsibly. Woolf’s goal is to stop the opioid crisis by rejecting the conventional approach to drug discovery and developing painkillers that do not harm...

Mario Suva and Ramesh Shivdasani are tackling some of the toughest, meanest cancers to clear a path to better treatments. Suva and Shivdasani are using every approach in their arsenal to figure out what makes cancer cells arise from healthy tissue. Armed...

Chad Cowan is on a quest for the universal donor, which would make cell therapy available to populations – not just individuals. Harvard scientist Chad Cowan aims to make off-the-shelf cellular products, and democratize access to new medicines. His lab is...

HSCI scientists identify a potential target for treating neuropathic pain Why do people with neuropathic pain feel pain from minor touches and other normally harmless stimuli? Setting out to answer this question, Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI)...

Researchers find a new type of lung cell involved in cystic fibrosis By Jessica Lau In cystic fibrosis, mucus builds up in the lungs and leads to breathing difficulties because cells do not properly make the CFTR protein. Although scientists have known...