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Here at the Broad Institute, our mission is to identify the root causes of human disease and close the gap between emerging scientific insights and the development of treatments. We have built a community of investigators focused on addressing major challenges in biomedicine by uniting world-leading hospitals and academic institutions.

The Broad leads major scientific projects and openly shares data and tools to accelerate scientific progress. Hear from some of our researchers about how our work is helping to improve human health.

Scientists at the Broad Institute are doing research that benefits patients. Learn how we are developing new technologies that are already curing disease and how we’re working to expand access to these innovative approaches.

A Broad team has developed an innovative technology that can follow individual molecules in a cell for long periods of time and applied it to observe a set of cancer-related proteins in a way not possible before. Members of Sam Peng’s lab applied highly stable probes known as upconverting nanoparticles, which are dosed with rare-earth ions, to track EGFR, HER2, and HER3 in living human cells over time, watching as they partner up, let go, and move around the cell to find new partners. They observed new and surprising patterns of pairing among the receptors, and the findings help explain how cancer-related mutations contribute to disease by altering these dynamics. The work shows the method’s potential for investigating other receptors and molecules and for improved drug screening to better understand the effects of therapeutics on living cells.

“With our photostable probes, we can map out the entire lifespan of these molecules in their native environment and see things that have never been observable before,” said Peng.

Link in bio to learn more.

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Video description: A video created using the Peng lab's single-molecule tracking technology, which allowed them to track individual EGFR, HER2, and HER3 receptors (in green, pink, and blue, respectively) as they moved across the surface of a living cell.

Did you know? Today is #DNADay! 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.

#DNA #Science #Genetics

Finding the right “key” for a biological “lock” takes months of trial and error, but the Rapid Automated Binder Identification Technology (RABIT) platform, developed by the Center for Development of Therapeutics (CDoT) at the Broad Institute, has found a way to speed up the process. The RABIT platform combines high tech automation and chemical biology to test billions of potential binders to specific disease targets with incredible precision, without the need for living cells. Using these automated robots to do the heavy lifting empowers scientists to drive faster and more cost-effective initiatives for next generation therapeutics.

Musica Lata, Broad’s chamber music group, showcases the musical talents of Broadies and affiliates. Here, with their largest ensemble yet, they perform the symphonic works of Joseph Haydn, highlighted by the spirited, syncopated finale of his “Symphony No. 80 in D.”

Through the Biology of Adversity project, core institute member Jason Buenrostro and colleagues are studying how stress affects the entire body at a molecular and cellular level. Hear about the interdisciplinary approach Jason takes in his research, integrating AI and other technologies with biological research.

Physician scientist Anna Greka, a core institute member at the Broad Institute, is on a mission to find and cure genetic diseases that collectively impact millions of people in the U.S. Shared drug targets, called “nodes,” underlie many of these genetic disorders. Hear from her on how targeting these nodes unlocks the potential to treat multiple genetic diseases with the same drug, and how her patients motivate her every day.

Researchers 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.

Learn more in a Broad news story. Link in bio.

Studying individual cells used to be a slow, expensive process that limited researchers to analyzing just a few samples at a time. Then Evan Macosko and other scientists at the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research developed a breakthrough technology called Drop-seq that helped transform the field by allowing scientists to measure gene expression across tens of thousands of single cells simultaneously and at a much lower cost.

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From recess to research — meet the Broadies turning curiosity into discovery! #ThisIsWho

From recess to research — meet the Broadies turning curiosity into discovery! #ThisIsWho

From recess to research — meet the Broadies turning curiosity into discovery! #ThisIsWho

From recess to research — meet the Broadies turning curiosity into discovery! #ThisIsWho

From recess to research — meet the Broadies turning curiosity into discovery! #ThisIsWho

From recess to research — meet the Broadies turning curiosity into discovery! #ThisIsWho