The Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

What is it famous for? The Whitehead Institute is probably one of those places that's famous for being famous. But that's not to say it doesn't deserve its reputation. Despite its relatively small staff — only 15 scientists are on the faculty — the Whitehead has a publication record that puts it among the top research institutions in genetics and molecular biology. What's its focus? Work there spans quite a broad range, from developing mouse models for human cancers and pursuing new strategies for blocking HIV infection to mapping the Y chromosome and even generating enzymatic RNAs that might reflect the catalytic talents of our earliest ancestors. The Whitehead/MIT Center for Genome Research (said to be housed in a former popcorn and beer warehouse) is the largest federally funded player in the US part of the Human Genome Project. Researchers at the Whitehead have led the charge in constructing maps of the human and mouse genomes, and have made a significant contribution to the sequencing of the human genome. When was it established? In the early 1980s, businessman and philanthropist Jack Whitehead sold his medical instrumentation company and found himself with a good chunk of change in his pocket and a desire to establish a new kind of research institution. Whitehead shopped around until Nobel laureate David Baltimore, then at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, convinced him to set up a research institute that would be independently funded but affiliated with MIT's highly respected biology department. Whitehead donated $35 million to build and equip the institute and $100 million to an endowment fund — one of the largest gifts ever given in the US. When the Whitehead opened in 1982, Baltimore assumed the role of director. All members of the Whitehead faculty still retain their appointments with MIT. How is it funded? The Whitehead's annual operating budget runs to $99 million. Of this, about $88 million is sponsored support, including from the Federal government; another $9 million comes from the institute's endowment funds. The large infusions of private money help give Whitehead researchers the freedom to be innovative, to create new technologies and explore novel research agendas that may not yet be ripe for federal funding. And when it comes to securing these generous donations, everyone does their share. The floors gleam and rumor has it that the researchers don ties whenever wallets walk through the Whitehead. What is it …