Seeding the next generation of biomedical visionaries.

Whether it's bringing single-cell technologies to tackle HIV or launching a breast cancer research initiative, BroadIgnite supports the ideas that lead to biomedical breakthroughs.
New Award Recipients
Alicia Martin: Psychiatric Disease

About 80 percent of the DNA used in genetic studies comes from people of European descent—which means we’re missing critical information for most of the world’s diverse populations. Alicia wants to remedy this to ensure disease discoveries benefit other populations as well. Learn more about Alicia's project here
Miguel Reyes: Biological Engineering 

Miguel is searching for clues to Covid-19’s severity by examining its similarities to sepsis—a potentially deadly response to infection that also ranges from mild to severe in patients. Click here to learn more about Miguel's project.
Shira Weingarten-Gabbay: Infectious Disease 

Shira is looking beyond antibodies for clues to lasting protection from Covid-19. She’s zeroing in on T cells, which target and destroy pathogen-infected cells. Learn more about Shira's project here.
Project Update
Susan Klaeger - Cancer Therapeutics

Susan Klaeger, a 2019 recipient, recently demonstrated how a promising tool may improve the development of personalized cancer vaccines. The device can identify rogue molecules on the surface of tumor cells—known as neoantigens—directly from a biopsy sample, allowing researchers to pinpoint potential targets for vaccines. Read more about the tool—and how it’s also aiding the search for new Covid-19 treatments—here.
Broad's COVID-19 Efforts
Our community has so much to be proud of in the ongoing fight against Covid-19. Below are some highlights of the Broad’s recent efforts:

  • As of April 2021, the Broad’s Covid-19 diagnostic lab, which runs ~100,000 tests per day, had processed more than 18 million tests. In addition, the Broad has begun processing pooled Covid-19 tests from students and staff at Massachusetts K-12 schools. 
  • In partnership with the CDC, a team at the Broad has launched a large-scale viral sequencing effort to monitor variants of concern—such as those first detected in the U.K., Brazil, and South Africa—and potentially identify new ones. The effort recently alerted public health officials to a large cluster of the P.1 variant in Massachusetts following an outbreak on Cape Cod. 
  • We’ve also teamed up with Brigham and Women's Hospital to launch TestBoston, a direct-to-patient program facilitating at-home viral and antibody testing for more than 10,000 people in the greater Boston area. 
  • Broad scientists recently reflected on the one-year mark of the pandemic, and the lessons learned, both in the clinic and lab, which you can watch a video of here
Save the Date: Thursday, June 10
Please join us for a special virtual event on Thursday, June 10, from 4:00 – 5:00 p.m., to hear from Todd Golub, director of the Broad; Anne Carpenter, BroadIgnite Committee Member; and recent award recipients Kiran Garimella and Alicia Martin. Stay tuned for a formal invitation! 
News and Updates
We mourn the loss of Eli Broad renowned entrepreneur, visionary philanthropist, and founder of the Broad Institute, who died on April 30, 2021. Read personal tributes from Eric Lander, Todd Golub, and a feature on Eli Broad’s impact on biomedicine in The Boston Globe
Eric Schmidt, former CEO and chair of Google, was recently appointed incoming Chair of the Broad’s Board of Directors
Eric Lander, founding director of the Broad, underwent a Senate confirmation hearing on April 29 to become the next director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Read about his history-making nomination in The New York Times
Todd Golub spoke with The Boston Globe about his vision as Broad's new director. 
Bronwyn MacInnis, member of the BroadIgnite leadership committee, spoke with the Washington Post about the Covid-19 surge in India
Roby Bhattacharya, 2016 BroadIgnite awardee, commented on the impact of Covid-19 vaccines in Science
Jacob Lemieux of the 2020 BroadIgnite cohort discussed his lab’s efforts to track new Covid-19 variants on WBUR
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Contact
Abby Kussell Hopper
abbyhopp@broadinstitute.org