Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard

The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard is a biomedical and genomic research center in Kendall Square that aims to transform medicine with genomic knowledge. Its mission is to catalogue biology at the molecular level, identify the specific changes that lead to human disease, and find new ways to correct them. Scientists from MIT, Harvard and the Harvard-affiliated hospitals work there together across institutional and disciplinary lines.

The institute was launched in 2004 with philanthropic support from Eli and Edythe Broad, with Eric Lander as founding director, growing out of earlier genome research at MIT’s Whitehead Institute. It is known for large-scale genome sequencing and for major contributions to CRISPR gene-editing technology. Its research teams are backed by extensive technology platforms in sequencing, chemical biology and data science, covering areas such as cancer, infectious disease and psychiatric disorders.

What to Know

• Todd Golub has served as the institute’s director since 2021.
• The Broad is a nonprofit research organization.
• It is a member of the Kendall Square Association.