Broad Institute

The Broad Institute was founded in 2004 in an unprecedented experiment of interdisciplinary and cross-institutional research. After the international Human Genome Project deciphered the human genetic code, scientists at Harvard and MIT became interested in questions that the Human Genome Project left open-ended. How could this new understanding of the genetic code inform our understanding of disease and in turn influence prevention, diagnosis, and treatment?

Following a decade of informal collaboration between the institutions, a contribution from philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad formally established the Broad Institute. Today, the Institute's 3,000 researchers advance knowledge in areas including cancer, cardiovascular disease, infectious disease, and psychiatry. This research spans biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, and medicine, and the participating institutions share data and findings in an unprecedented fashion.

Additionally, the Broad Institute's community programs engage educators, students, patients, and other members of the public in its efforts to generate knowledge and more deeply understand the connection between human genomics and disease. Through its unique and highly effective model, the Broad Institute works to improve human health and reframe our understanding of how groundbreaking scientific research is done.