Dr. Malcolm Whitman

Biography

Malcolm R. Whitman received his undergraduate degree in Biology from Yale College and his PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Harvard University. He is a Professor at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine and an affiliate member of the Department of Cell Biology at Harvard Medical School. Whitman is actively involved in the BBS Graduate Program and is affiliated with the Harvard Stem Cell Institute and the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center’s Cancer Cell Biology Program. He is also a member of the executive committee of the Harvard Developmental Regenerative Biology Program. As an independent investigator, his research focuses on signaling pathways that control tissue specification and remodeling during normal embryogenesis and disease pathogenesis. His lab has identified the Smad-interacting transcription factor FAST-1, demonstrating its central role in regulating early developmental patterning by TGFß ligands. His recent work has established the mechanism of action of the small molecule halofuginone as a therapeutic agent for treating pathological tissue remodeling associated with chronic inflammation and fibrosis. Additionally, his lab has discovered a secreted tyrosine kinase, VLK, introducing a new mechanism for regulating matrix remodeling, a major area of interest in his research. Whitman's work primarily aims to understand the basic molecular mechanisms that regulate tissue remodeling and to apply this knowledge towards developing new treatments for autoimmune disorders, fibrosis, and arthritis.

Research Interests

Experience