Infectious Disease
Infectious diseases exact a terrible human toll. An estimated 247 million people contract malaria each year, while about a third of the world’s population is infected with tuberculosis. And none of us are immune. Modern-day air travel and globalization have lowered the barriers for the spread of diseases such as multidrug resistant tuberculosis.
The Broad Institute is deeply committed to improving the lives of the hundreds of millions who suffer from these diseases in the developing world. We are dedicated to using the most advanced tools in genomics and biomedicine—and taking the same comprehensive, systematic approach as we do in other areas—to combat global epidemics.
Currently, our Infectious Disease Program is devoted to tackling the underlying biology of malaria, tuberculosis, cholera, and the Ebola virus, and developing powerful new weapons—laboratory tools, rapid diagnostics, and promising drug leads against these deadly diseases. To further accelerate progress against infectious diseases, Broad scientists collaborate closely with scientific partners in developing countries to share ideas, launch projects, and tackle key challenges together.
We are seeking philanthropic partners in the following ongoing projects:
Understanding the factors that influence patient outcomes and how infectious diseases evolve and spread.
Developing more sensitive and rapid methods for diagnosing disease and characterizing infection to guide treatment.
Creating new approaches to developing therapeutics, with a focus on emerging drug resistant strains of tuberculosis and other bacterial infections.