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Department of Molecular Metabolism

Researching the complex interplay between genetics, environment, and metabolic processes at the molecular level to understand how deviations can lead to widespread non-communicable diseases.

Location

665 Huntington Avenue 
Building 2, 1st Floor

The Department of Molecular Metabolism (MET) at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health is an interdisciplinary life sciences department with world-renowned research and training programs.

Metabolism and metabolic dysfunction at the cellular and systemic level underlie human health and disease. MET faculty lead research teams that are unraveling the molecular mechanisms through which metabolic processes are controlled and coordinated with other physiological activities and uncovering how defects in these control mechanisms contribute to the most widespread public health threats, including cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes, inflammatory diseases, neurological disorders, and cancer.

Due to dietary and environmental factors and an aging population, these diseases of metabolism are increasing in prevalence and severity and account globally for the majority of human morbidity and death. It is the central role of metabolism in human health and disease that drives the diverse and impactful research questions that MET is tackling.

Welcome from the Chair

Elucidating how we sense and respond to nutrients and other environmental factors to properly control metabolic processes is pivotal to defining how the risk factors revealed through epidemiological studies contribute to the onset or course of human diseases.

Brendan Manning, PhD
Chair of Department of Molecular Metabolism

The expanding Molecular Metabolism network

At the forefront of interdisciplinary research, the MET department is dedicated to addressing critical issues in metabolism and its impact on health and disease. Our labs employ cutting-edge approaches to unravel the complexities of metabolic processes.

Our teams foster a vibrant research community engaged in numerous collaborative projects. By strengthening ties with other Harvard departments, such as Nutrition and Environmental Health, the Department of Molecular Metabolism enhances its expertise and broadens its impact.

As a central hub for metabolism research and training at Harvard, the Department of Molecular Metabolism actively promotes cross-disciplinary collaborations and discussions, driving innovation and advancing our understanding of metabolism in human health.

A Brief History

The Department of Genetics and Complex Diseases (GCD) was started in 2003 by Dean Barry Bloom, Department of Nutrition Chair Walter Willet, and Professor Gokhan Hotamisligil as a new life sciences department dedicated to expanding the research scope and expertise of Harvard Chan School. One core goal: Defining the causal mechanisms of global health threats, including the most common non-communicable diseases.

During the first decade of GCD, it became evident that nutrient sensing and metabolism were the mechanistic threads that bound such diseases together—and increasingly, they became the threads that bound the individual GCD labs together. This recognition coincided with national and international transformations in both basic- and disease-focused biological research to emphasize metabolic function and dysfunction as being key to human health and disease, leading to the emergence of entire new fields, including cancer metabolism, immunometabolism, and integrated physiology.

Thanks to the foresight of Drs. Bloom, Willet, and Hotamisligil, GCD was well ahead of peer departments in this revolution and remains a leader in cutting-edge, metabolism-based research worldwide. In 2019, with a vote of the faculty, the name of GCD was changed to Molecular Metabolism (MET) to better reflect the department’s shared focus and the mission that makes it unique at Harvard.

Degree Program

The Biological Sciences in Public Health (BPH) PhD program plays a crucial role in our department by cultivating the next generation of researchers in metabolic and molecular health. Through this program, students engage in interdisciplinary research that addresses critical public health challenges, benefiting from our collaborative network and cutting-edge resources.