During his Class Day remarks earlier this year, Harvard Medical School Dean George Q. Daley made a promise to the newly minted MDs and DMDs gathered on the HMS Quad: "Harvard Medical School will always seek the truth, veritas - it is our motto."
- By RANDY FOX
Now, the School is underscoring that commitment in both words and bricks and mortar. In recognition of new philanthropic support for its highest priorities, HMS is renaming the New Research Building (NRB) as the Veritas Science Center (VSC).
"I'm enormously grateful for the opportunity to infuse our scientific community with essential support," said Daley.
Since its opening in 2003, the newly christened VSC has fostered innovative biomedical research, embodying one of the School's top priorities. Clad in glass and spanning 525,000 square feet, it is among the largest buildings at Harvard University.
The VSC is a vibrant hub and the heart of the HMS campus in Boston's Longwood Medical Area, featuring spaces for collaboration, socializing, and special events, including an amphitheater that seats nearly 500. Of the 11 basic and social science departments in the Blavatnik Institute at HMS, three - genetics, immunology, and microbiology - call the VSC home.
"Philanthropy propels our basic science research - the kind that has historically led to transformative medical advances, such as cancer immunotherapies, drugs for diabetes and obesity, and curative gene therapies," Daley said.
Among the VSC's nearly 1,000 researchers is Arlene Sharpe, the Kolokotrones University Professor at HMS and chair of the Department of Immunology. She described the VSC's vibrant, collaborative environment: "Every day you can feel the energy that comes from scientists across disciplines working together and sharing ideas. The proximity of so many talented colleagues sparks creative collaborations and accelerates the pace of discovery."
Sharpe's lab helped uncover the maneuvers that tumors use to evade detection and destruction by the immune system. for a class of cancer immunotherapies known as immune checkpoint inhibitors - drugs that have transformed cancer care by enhancing the immune system's ability to fight tumors. These therapies have now been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for more than 25 forms of cancer.
Remarkable advances like this are a hallmark of research taking place across the VSC. In 2025 alone, notable discoveries have included:
- In the Department of Genetics, Bruce Yankner, professor of genetics and neurology, was senior author of a study published in Nature that brings new hope for Alzheimer's disease. The study shows that lithium is essential for healthy brain function and helps protect against aging and Alzheimer's, but it gets depleted when it binds to toxic amyloid plaques in the brain. The research further showed that a lithium-based compound safely reversed both brain aging and Alzheimer's symptoms in mice.
- In the Department of Immunology, Jun Huh, associate professor of immunology, co-authored two studies in Cell detailing the crosstalk between inflammatory molecules called cytokines and specific brain cells - an interplay that influences mood, anxiety, and some social behaviors. The findings shed light on the role of inflammation in these changes and suggest treatments for anxiety and autism-related disorders that target the immune system rather than the brain directly.
- In the Department of Microbiology, Jonathan Abraham, associate professor of microbiology, and his team published research in Cell showing that single mutations in the spike protein of western equine encephalitis virus can make it harmless or enable it to infect humans and trigger outbreaks. This work could help researchers and public health experts better anticipate the likelihood of future outbreaks.
In addition to helping sustain researchers - including junior faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students, all of whom are particularly vulnerable to recent federal funding cuts - this new philanthropic support will help HMS maintain the world-class facilities these researchers inhabit, ensuring they remain at the forefront of their disciplines.
Because of the flexible nature of the support, HMS leadership can also address unanticipated challenges or fund novel, unexpected discoveries, propelling research forward with the mission of improving health and well-being for all.
Veritas Science Center at a glance
Opened: 2003
Size: 525,000 square feet (plus 200,000-square-foot parking garage with more than 500 spaces)
HMS departments: Genetics, Immunology, Microbiology
Labs and researchers: About 90 labs and 1,000 researchers (including researchers from HMS affiliate Brigham and Women's Hospital)
Other notable features:
- Research core facilities
- Elements Café
- Fitness center
- Courtyard
- Joseph B. Martin Conference Center, featuring a nearly 500-seat amphitheater and a variety of meeting spaces
- 25,000-square-foot vivarium
- Sky lounges for informal collaboration, meetings, social events, poster sessions, and more
- Outdoor plaza area with tables and seating
