The Biology of Adversity Project studies how stress, trauma, and adversity leave 'molecular scars' on the genome and body, ultimately impacting health.

Our Purpose

Our fundamental goal is to help people who experience adversity and its detrimental consequences. As scientists, we seek to understand adversity by using cutting-edge molecular and genomic technologies to uncover how life’s most challenging experiences become biologically embedded.

Decades of epidemiological research have shown that adverse life events have lasting impacts on health. Severe stress activates specific biological pathways in the brain and endocrine system, triggering changes that can influence immune, cognitive and cardiovascular function far into the future. However, many of the ‘molecular scars’ left by adversity remain hidden from both medical and public awareness.

We are working to uncover these 'molecular scars' that disrupt biological responses to stress, influence developmental processes, and lead to altered health outcomes throughout life. 

The Biology of Adversity Project’s research program consists of three interlocking efforts:

1. Biomarker discovery: identifying molecular signatures of adversity, for improved diagnostics and risk stratification

2. Mechanistic research: revealing the fundamental biological processes driving stress-related disorders such as PTSD

3. Therapeutic development: designing evidence-based interventions to prevent or reverse the health consequences of adversity

Learn more about how we are doing this.

Our Community

"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."

We are a multidisciplinary, collaborative community of scientists established in 2025 and based at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. We are dedicated to understanding and addressing the health impacts of severe adversity by harnessing our collective expertise in epidemiology, genomics, artificial intelligence, and computational and organismal biology, from institutions across the Boston area. This collaborative approach allows us to investigate mental health, cardiovascular disease, immunology, and a wide range of other health-related topics.

Meet our Team.

Our Funding

We gratefully acknowledge the generous support of the Treehouse Family Foundation.