Laying foundations for the future

An interview with Terrance McGuire, member of the Whitehead Institute Board of Directors and a leader in early-stage investing.

As a venture capital leader, Terrance (Terry) McGuire has spent his career advancing breakthroughs in medicine and information technology. Recognized as one of Forbes’ Top Life Sciences Investors and included in Scientific American’s Worldview 100, he has long been committed to turning transformative ideas into real-world solutions.

In 2022, McGuire joined the Whitehead Institute Board of Directors. And this year, through the McGuire Family Foundation, he and his wife, Carolyn Carr McGuire, made a $100,000 gift to support Whitehead Valhalla Fellow Aditya Raguram’s lab.

Raguram and his team are developing novel methods to deliver large genome-editing proteins into cells—an approach that could power the next-generation of therapies capable of silencing or correcting disease-causing genes. We sat down with Terry to learn more about what inspired the family’s support.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Whitehead Institute: How has your relationship with Whitehead Institute evolved over the years, and what motivated you to join its board?

Terry McGuire: My first exposure to Whitehead Institute was about 20 years ago, when I began investing in life science companies in the Boston area. I had the privilege of connecting with Gerry Fink [Whitehead Institute Former Director and Founding Member], as well as Peter Hecht, Brian Calle, and Todd Milne, who were postdocs in Gerry’s lab. They were bringing their research out of Whitehead Institute and launching pharmaceutical companies. And, as remarkable scientists, they were continuing to make tremendous contributions to the Institute.

Over the years, I’ve come to know several members of the Whitehead Institute board, and really come to admire the Institute’s reputation as a world-class center for basic biology research with a mission to have a meaningful impact on the scientific understanding of health and disease. So, when I was approached about three years ago to join its board, it felt like a real privilege.

WI: Were there aspects unique to Whitehead Institute—its culture or approach to science—that influenced your family’s philanthropic decision-making?

TM: Whitehead Institute has a remarkable concentration of talent—people often don’t realize that National Academy members, National Medicine of Science members, and Pew Scholars are just down the hall from one another at the Institute. This kind of proximity among world-class scientists leads to interactions that generate energy. This environment extends more broadly to the city of Cambridge and Boston, which makes them a unique place for life sciences research and translation. But what I see as truly valuable about Whitehead Institute’s culture is intentionally cultivating this extraordinary community and embracing a true team-based approach to science.

Another aspect that makes Whitehead Institute unique is its commitment to curiosity-driven research: allowing scientists to follow their nose and see where it takes them, as opposed to a mandate to solve a predefined problem. While there’s certainly room in science for goal-directed research, I believe novelty emerges from having an open agenda—by not expecting it, but allowing it to present itself to you.

WI: What resonates with you about the Raguram Lab’s work and their long-term vision?

TM: When I was in school in the ’70s and ’80s, biotechnology was just beginning to blossom, and I became passionate about its impact on society. That passion ultimately led me to venture capital—it was a way to leverage expertise and resources to help bring ideas to life, not just one at a time, but many.

The Raguram Lab’s work resonates with me because they bring together two essential elements: a strong foundation in basic biology research and a clear commitment to translating that research into real-world therapies. I’ve invested in companies developing ways to deliver genome-editing proteins into cells over the years so it’s an area I’m familiar with, but that mix of cutting-edge foundational research and real translational potential is what really stood out to me.

WI: What role do you see foundational research playing in the broader biomedical ecosystem?

TM: I think there are two ways to look at it — one specific to Whitehead Institute, and one more broadly. A general example I often reflect on is the discovery of DNA’s structure by Watson and Crick — drawing critically on Rosalind Franklin's foundational work — in the 1950s, which earned them the Nobel Prize. That was over 70 years ago, and yet the full impact of that discovery is still unfolding today. In fact, many of the therapies we benefit from today can be traced back to that breakthrough.

More specifically, Whitehead Institute played a pivotal role in the Human Genome Project, which has had a lasting influence on biomedical research. What this tells us is that progress doesn’t happen overnight. Foundational research has to come first, often years—sometimes decades—before we see its application in the clinic. If we can provide steady support, the long-term payoffs will be transformative for all of us.

WI: Looking ahead 10 years, what kind of impact do you hope your gift will have?

TM: I believe one of the true measures of scientific research is its long-term impact on people’s lives, and it can be measured by the lives touched. I’m hopeful that the work being done in the Raguram Lab will ultimately be translated into medicines and therapies that help people live healthier, better lives—whether by treating rare diseases or more common conditions.

Research also builds upon itself, and by supporting science in this way, we’re laying the groundwork for future discoveries. That support can ripple outward, inspiring and enabling other researchers through new insights.

Some of the best examples of this kind of impact are Bob Langer and Phil Sharp. They are not only world-class researchers, they’ve also committed themselves to translating their discoveries into real medicines through startups. On top of that, they’ve become remarkable mentors, training generations of scientists who continue to make their own impact. [Ed.: Robert Langer joined the Whitehead Institute Board of Directors in 2003 and is now a Director Emeritus. An Institute Professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he pioneered new methods of drug delivery. Philip A. (Phil) Sharp became a member of the Whitehead Institute Board of Directors in 2005. An Institute Professor and Professor of Biology Emeritus, he shared the 1993 Nobel Prize with Richard J. Roberts for their work discovering segments of a gene, called introns, that are cut out in the process of making a protein.] 

That’s the kind of far-reaching legacy I hope this gift will support: science that drives innovation, improves lives, and inspires future leaders.