Biology of Torpor and Hibernation
To survive extreme environments, many animals have evolved the ability to profoundly decrease metabolic rate and body temperature and enter states of dormancy, such as torpor and hibernation. Our laboratory studies the mysteries of how animals and their cells initiate, regulate, and survive these adaptations. Specifically, we focus on investigating: 1) how the brain regulates torpor (in mice) and hibernation (in hamsters), 2) how cells and genomes of different organisms adapt to these states, and 3) whether inducing these states can slow down tissue damage, disease progression, and even aging. Our long-term goal is to explore potential applications of inducing similar states of “suspended animation” in humans.

Neuronal Regulation and Physiology
How do animals initiate profoundly hypothermic and hypometabolic states such as torpor and hibernation? Building on our discovery of neurons that regulate mouse torpor, we are exploring a) how torpor-regulating neurons receive information about the body’s energy-state, and b) how these neurons act to decrease the whole-body metabolic rate and body temperature.
Hrvatin et al. Nature 2020.
Cellular Adaptations
Cells from hibernating organisms have evolved the ability to survive extreme cold temperatures for many weeks to months. Using genetic screens we’re investigating the species-specific mechanisms of extreme cold tolerance and exploring whether these mechanisms can be induced in non-hibernating organisms including humans.


Aging, Disease, and Applications
It has long been known that hibernators live longer than closely related non-hibernators, that cancer cells do not replicate during hibernation, and that hypothermic states are neuroprotective during hypoxic/ischemic injury. The mechanisms behind these observations, however, remain a mystery. By inducing a long-term hibernation-like state in mice and natural hibernation in hamsters, we are examining the effects of these states on aging, lifespan, tissue repair, and progression of cancer.
Technology: Cell Type Specific Viruses
A lack of tools to access defined cell types is a major impediment to efforts to study brain function including behaviors such as torpor and hibernation. To address this issue, we developed the PESCA (Parallel Enhancer Single Cell Assay) platform for screening of enhancers that drive cell-type-specific expression from adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) enabling genetic access to individual cell types in mice, hibernators, as well as primates. We are using PESCA to develop neuroscience tools, and collaborating with biopharma to develop new targeted human gene therapies.
Hrvatin et al. eLife 2019

Team Members


Siniša Hrvatin
Principal Investigatorshrvatin@wi.mit.edu


Brittany Brady
Administrative Lab Managerbbrady@wi.mit.edu


Kim Eppling
UROPkimce@wi.mit.edu


Kathrin Kajderowicz
Graduate Studentkathrin@wi.mit.edu


Nanako Kuze
UROPkuze@mit.edu


Breanna Lam
Graduate Studentbhlam@wi.mit.edu


Aurora Lavin-Peter
Research Technicianauroralp@wi.mit.edu


Lorna McElrath
Research Technicianlorna@wi.mit.edu


Simon Opsahl
UROPsopsahl@mit.edu


Julian Roessler
Graduate Studentjroes@wi.mit.edu


In the Hrvatin lab, we believe

Everyone is welcome.
Lab News
The Whitehead Retreat was a blast!






Had fun representing floors 2 and 6 in the first annual WI games! Never seen such an impressive sack race!


Team Bowling!



Thanks to everyone who came on Friday! It was so nice meeting some of our 6th floor neighbors!


So much enthusiasm. So many boxes.


Moving Day! I think this picture says it all (and more). So excited to move into our new lab space!

Selected Publications
- Hrvatin, S., Sun, S., Wilcox, O.F. et al. Neurons that regulate mouse torpor. Nature 583, 115–121 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2387-5
- Hrvatin, S., Tzeng, C., Nagy, A., et al. A scalable platform for the development of cell-type-specific viral drivers. eLife 8, e48089 (2019). https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.48089
- Hrvatin, S., Hochbaum, D.R., Nagy, M.A. et al. Single-cell analysis of experience-dependent transcriptomic states in the mouse visual cortex. Nat Neurosci 21, 120–129 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-017-0029-5