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Cancer Solutionsscience + engineering = conquering cancer together |
Volume 128: May 2024 |
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Speeding up cancer gene screeningThe Sanchez-Rivera Lab devised a method to screen for the effects of cancer-associated genetic mutations much more easily and quickly than any existing approach. In a Nature Biotechnology study of lung cancer, researchers used a variant of CRISPR genome-editing called prime editing to screen cells with more than 1,000 different mutations of the tumor suppressor gene p53 observed in cancer patients. They found that some p53 mutations are more harmful than previously thought. The technique could one day be used to determine how an individual patient’s tumor will respond to a particular treatment.
This research was funded in part by the Koch Institute Frontier Research Program via the Casey and Family Foundation Cancer Research Fund, the Ludwig Center at MIT, and Upstage Lung Cancer.
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It’s a hard day’s night for the liverJust like in our bodies, circadian rhythms in our cells and genes regulate critical processes such as immune activity and metabolism.
In a Science Advances study, the Bhatia lab developed tiny, engineered human livers, and found that many genes involved in drug metabolism are under circadian control. Because these rhythms affect how much of a drug is available to the body and how effectively it breaks it down, they could be analyzed to improve dosing schedules for drugs, including chemotherapies. |
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It’s the same old thing, since 1916Based on one equation developed in 1916 using data from nine patients, chemotherapy dosing calculations do not account for several variables that can lead to toxicity or insufficient benefit in patients.
Described in Med and funded in part by the Bridge Project, the Traverso and Langer Labs developed CLAUDIA, a closed-loop drug delivery system designed to tailor doses of chemotherapy to individual patients for maximum safety and effectiveness. |
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Events |
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Bridge to the future of cancer researchResearchers and clinicians from MIT and the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center are invited to a symposium on Friday, May 10 celebrating successes from 10+ years of the Bridge Project and exploring new opportunities for translational cancer research advances. Talks from current and former Bridge teams set the stage for a networking and information event for potential new Bridge investigators; potential applicants to the 2024 Bridge Project RFA (opens in June) are strongly encouraged to attend.
This symposium is held in special recognition of the role of Art Gelb and the Gelb family in initiating and supporting the Bridge Project. |
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| Building a picture of research at MITJoin us for a first peek at the 2024 Image Awards on Thursday, May 16. In honor of the 50th anniversary of cancer research at MIT, we will take a look back at the history of these stunning visuals of life sciences and biomedical research, and celebrate the current winners with lightning talks followed by a reception. |
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| Tumor Heterogeneity and Drug ResistanceThe 22nd Annual Koch Institute Symposium will take place on Friday, June 21. We cordially invite scientists, oncologists, KI alumni, and any other member of the biomedical community to join us in a day of engaging talks on patient-specific variation in cancer progression and response to therapy. |
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More news |
| KI launches Marcella O’Grady Boveri MedalThe Marcella O’Grady Boveri Student Cancer Research Medal honors the pioneering research and foundational leadership in women’s scientific advancement achieved by MIT’s first female graduate in biology. She also, with her husband Theodor Boveri, contributed to the advancement of the chromosome theory of cancer.
Boveri was widely known to hold herself and her students to high standards in terms of critical thinking, industry, and accuracy in observation and expression. This award recognizes young researchers who exemplify and uphold this legacy. |
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| Killian cancer at the nanoscaleIn her 2023-24 James R. Killian Jr. Faculty Achievement Award lecture, Paula Hammond showcased the layers that make up her mettle, from her childhood in Michigan, to her time as a student at MIT, and then her pioneering development of layer-by-layer nanomaterials for applications in cancer, medicine and energy. |
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| Programmable mRNA takes its first StrandStrand Therapeutics developed a new class of mRNA molecules able to sense their location in the body to deliver targeted cancer treatment.
Co-founded by Langer Lab alum Jake Becraft and KI members Darrell Irvine and Ron Weiss, the company is poised to begin the first-ever clinical trial of a programmable mRNA, testing its cancer-hunting therapy on solid tumors. |
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The KI at the AACRAt the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research last month, Yadira Soto-Feliciano delivered the 2024 Gertrude B. Elion Cancer Research Award lecture on “Mechanisms of Gene Regulation by Chromatin Adaptors in Development.” At the same meeting, her colleague Sangeeta Bhatia was formally inducted as a Fellow of the AACR Academy. |
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| Al Masri wins Soros Fellowship for New AmericansCongratulations to Riyam Al Msari, a graduate student in the Irvine and Wittrup labs, on receiving a 2024 Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans. Al Msari arrived in the US following a childhood in Iraq shaped by war, and a transformative experience serving as primary caretaker during her mother’s battle with head and neck cancer, which inspired her work to pioneer translational cancer therapies. |
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On 3.14, the KI’s Pi Day celebrations included community kick off events for this year’s programs marking 50 years of cancer research at MIT—including an intensely competed pie contest and raising nearly $40K in support by beating our MIT 24 Hour Challenge goal. Thanks to all who took part! |
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