 | Checking In(hibitors) Checkpoint inhibitors are effective against some types of cancers, working by stimulating exhausted T cells to attack tumors once again. But for lung cancer, this type of immunotherapy has shown mixed results. In a study of mice, the Spranger Lab traced the immune response to lung cancer back to the environment created by microbiota that naturally inhabit the lungs. Ideally, “killer” T cells are activated in lymph nodes, where they interact with dendritic cells bearing tumor-derived antigens. The team found that while this encounter still took place in lymph nodes near the lungs, the outcome was different than in lymph nodes elsewhere in the body. Regulatory T cells—called into action by interferon gamma produced in response to commensal microbes in the lungs—prevented dendritic cells from activating killer T cells. The study, appearing in Immunity, was supported in part by the Koch Institute Frontier Research Program through the Casey and Family Foundation Cancer Research Fund. |
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Pi-Time for a 24-Hour Challenge MIT’s 24-Hour Challenge triumphantly returns to Pi Day! This year’s KI microchallenge benefits the Koch Institute Director’s Endowed Fund. This endowed unrestricted support provides the stability and flexibility crucial to our ability to plan thoughtfully, and commit to new research and programs that support our trainees and faculty members. We hope you’ll consider joining us on Tuesday, 3.14, when we’ll be looking for contributions from 100 donors to help us secure a $5,000 gift from an anonymous alumni couple. Gifts from another 25 donors will unlock an additional $5,000 gift from Lindsay Androski ’98. In addition to our MIT 24-Hour Challenge donors, we also recognize Haejin Baek ’86 for her contribution in establishing the Koch Institute Director’s Endowed Fund. |
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SOLUTIONS with/in/sight: Anchor Management Anchored immunotherapy uses localized cytokines to awaken a powerful immune response against solid tumors. Join immune engineers Darrell Irvine and Dane Wittrup, Ankyra CEO Howard Kauffman, and immunologist Stefani Spranger on April 4 at 6:30 p.m. to learn about the bench-to-bedside evolution of this powerful new approach developed in Koch Institute laboratories. |
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Safe Haven for Vaccine Antigens The Irvine Lab found that order to produce an effective immune response, vaccines must deliver antigens to structures, called follicles, inside lymph nodes. In a study appearing in Science, the researchers demonstrated that antigens not rapidly directed to the follicles were destroyed by proteases. The lab’s follicle-targeting, nanoparticle-based HIV vaccine elicited better antibody responses than traditional vaccines. |
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KI a Triple Threat in #STATMadness Show KI researchers your support in the STAT’s annual bracket-style tournament to find the best innovations in science and medicine. Register or sign in to your free STAT account to vote for these three projects with big potential for human health: Matchup 12: the Li Lab’s easy-to-use test for predicting Covid-19 immunity
Matchup 13: the Bhatia Lab’s nanoparticle sensor to detect bacterial vs. viral pneumonia
Matchup 24: the Hammond and Straehla Labs’ large-scale screen for predicting nanoparticle uptake in cancer cells |
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The NAEs Have It Cheers to Regina Barzilay and Roger Kamm, who are among the newest members of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE)! NAE election recognizes outstanding contributions to engineering research, practice, or education. Barzilay develops machine learning models that understand structures in text, molecules, and medical images, while Kamm is being honored for advancing understandings of mechanics in biology and medicine, and leadership in biomechanics. |
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Making His Biomark Nobel laureate and landmark entrepreneur Phil Sharp recalls his roots as a rural farmer and basketball aspirant in a recent Biomarker feature, and reflects on the people who helped him forge a career in science. Sharp recounts the importance of mentoring, risk-taking, and forming expanded social networks for people like himself, who come from backgrounds where educational and professional opportunities in the field are unknown—and highlights exciting new science that keeps him up at night! |
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Science-Inspired, Student-Designed The Science Surfaces fashion exhibition in the Koch Institute Public Galleries showcases the result of the collaborative Peers + Pros creative learning initiative. Find out how teens from the Boston Arts Academy transformed the 2022 Image Awards exhibition visuals into wearable art. |
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Protein Shake Up KI member and Biology department head Amy Keating designs protein-protein interactions to thwart disease. Thanks to advances in DNA sequencing and computational tools, her lab’s work has evolved over the years to include synthesis of proteins not found in nature—but with potential to block many diseases including cancer. She is optimistic about the use of artificial intelligence and other tools in helping her team make predictions about their invented proteins and build new structures from smaller ones. |
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A Holistic View of Cancer Research Along the way to becoming a physician-scientist, Spranger Lab alum Julian Zulueta is exploring cancer research and its impacts on individual lives. He believes that biomedical research is best framed through questions that center people’s experiences: “How do we think about their overall health, not just in treating the cancer, but also improving quality of life?” |
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The Measure of Bias
Just as Nancy Hopkin’s “measuring tape report” did in 1999, Kate Zernike’s new book, The Exceptions: Nancy Hopkins, MIT, and the Fight for Women in Science, is generating a buzz across the popular and scientific media. Check out an excerpt at the MIT Technology Review, or learn more about it at The New York Times, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Science, NPR or ABC News.
Join Hopkins and Zernike for a conversation about The Exceptions hosted by the MIT School of Science on Wednesday, March 8, at 5pm EST. |
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