View this email in your browser
Illustration of a DNA strand

Gene Screen Reveals Unseen


Genome-wide screens can be performed in cell culture models, but fail to capture important information from cells’ native contexts. Seeking to address this shortfall, Kristin Knouse has developed a new high throughput technique that uses CRISPR to perform genome-wide screens in living mice. Described in Cell Genomics, the approach is accessible, scalable, and adaptable to diverse applications. She demonstrated the approach in a study of cell fitness genes in the mouse liver, which revealed insights not evident in cell culture, involving cellular interactions with molecules in the surrounding environment or immune cells. Her team plans to apply the new screening technique to liver regeneration, and could also use it to study conditions such as fatty liver disease and cirrhosis, which both can lead to liver cancer. 


Read more »

Jay Mahat stands with arms crossed in front a shiny, reflective building

Some Kind of Wunderful

Congratulations to Sharp Lab postdoc Dig Bijay Mahat on being named to STAT’s 2022 class of Wunderkinds. Recognized for his work advocating for vaccine equity in his home country of Nepal, Jay continues to channel his KI experience toward fundamental research and new tools for navigating public health crises, including cancer and Covid-19.


Read more »

A Passion for Discovery Science

On Nov. 17, the Koch Institute hosted the inaugural winners of the Angelika Amon Young Scientist Award, Alejandro Aguilera Castrejón and Melanie de Almeida. After giving research presentations, the winners were presented with their awards by Amon’s family, husband Johannes Weis and daughters Theresa and Clara.


Read more »

yellow-green sphere encrusted with lilac granules

A+ Microparticles

Jaklenec/Langer Lab researchers are using polymer microparticles to fight vitamin A deficiency, the world’s leading cause of childhood blindness. Their approach, which was featured in the 2021 Image Awards and published in PNAS, provides the encapsulated vitamin A with much-needed stability under harsh cooking and storage conditions and shows good absorption in humans.


Read more »

Michael Birnbaum and two students at a lab bench

Handle With Care

KI member Michael Birnbaum has been recognized by MIT’s Office of Graduate Education as “Committed to Caring” for his wide-reaching support for students and his departmental leadership—particularly in the area of diversity initiatives. The current cohort of honorees also includes the late Angelika Amon.


Read more »

Meet the Artist Behind the Portraits

Internationally acclaimed German portrait photographer Herlinde Koelbl joins MIT Museum curator Gary Van Zante, KI executive director Jane Wilkinson, and Koelbl's MIT scientist “sitters” for a very special send-off to her exhibition Fascination of Science, which has been on display in the Koch Institute Public Galleries since October. An evening program on Tuesday, January 17 explores the intersection of art, science, and society in her work, and will be followed by a reception courtesy of the German Consulate Boston.


Register now »

A Key Honor

At the 2022 American Institute of Chemical Engineers gala, Paula Hammond received the AIChE Foundation’s Doing a World of Good Medal. Established to recognize individuals who have advanced the societal contribution of engineers, the award honors Hammond’s leadership in creating a more equitable, diverse and inclusive engineering talent pool. 

 

Read more »

Microparticles Double Feature

Congratulations to Jaklenec/Langer Lab graduate student Linzixuan (Rhoda) Zhang on the receipt of a Judges’ Choice Award from the Abdul Latif Jameel Water & Food Systems Lab in the areas of “Potential for Impact” and “Recognizing the Role of Nutrition in Food Security.” Zhang’s work to combat global micronutrient deficiencies also appears in the 2022 Image Awards exhibition and focuses on creating biodegradable polymers to stabilize micronutrients under harsh cooking and storage conditions.
 

Read more »

an NK cell, a fuzzy green sphere with a few long, spindly arms

Liftoff for Dragonfly Trials

Following on the announcement of Phase 2 advancement of their first NK-cell-based immunotherapy, KI startup company Dragonfly Therapeutics has dosed their first patient in the Phase 1/2 trial of another drug, DF9001. The sixth in an exciting pipeline of Dragonfly drugs to enter clinical trials, DF9001 is being tested alone and in combination with PD-1 checkpoint inhibitors in patients with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors.


Read more »

The Convergence Scholars Program, which fosters the career development of aspiring independent scientists, welcomes its 2022-2023 cohort

Sangeeta Bhatia talks with a woman scientist in the lab

Sangeeta Bhatia on making science fit her life—not the other way around

Two pictures of Srinivasan, one of her dressed in bright colors performing a dance, the other standing in front of shelves of machinery

KI affiliate Shriya Srinivasan explores the beauty of movement through engineering and dance

Deborah Douglas, Philip Sharp, and Richard Hynes in a panel discussion with author Rena Selya

Rena Selya visits the KI to discuss her new biography of Salvador Luria

A figure leaping between two cliffs on a red background

KI Alum Tim Fessenden advises on moving to a new lab on Nature’s“Working Scientist” podcast

Read more news
Give to the Koch Institute
Twitter
Facebook
LinkedIn
Instagram
Website
Copyright © 2022 Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email by request or because you opted in at our website.

Our mailing address is:
Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research
77 Massachusetts Avenue, 76-158
Cambridge, MA 02139

Add us to your address book


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.