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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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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.

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.

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.