 | Model Behavior
Glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, is notoriously hard to treat. The blood-brain barrier blocks conventional chemotherapies from reaching tumors, and many potential new treatments that work well in animal models end up failing in clinical trials.
In a study published in PNAS and co-led by Charles W. (1955) and Jennifer C. Johnson Clinical Investigator Joelle Straehla, researchers assessed tumor-targeting nanoparticles from the Hammond Lab using a microfluidic human tissue model of glioblastoma from the Kamm Lab that closely replicates the blood-brain barrier. They found that cisplatin-bearing nanoparticles coated with peptide AP2 were able to target and kill glioblastoma tumor cells, suggesting that the model could be used to design nanoparticles with a greater chance of success in the clinic. |
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Summer Reruns
Videos from the 20th Annual Cancer Research Symposium, “Ten Years at the Koch Institute,” are now available. Take a tour through keynote talks by Ned Sharpless, Francis Collins, and Matthew Vander Heiden, a panel on the future of convergent science, and research presentations by Koch Institute faculty and alumni. |
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Immuno-Pep Squad
The immune system’s ability to detect nascent tumors requires the presentation of protein fragment (peptide) antigens that it can recognize. Due to limitations in how samples are collected and studied, researchers have difficulty identifying peptide presentation patterns specific to cancer. However, an ongoing Jacks Lab/White Lab collaboration, originally begun as a hallway conversation between colleagues, shows the power of combining engineered mouse models with mass spectrometry to better profile the collection of immunopeptides on the surface of cancer cells. The researchers’ latest paper, published in Nature, reveals new tumor antigens potentially useful for immunotherapies and understanding of immune response. |
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Directed Evolution
Angela Belcher spoke with Instigators of Change about how her career has evolved from working on batteries and solar cells to include developing new tools for cancer diagnostics and environmental remediation. Highlights include the story of how the Koch Institute’s early-years boot camps and speed dating sessions helped spark her passion for fighting ovarian cancer, and her top tips for team-building and getting inventions to market. |
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Cross-Presented and Accounted For
By processing fragments of tumor cells and pathogens and presenting them as antigens, dendritic cells can train T cells to mount an immune response. The Spranger and White Labs have developed a method that, for the first time, surveys the number and types of antigens cross-presented by dendritic cells. In a study published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer and supported in part by the Frontier Research Program, researchers found the original location of a protein had a profound impact on whether it would be cross-presented by a dendritic cell. The results could help researchers develop new strategies for patients and tumor types that do not respond well to immune checkpoint blockade therapies. |
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Signal Boost
The Strano Lab developed a photonic technique that dramatically improves the signal of fluorescent sensors, potentially enabling their use for cancer diagnosis or monitoring. In a Nature Nanotechnology study funded in part by the Bridge Project, researchers were able to implant sensors as deep as 5.5 cm and still get a strong signal. |
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The PIs That Bind
KI members Sangeeta Bhatia, Jianzhu Chen, Michael Hemann, Michael Yaffe, and Graham Walker, and biologist Sebastian Lourido have been awarded a Bose Research Grant, which supports vanguard research efforts. Their project, “Addressing Critical Human Health Problems with a Special Heme-binding Peptide” uses a recently discovered plant peptide that binds and sequesters a molecule critical in hemoglobin oxygen binding in a new way. |
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Phenotype Phenomenon
The Weissman Lab has produced the first map tying every human gene to its function in a cell. In a study published in Cell, researchers used the map to explore the effect of genes with previously unknown functions, investigate the response of mitochondria to stress, and screen for genes that cause chromosomes to be lost or gained. |
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Liver on a Chip
A liver tissue model developed by the Bhatia Lab, in collaboration with Boston University’s Chen Lab, allows researchers to precisely trace the steps involved in initiating liver regeneration. A recent study, published in PNAS, describes the identification of certain growth factors and molecules that contribute to cells entering the cell cycle. This work presents a complementary approach to the lab’s other 3D and 2D liver models featured in the 2016 and 2021 Koch Institute Image Awards exhibitions. |
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