 | Targets Acquired The Anderson Lab’s new inhalable lipid nanoparticles deliver mRNA to the lung and show greater efficiency, better targeting of cell populations, and lower risk of immune response over other formulations. Described in Nature Biotechnology, the nanoparticle’s key design features include a positively charged headgroup to engage the negatively charged RNA, a long lipid tail to help particles cross the cell membrane, and a structure that breaks down and is quickly cleared from the lung, reducing risk of inflammation. Unlike virus-based RNA delivery methods, which induce an immune response upon repeat dosing, the nanoparticles can be delivered multiple times if needed. |
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Cancer Vaccines Symposium Registration is open for our 2023 Koch Institute Annual Symposium on June 23, 2023. Scientists and engineers, clinicians and biotech professionals are invited to explore issues in cancer vaccines with a program of speakers who are leaders in the field. The keynote speaker is Federica Sallusto, and speakers and panelists include Michal Bassani-Sternberg, Paul Burton, Peter DeMuth, Olivera Finn, Tyler Jacks, Bob Langer, Stefani Spranger, Charles Swanton, and Cathy Wu. |
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Cancer Drug Pairing Overcomes Antibiotic Resistance With international collaborators, the Chen Lab has helped identify a new therapy for vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecalis (VRE). VRE can cause a number of serious infections, including urinary tract, bloodstream, and wound infections associated with catheters or surgical procedures. In a study appearing in Science Advances, the team identified a synergistic relationship between the antibiotic vanomycin and mitoxantrone, a cancer drug used for leukemia and prostate cancer.
Given in combination, the drugs increased sensitivity of the bacterium to the antibiotics, and improved wound healing. As bacterial resistance to vancomycin is widespread, the discovery could be a general approach for treating vancomycin-resistant bacterial infections. |
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Algorithm and Views Join us on Thursday, May 4 at 6:30 p.m. EDT in person or online for SOLUTIONS with/in/sight: Algorithm and Views. Two teams of investigators, Ava Amini and Jesse Kirkpatrick of the Bhatia Lab and KI researcher Regina Barzilay and MGH oncologist Lecia Sequist, will share their innovations using machine learning tools to improve lung cancer detection. Get a sneak peek of Barzilay and Sequist’s work on AI to predict lung cancer risk from NBC Nightly News. |
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Hydrogels for Biologics The Doyle and Hammond Labs created hydrogel particles for biologics. In a study appearing in Advanced Healthcare Materials, researchers delivered the cancer immunotherapy pembrolizumab (Keytruda) via single injection. Normally, the drug must be administered in dilute solution over several hours, in a hospital or clinic.
Eyeing FDA approval in the next few years, the team notes their platform could also resuscitate drugs for which adequately concentrated formulations have remained elusive. This innovative approach can improve the patient experience, decrease the healthcare costs, and improve access to healthcare while bringing value to the industry. Read more » |
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A Boost for RNA Vaccines and Therapies Sanofi will provide $25 million in support of the Anderson Lab’s efforts to develop new delivery technology for mRNA, as well as RNA-based methods for CRISPR genome editing. Anderson Lab research has already resulted in several RNA vaccine applications currently in clinical trials at Sanofi, with new work including plans for new delivery platforms and improvements to vaccine uptake and effectiveness. |
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Image Awards Unveiled Spring is in the air and the KI Public Galleries are aglow with new images! Showcasing a range of biological investigations and technological innovations, the 2023 Image Awards exhibition opened on March 16 with lightning talks and a People’s Choice Award sponsored by Fujifilm. The prizes were given to the Jacks and Hwang Labs’ “That Takes Nerve” and the Boehm Lab’s “Just Grow With It,” but all ten winning images were presented with insight and humor. See this year’s images in the spotlight in Popular Science and Nature, and on Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien (beginning at 18:40). |
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Illuminating a Path to Approval Lumicell’s single-cell imaging technology for eliminating residual cancer cells during tumor resection is one step closer to the clinic. Following fast track designations for the imaging agent/device pair and the recent conclusion of a pivotal trial in breast cancer patients, the company has filed a New Drug Application on its signature platform.
The technology’s early development was supported by the Koch Institute Frontier Research Program via the Kathy and Curt Marble Cancer Research Fund. |
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Bridging Gaps in Health Care With a major in bioengineering and a minor in Spanish, MIT senior Victor Damptey hopes to use his twin skill sets to address disparities in health care. Currently working in the Hammond Lab on new treatments for osteoarthritis, he plans to become a physician-scientist and use his Spanish fluency in overcoming patient care challenges often posed by language barriers. |
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Consequential Changes In Nature Portfolio, Francisco Sánchez-Rivera discusses his collaboration with Agilent Technologies to develop a tool reliable enough to support his work in precision genome editing. Sánchez-Rivera studies the impact of individual sequence mutations on cancer development, with an eye toward understanding how these mutations alter tumor response to therapy. |
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Sensor-y Details Greg Ekchian, KI alum and Stratagen Bio co-founder, talks to Harvard Business School about his device that measures oxygen levels in tumors. The first postdoc to receive a Blavatnik Fellowship, Ekchian combines his passions for science and entrepreneurship as he transforms the sensor that he developed in the Cima Lab into a commercially available tool to improve cancer treatment. |
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AI Cures Conference
On April 24, the MIT-MGB AI Cures Conference will explore the impact of AI technologies on patient care, focusing on the clinical translation of AI tools, regulatory issues in the clinic, secure patient data access, algorithmic challenges in the clinic, and fairness and equity. Among the speakers will be KI faculty member Regina Barzilay, who will be presenting on predicting lung cancer risk with her Mass General Brigham collaborator Florian Fintelmann. |
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Achievement Unlocked: Pi Day Final stats are in from MIT’s 24-Hour Challenge on 3/14! A big thank-you goes to the 143 participants who helped us exceed our goal of 125 donors and raise nearly $30,000, including the full $10,000 from our challenge donors, Lindsay Androski ’98 and an anonymous alumni couple. This participation-based effort benefits the Koch Institute’s unrestricted endowment, which supports our efforts now and into the future to pursue the research, training, and community culture we think will make the greatest impact against cancer. |
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