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A mosaic of views of antigen localized to cells.

Safe Haven for Vaccine Antigens

MIT Koch Institute

February 17, 2023

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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Cancer Drug Pairing Overcomes Antibiotic Resistance

MIT News

March 24, 2023

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.   

Image Awards Unveiled

MIT Koch Institute

March 17, 2023

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 national spotlight in Popular Science and on Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien (beginning at 18:40).

Consequential Changes

Nature Portfolio

March 13, 2023

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.
 

Pi-Time for a 24-Hour Challenge

MIT 24-Hour Challenge

March 2, 2023

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.

Go Big for the KI in STAT Madness

STAT News

March 1, 2023

Show KI researchers your support in STAT’s annual bracket-style tournament to find the best innovations in science and medicine from the past year. Register or sign in to your free STAT account to vote for these three projects with big potential for human health: Matchup 3: the Li Lab’s easy-to-use test for predicting Covid-19 immunity Matchup 4: the Bhatia Lab’s nanoparticle sensor to detect bacterial vs. viral pneumonia

Science Surfaces Opens in the KI Public Galleries

MIT News

March 1, 2023

Science Surfaces, a capsule collection of student-designed body coverings and accessories inspired by the 2022 Image Awards exhibition, will be on display in the Koch Institute Public Galleries through April. The exhibition showcases the result of the inaugural Peers + Pros Project, a Boston Fashion Week creative learning initiative catalyzed by Cambridge Science Festival and sponsored in part by the Koch Institute.

Sensor-y Details

Harvard Business School

February 22, 2023

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.   

Safe Haven for Vaccine Antigens

MIT Koch Institute

February 17, 2023

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.

The NAEs Have It

MIT News

February 14, 2023

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.

A Holistic View of Cancer Research

MIT News

February 9, 2023

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?”