The Koch Institute Shines at the 2026 AACR Annual Meeting

This spring, Koch Institute community members presented research advancements to their colleagues at the 2026 American Association for Cancer Research and gathered laurels along the way. A few highlights include:

 • Director Matt Vander Heiden and Alice Shaw, the Koch Institute's first Charles W. and Jennifer C. Johnson Clinical Investigator, were formally inducted into the 2026 class of Fellows of the AACR Academy.
 
 • Regina Barzilay explored how AI may enhance prediction of cancer risk and treatment response at the Opening Plenary, focusing on MIRAI, a tool for assessing breast cancer risk, and SPARC, a tool for predicting cancer survival and therapy response.

 • Jesse Boehm, along with the Broad Institute Cancer Dependency Map team, won the 2026 Team Science Award for their work creating a comprehensive resource that reveals genes and pathways essential for tumor survival.