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Artifacts from a half century of cancer research

MIT Koch Institute

November 21, 2024

Throughout 2024, the Koch Institute has celebrated 50 years of MIT’s cancer research program and the individuals who have shaped its journey. In honor of this milestone anniversary year, the Koch Institute celebrated the opening of a new exhibition: Object Lessons: Celebrating 50 Years of Cancer Research at MIT in 10 Items. Object Lessons invites the public to explore significant artifacts—from one of the earliest PCR machines, developed in the lab of Nobel laureate H. Robert Horvitz, to Greta, a groundbreaking zebrafish from the lab of Professor Nancy Hopkins—in the half century of discoveries and advancements that have positioned MIT at the forefront of the fight against cancer.  

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Nobel Prize goes to Victor Ambros and Gary Ruvkun!

MIT News

October 7, 2024

Congratulations to alums Victor Ambros ’75 (VII), PhD ’79 (VII) and Gary Ruvkun for winning the 2024 Nobel Prize in the category of Physiology or Medicine! They won the award jointly "for the discovery of microRNA and its role in post-transcriptional gene regulation."

Koch Institute predecessor the MIT Center for Cancer Research opened fifty years ago in 1974, just as Ambros was finishing his undergraduate degree in biology and beginning his graduate work in the laboratory of founding faculty member David Baltimore. In the 1980s, Ruvkun joined Ambros at MIT, both working as postdocs in the laboratory of H. Robert Horvitz, a David H. Koch Professor of Biology; both mentors are themselves Nobel laureates, in 1975 and 2002, respectively.
 

Congratulations to Sangeeta Bhatia!

MIT News

October 2, 2024

Sangeeta Bhatia is one of two inaugural recipients of the Kendall Square Association’s Founders’ Awards, along with Johnson & Johnson Innovation’s Michal Preminger. The awards were presented at the KSA Annual Meeting on October 1, accompanied by contributions to Science Club for Girls and Innovators for Purpose in their honor.

Less is more

MIT News

September 20, 2024

Irvine lab researchers developed a two-dose regimen that could make HIV vaccines more effective. In a study appearing in Science Immunology, the team reduced a schedule of seven escalating doses over two weeks to just two doses over one week. The new regimen is more practical for mass vaccination campaigns, but was similarly effective in mice at promoting strong antibody responses that will be critical for a successful HIV vaccine. The study uncovered biological mechanisms behind the vaccine response that could inform ongoing clinical trials and development of vaccines for other diseases.

The sweet science of tumor-fighting cells

MIT News

September 16, 2024

Laura L. Kiessling, Jeremiah A. Johnson, Alex K. Shalek, and Darrell Irvine have discovered a new strategy to reprogram immune cells for effective mobilization against cancer. In an ACS Publications study, the team coated virus-like particles with glycans to activate dendritic cells. These cells, in turn, sound the alarm to T cells, creating a robust anti-tumor response—laying the groundwork for a new generation of tumor vaccines.

The spleen’s crucial role in T cell tumor response

MIT Koch Institute

September 13, 2024

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy can effectively treat some patients by enhancing T cell response to cancer—but it doesn't work for everyone. New research from Stefani Spranger, published in Science Immunology, points to the spleen as a critical site for reinvigorating anti-tumor immune response following ICB.

Dr. Jeremiah Johnson Wins Yosemite-ACS Award

American Cancer Society

September 12, 2024

Congratulations to Dr. Jeremiah Johnson for winning the prestigious Yosemite-ACS Award! Johnson received the award for his pioneering research on overcoming therapeutic resistance through cell-specific targeting of the tumor microenvironment with antibody-bottlebrush prodrug conjugates. This award, part of a $6 million grant initiative by the American Cancer Society and Yosemite, recognizes his dedication and innovative approach to cancer treatment.
 

Welcome, Professor Henry!

MIT Koch Institute

September 8, 2024

Over the summer, Whitney Henry officially joined the Koch Institute faculty. Henry works to uncover the molecular factors that induce a cell to undergo ferroptosis, an iron-dependent form of cell death. Her aim is to develop adjuvant cancer therapies that target subpopulations of cancer cells that are highly metastatic and therapy resistant.

Cancer moonshot boosts CisionVision

PR Newswire

September 6, 2024

CisionVision, co-founded by KI’s Angela Belcher and former trainee and Convergence Scholar Jeremy Li, has secured up to $22 million from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) Precision Surgical Interventions (PSI) program. This grant, part of President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot, supports developing advanced imaging technology to help surgeons visualize critical anatomy without dyes.    

How sweet it is

Boston Globe

September 6, 2024

Bob Langer now has a chocolate named after him. Ben and Bill’s Chocolate Emporium in Falmouth has introduced Dr. Bob's Dark Chocolate Maple Syrup Cream, inspired by his love of maple. Bob is a longtime regular of the shop — its old-timey feel and candy-filled shelves remind Bob of his favorite childhood candy store in Albany.  

Meet the 2024 Amon Award Winners

MIT Koch Institute

September 3, 2024

The Koch Institute at MIT is pleased to announce the winners of the 2024 Angelika Amon Young Scientist Award, Anna Uzonyi and Lukas Teoman Henneberg. The prize was established in 2021 to recognize graduate students in the life sciences or biomedical research from institutions outside the United States who embody Dr. Amon’s infectious enthusiasm for discovery science.