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Tailor-made genes

MIT News

April 30, 2025

Katie Galloway and her team developed synthetic gene circuits that enable more precise control of gene therapy. Their research, published in Cell Systems, could lead to new treatments for fragile X syndrome and other diseases caused by mutations in a single gene, ensuring more safe and effective therapeutic outcomes.

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Showing 211–220 of 624 stories

Committed to Caring

MIT News

January 17, 2023

MIT’s Office of Graduate Education posthumously recognizes KI member Angelika Amon as “Committed to Caring,” citing her generous and dynamic mentorship and her enduring support of students in and beyond the classroom. Amon’s legacy is further exemplified by the Amon Young Scientist Award. She is one of 15 faculty members in the current cohort of honorees, which includes KI member Michael Birnbaum, who was profiled in December.  

It Takes All Kinases

MIT News

January 11, 2023

Michael Yaffe, together with longtime collaborators Lew Cantley and Benjamin Turk, created an atlas of protein kinases—signaling molecules that regulate nearly all cellular functions. This resource, described in Nature, could accelerate the pursuit of new cancer drugs and help physicians customize treatment to specific tumors.
 

Kronos in Collaboration

Kronos Bio

January 9, 2023

Kronos Bio, co-founded by Angela Koehler to tackle “undruggable” cancer targets, has launched a collaboration with Genentech. Genentech will leverage Kronos Bio’s drug discovery platform—including its small molecule microarray—to identify compounds that modify difficult-to-target transcription factors, with the aim of developing more effective treatments for cancer patients.

Celebrating Together (Again)

MIT Koch Institute

January 6, 2023

In late 2022, an in-person celebration of the recipients of the Peter Karches Mentorship Prize took place for the first time in three years, bringing together multiple cohorts of winners with family members and friends of Peter Karches to recognize their contributions. The 2022 awardees were Stephanie Gaglione, Sofia Hu, Allen Jiang, and Chris Nabel.

Suono Doses First Patient

Medical Device Network

January 5, 2023

Langer/Traverso Lab startup Suono Bio has dosed its first patient with SuonoCalm, an ultrasound-based platform that enhances the delivery of nucleic acids, biologics, and other drugs that are too large or delicate to be absorbed effectively by the gastrointestinal tract. Clinical testing begins with a drug for ulcerative colitis (a known cancer risk factor) and could expand to additional diseases, including cancer.
 

Fascination of Science at the KI

MIT News

January 5, 2023

The Koch Institute is delighted to host Fascination of Science, an exhibition by renowned German portrait photographer Herlinde Koelbl. Having interviewed dozens of top scientists from around the world, Koelbl has captured the essence of their inspiration and pursuits of knowledge. View selected portraits, including those of KI members Sangeeta Bhatia, Ed Boyden, Robert Langer, and Robert Weinberg, in the Koch Institute Public Galleries through the end of January 2023. The installation was produced by the German Consulate General Boston. 

Thanks for the Cellular Memories

MIT News

January 2, 2023

Boyden Lab researchers programmed cells to produce protein chains that record the timing of gene and pathway activation during cellular events. The chains, described in in Nature Biotechnology, can be imaged through light microscopy. The technique could illuminate various cellular functions, including cancer-relevant processes like therapeutic response and gene expression. 

Celebrating Young Scientists

MIT Koch Institute

December 13, 2022

On Nov. 17, the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research hosted the inaugural winners of the Angelika Amon Young Scientist Award, Alejandro Aguilera Castrejón and Melanie de Almeida, both recognized for their passion for fundamental biology and discovery science.

A+ Microparticles

MIT News

December 12, 2022

Jaklenec/Langer Lab researchers are using polymer microparticles to fight vitamin A deficiency, the world’s leading cause of childhood blindness. Their approach, which was featured in the 2021 Image Awards and published in PNAS, provides the encapsulated vitamin A with much-needed stability under harsh cooking and storage conditions and shows good absorption in humans.

Liftoff for Dragonfly Trials

Dragonfly Therapeutics

December 8, 2022

Following on the announcement of Phase 2 advancement of their first NK-cell-based immunotherapy, KI startup company Dragonfly Therapeutics has dosed their first patient in the Phase 1/2 trial of another drug, DF9001. The sixth in an exciting pipeline of Dragonfly drugs to enter clinical trials, DF9001 is being tested alone and in combination with PD-1 checkpoint inhibitors in patients with locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors.