News

Introducing the 2023-2024 Convergence Scholars

MIT Koch Institute

November 13, 2023

The Marble Center for Cancer Nanomedicine and the MIT Center for Precision Cancer Medicine are pleased to announce the 2023-2024 class of Convergence Scholars. Founded in 2017, the Convergence Scholars Program (CSP) is designed to enhance the career development of aspiring independent scientists with diverse interests across academia, industry, science communication, and STEM outreach. This year's scholars are Jonuelle Acosta (Hemann Lab), Margaret Billingsley (Hammond Lab), Asheley Chapman (Irvine Lab), Allison Greaney (Langer Lab), Yizong Hu (Anderson Lab), Vardhman Kumar (Bhatia Lab), Corey Stevens (Belcher Lab), Elen Torres (Spranger Lab), and Bocheng Wu (Koehler Lab).

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On the Node Again

Elicio Therapeutics

August 21, 2020

Elicio Therapeutics is developing the Irvine Lab’s lymph node targeting vaccine technology to fight COVID-19. With promising preclinical evidence of increased T cell and antibody response against coronavirus proteins, the company hopes to accelerate clinical translation using insight gained from their already-completed manufacturing and toxicology studies in KRAS-driven cancers.

RUNX RUNX As Fast As You Can

MIT News

August 17, 2020

The Jacks Lab is analyzing lung tumors' evolution by measuring structural changes to chromatin—the mix of proteins, DNA, and RNA that makes up cells’ chromosomes that can alter gene expression. In work published by Cancer Cell, researchers showed that these epigenomic modifications can characterize the progression of cancer cells from early stage to later, more aggressive stages. They also identified a transcription factor—a molecule known as RUNX2—that influences metastasis in these evolving cells. Looking at both mouse and human tumors, the team found that elevated levels of RUNX2 are associated with increased tumor cell aggressiveness, suggesting that it could be used as a biomarker to predict patient outcomes.

Thrown for an R-Loop

Nature Communications

August 14, 2020

New research from the Yaffe lab appearing in Nature Communications now shows that in highly proliferative tumor cells, Brd4 function is necessary to block collisions on genomic DNA between sites of RNA transcription and DNA replication. They found that cancer cells without BRD4 accumulate R loops, resulting in transcription-replication collisions and DNA damage. The continued replication of cells with R loop-damaged DNA results in increased genome instability and cell death. The findings may help researchers design new combination therapies that take advantage of BRD4’s unique role in blocking DNA damage specifically in oncogenic tumor cells.

This work was supported in part by the Koch Institute Frontier Research Program, the Koch Institute - Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center Bridge Project, the MIT Center for Precision Cancer Medicine, and a Koch Institute Quinquennial Cancer Research Fellowship.

Fewer Needles, More STING

Science Translational Medicine

August 12, 2020

A programmable microparticle developed by Langer Lab researchers could make STING-based cancer therapies easier for patients to complete. These immunotherapies (which activate the critical 'stimulator of interferon genes' pathway to boost immune response) produce strong antitumor effects, but must be injected directly into the tumor repeatedly over months, increasing risk for metastasis, chronic injection pain, and infection. The single-injection microparticles release scheduled doses of a STING-based therapy over days and weeks.

In a study appearing in Science Translational Medicine and supported in part by a Ludwig Postdoctoral Fellowship and a Misrock Postdoctoral Fellowship, researchers found the microparticles to be as effective against tumors as multiple injections in mouse models of melanoma and breast cancer, with a reduced chance of metastasis. The study also suggests that the microparticles could deliver STING-based therapies to hard-to-reach tumors.

Michelson Prize for Michael Birnbaum

Human Vaccines Project

August 7, 2020

Michael Birnbaum received the Michelson Prize for Human Immunology and Vaccine Research 2020 to identify target antigens for HIV vaccine development. His team's novel methodology for studying immune cells' antigen recognition repertoire has multiple applications for other diseases, including cancer and COVID-19, and exemplifies the type of promising early career research supported by the prize.

Shedding Metabolite on Pancreatic Cancer

eLife

August 4, 2020

Vander Heiden Lab researchers are using a novel nutrient-labeling approach to understand metabolic differences between cell types. A new study published in eLife examines enzyme activity of tumor cells and fibroblasts in organoid cell cultures and mouse models of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, and suggests potential pathways for curtailing tumor growth.

Nanoparticles on Trachea to Greatness

MIT News

August 3, 2020

Bhatia Lab researchers are breathing new life into their signature protease activity nanosensors. Chemical modifications to synthetic biomarkers (previously used to develop urinary diagnostics for pneumonia and cancer) allow the nanoparticles to release a peptide-based "breath signal" in the presence of respiratory disease. The re-engineered system, described in Nature Nanotechnology, can be used for both diagnosis and monitoring of disease progression or treatment. The researchers are modeling future iterations of the technology on inhalers and breathalyzer tests, and hope to use it to detect specific pathogens such as the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Standing Up to Pancreatic Cancer

Stand Up to Cancer

August 3, 2020

Congratulations to Will Freed-Pastor and fellow Lustgarten Laboratory for Pancreatic Cancer Research at MIT researchers on the receipt of a Phillip A. Sharp Innovation in Collaboration Award from Stand Up To Cancer. The Jacks Lab/Dana Farber Cancer Institute team, in conjunction with researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, will use tumor organoids and engineered T cells to develop novel interventions against pancreatic cancer.

Wittrup Lab Sticks It To Tumors

Cullinan Oncology

July 27, 2020

The Wittrup Lab's "Velcro vaccine" is the not-so-secret weapon behind Cullinan Oncology's newly launched subsidiary, Cullinan Amber. The company aims to enhance cytokine-based immunotherapy using the lab's collagen-binding technology, which confines these powerful yet toxic treatments to the tumor microenvironment.

There's No Place Like Proteome

MIT Sloan School of Management

July 22, 2020

A new proteomic analysis platform combining a panel of engineered nanoparticles' protein chemistry and machine learning could open up new avenues to predict, diagnose, and treat disease. In a study appearing in Nature Communications, a team including Robert Langer and other researchers from MIT, Harvard Medical School, Seer and elsewhere, analyzed the proteome in an unbiased, unconstrained manner, and with a depth, breadth, and speed not previously possible. As proof-of-concept, the study demonstrated the platform could be used for the accurate detection of early-stage lung cancer.