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Viktor Adalsteinsson

KI alum Viktor Adalsteinsson develops liquid biopsies to detect cancer

Slice of MIT

March 6, 2024

Cancer patients who undergo surgery are often left with a frightening question: Did the surgeons get all the cancerous cells? No one wants a recurrence of disease, but additional treatments such as radiation or chemotherapy have significant side effects. That’s why Viktor Adalsteinsson PhD ’15 has been developing tools to support better-informed treatment decisions: so-called “liquid biopsies” that can detect the presence of cancer from a simple blood test.

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Golden Anniversary for Luria's Gold Medal

MIT Koch Institute

October 20, 2019

Fifty years ago, on the heels of a historic summer, microbiologist and MIT professor Salvador E. Luria learned he had just won the Nobel Prize. Shortly after the passage of the National Cancer Act of 1971 Luria successfully applied for funds to build a cancer research facility at MIT, overseeing its construction and recruiting scientists with expertise in genetics, immunology, and cell biology. As inaugural director, Luria and his founding faculty opened the MIT Center for Cancer Research in 1974, and quickly set the standard for investigating the fundamental nature of cancer.  Faculty members isolated the first human oncogene, discovered RNA splicing, and made numerous other seminal contributions to cancer biology and genetics, laying the groundwork for new methods to treat and diagnose cancer. In tribute to the individual who spearheaded the formation of the MIT’s first dedicated cancer research effort the Koch Institute is working, with friends and the MIT administration, to name the Koch Institute’s main meeting space the Salvador E. Luria Auditorium.  

Combating Resistance in Pancreatic Cancer

Cancer Research

October 18, 2019

The chemotherapy gemcitabine is among the most effective pancreatic cancer therapies, yet nearly all patients fail to respond or quickly develop resistance. A recent Cancer Research paper highlights work by the Hemann lab, in collaboration with the Vander Heiden group, to better understand how pancreatic tumor stroma—prominent fibrotic tissue that surrounds the tumor— limits gemcitabine response. Their findings implicate a metabolite known as deoxycytidine, which is secreted by stromal cells called pancreatic stellate cells, and inhibits gemcitabine processing in tumor cells. Their work suggests that reducing deoxycytidine production in the stellate cells may increase the efficacy of gemcitabine and similar therapies. This work was supported in part by a David H. Koch fellowship and the MIT Center for Precision Cancer Medicine; KI members Jacqueline Lees and Doug Lauffenburger are also senior authors. 

A Few Bad Apples

PNAS

October 11, 2019

Hynes Lab researchers present the most comprehensive analyses to date of the extracellular matrix (ECM) of pancreatic cancer. Their findings, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, reveal previously unknown molecular changes during cancer progression in both mouse models and human patients and distinguish ECM proteins produced by tumor cells from those produced by stromal cells—the dense and fibrotic connective tissue that surrounds and interweaves tumors. Although stromal cell-derived proteins comprise the bulk of the tumor ECM, it is actually a set of tumor cell-derived proteins that correlate most strongly with poor patient survival. These findings may help explain why previous strategies for general depletion of the stroma added to poor patient outcomes, and suggest more precise ECM manipulations as pancreatic cancer treatments.

Holding Court

MIT News

October 10, 2019

On October 4, 2019, MIT's North Court was renamed in honor of Susan Hockfield, MIT’s 16th—and first female and first life scientist—president. Festivities included a reception and a dedication ceremony with music and remarks given by Robert Millard '73, chairman of the MIT Corporation, James Champy '63 SM '65, lifetime member emeritus of the MIT Corporation, and Paula Hammond '84 PhD '93, the David H. Koch (1962) Professor of Engineering and head of the Department of Chemical Engineering. Among the many achievements noted was the establishment of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research. Hockfield's advocacy for the convergence of biology and engineering helped lay the foundation for this building—which, as Hammond pointed out, is the site with the highest rate of intra-MIT co-authorship as well as the top inventing building on campus. We are grateful for Hockfield's championship and proud that our "backyard" will bear her name.

Photo credit: Gretchen Ertl

Vaccine with a Double STING

MIT News

September 30, 2019

A new vaccine from the laboratory of KI faculty member Daniel Anderson targets mRNA to immune cells using lipid nanoparticles. The nanoparticles, described in Nature Biotechnology, protect antigen-coding mRNA from breaking down in the injection site and guide the payload to antigen-presenting immune cells that will in turn attract and stimulate T cells and other immune cells. Further, the lipid polymers themselves boost T cell activity by activating the STING (stimulator of interferon genes) pathway. The team is working to build a library of additional immune-stimulating nanoparticle structures and screen them to identify the designs that best boost the vaccine’s effectiveness against individual cancers and other diseases.

A Triple Threat

Upworthy

September 25, 2019

KI member and Marble Center for Cancer Nanomedicine director Sangeeta Bhatia talks with Upworthy about her uphill climb through the worlds of engineering, medicine, and entrepreneurship, and her continued commitment to pushing boundaries as a scientist and mentor. Bhatia discusses the challenges of increasing the number of women in the STEM pipeline and credits early flexible support with helping her balance the demands the challenges of starting an ambitious research program and a new family.

The Mighty Mighty Ketones

MIT News

September 3, 2019

Ketone bodies—molecules produced by the breakdown of fat—promote the regeneration of stem cells in the intestinal lining, according to new work from the laboratory of Ömer Yilmaz. In a study appearing in Cell, researchers found that intestinal stem cells produced unusually high levels of ketone bodies, even in the absence of a ketogenic (high-fat) diet, and that these molecules stimulate the Notch pathway to boost stem cell production. Comparisons of diets in mice suggest that ketogenic diets may help repair damage to the intestinal lining, which can occur in cancer patients receiving radiation or chemotherapy. This research was supported in part by the Koch Institute Frontier Research Program through the Kathy and Curt Marble Cancer Research Fund, the MIT Stem Cell Initiative, and The Bridge Project, a collaboration between the Koch Institute and Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center.

Turning the 'Phage on Chemotherapy

Cancer Immunotherapy Research

September 3, 2019

A subset of white blood cells known as macrophages play a central role in the ridding the body of unwanted cellular threats. However, some microenvironments can render macrophages inactive. Chen Lab researchers, in collaboration with investigators at the University of Southampton, set out to combat bone marrow-resident tumors that are generally resistant to treatment. They demonstrated that low doses of cyclophosphamide chemotherapy activated macrophages when combined with therapeutic antibodies. The combination cleared bone marrow-resident tumor cells, such as B cell lymphoma and breast cancers. The results, published in Cancer Immunotherapy Research, suggest that treating cancer patients with low-dose chemotherapy will not only kill tumor cells directly, but could also aid in immunotherapy via macrophage activation in resistant organs. The immunotherapeutic potential of macrophages was featured in the KI’s 2016 Image Awards exhibition.

In Remembrance: David H. Koch (1940-2019)

MIT Koch Institute

August 23, 2019

MIT alumnus and MIT Corporation life member emeritus David H. Koch has died at age 79. After receiving the SB (1962) and SM (1963) in chemical engineering at MIT, Koch joined his family’s business, Koch Industries, in 1970. He became president of Koch Engineering in 1979 and served as executive vice president of Koch Industries until he retired for health reasons in 2018.

Koch’s death follows a long battle with prostate cancer, first diagnosed in 1992. Koch has said his experience with the disease encouraged him to become a “passionate crusader” for cancer research. The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research stands as a legacy to that passion. His $100 million gift in 2007 enabled MIT to establish the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and begin construction of its home in Building 76, where scientists and engineers work together under one roof in pursuit of powerful, new ways to diagnose, treat, and ultimately prevent cancer.

“David’s magnificent gift paved the way for our building, for numerous professorships held by our faculty, and for our unique approach to cancer research,” said Tyler Jacks, director of the Koch Institute and David H. Koch Professor of Biology. “I will always be profoundly grateful for his vision and generosity.

The Condense-ated Version

MIT Koch Institute

August 19, 2019

Two new studies from the laboratories of KI members Richard Young and Phillip Sharp give a clearer picture of how specialized droplets called condensates may govern the transcription—or conversion—of DNA into RNA. Transcription relies on the coordination of multiple molecules and processes to orchestrate gene activity and regulation. Emerging research into the mechanisms behind these functions point to condensates as a key element in facilitating the necessary interactions.

In a Molecular Cell study, researchers found that weak interactions among disordered regions of transcription factors and other molecules may help determine whether a condensate forms at a stretch of DNA that regulates gene activity. Read more

A Nature study found that separate condensates form for transcription initiation and for splicing and transcriptional elongation, and that the phosphorylation of RNA polymerase II (one component of the transcription machinery) changes a protein’s affinity for one condensate type or the other. Read more.

Young and others have formed a company called Dewpoint Therapeutics to translate condensate biology into potential treatments for a wide variety of diseases, including cancer.