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A new screening platform combines machine learning with high-throughput experimentation to identify self-assembling nanoparticles for drug delivery. Nanoparticles, usually made from lipids, polymers or both, can improve a drug’s pharmacokinetics. However, nanoparticle production can be complex and result in a small drug payload. In a study published in Nature Nanotechnology, researchers from the Langer and Traverso Labs screened 2.1 million pairings of small molecule drugs and inactive drug ingredients, identifying 100 new nanoparticle formulations that are simple to create and shuttle larger drug cargoes. One of those nanoparticles, combining the cancer medicine sorafenib with glycyrrhizin (the primary flavoring of licorice), proved more effective than sorafenib alone in both cell culture and a genetic mouse model of liver cancer. |
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A Conversation with the New Director
The Koch Institute celebrates the appointment of Matthew Vander Heiden as the fifth director of MIT’s NCI-designated cancer research program. A pioneer in cancer metabolism as well as a practicing oncologist, Dr. Vander Heiden brings deep experience and keen insight to the multi-faceted work of the Koch Institute community. On Thursday, April 29 he joins MIT President Emerita Susan Hockfield on Zoom for a virtual conversation about his vision for cancer research at MIT. |
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Time to Face the Mucus
Irvine Lab researchers are building an army of T cells ready to fight disease in the respiratory tract. The inhalable vaccines use the naturally occurring protein albumin to carry immune response-generating antigens into the mucosal lining of lungs and lymph nodes, where soldier T cells learn to recognize and fend off unwanted intruders. In a study published in Science Immunology and funded in part by the Bridge Project and the Marble Center for Cancer Nanomedicine, researchers observed a 25-fold increase in T cell response over traditional muscular injections. Ultimately, the team aims to develop vaccines that protect against both viruses and cancer, and combat metastasis by priming the mucosal lining in key organs to reject invading cancer cells. The technology has been licensed by Elicio Therapeutics, which will begin clinical testing of an albumin-binding vaccine later this year. |
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Breaking Through Cancer
Break Through Cancer has set out to find solutions for some of the most intractable cancers by bringing together five leading U.S. cancer centers, including the Koch Institute. Launched with a $250 million challenge gift from Mr. and Mrs. William H. Goodwin, Jr., and headed by Tyler Jacks, the new foundation will support collaborative, interdisciplinary research. |
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In-eight Ability
Paradoxically, variation in the number of chromosomes each cell carries impedes the ability of normal cells to grow and proliferate—but not for cancer cells. By combining bench experiments with bioinformatic algorithms developed in the Barbara K. Ostrom 1978 Bioinformatics and Computing facility, Amon Lab researchers demonstrate how an extra copy of chromosome 8 in Ewing’s sarcoma helps rather than hinders cell survival and growth. In the study published in Genes and Development, researchers found that the EWS-FLI1 fusion oncogene, which drives 85% of Ewing’s sarcomas, results in replication stress and increased DNA damage. An extra copy of chromosome 8 alleviated the cellular stress caused by the oncogene by adding additional copies of RAD21, a gene implicated in DNA damage repair. The team’s findings offer new insight into the mechanisms behind tumorigenesis. |
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Hail Fellows, Well Met
Nancy Hopkins and Aviv Regev were elected to the 2021 class of American Association for Cancer Research Fellows. Hopkins was honored for helping to establish zebrafish as an essential disease model—which has also earned her the International Zebrafish Conference’s 2021 George Streisinger Award—as well as her research involving murine RNA tumor viruses. Regev was honored for her work developing computational approaches to understanding molecular circuits and developing technologies for high throughput, single-cell screening. |
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Location, Location, Location
Matthew Vander Heiden and Bridge Project collaborators demonstrate in a Nature Cancer paper that metabolic differences between primary and metastatic brain tumors may serve as therapeutic targets. The research team showed that breast cancer metastases in the brain require fatty acid synthase expression because they must make their own fats, as compared to breast cancer tumors in the breast, where fats are abundant and accessible. Therapies that inhibit fatty acid synthase in these brain metastases may be a promising strategy for combatting these fatal and drug resistant tumors. This work was also supported in part by the MIT Center for Precision Cancer Medicine, and the Ludwig Center at MIT. |
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Congratulations, Karches Prize Winners!
The Koch Institute is proud to congratulate our 2020 Peter Karches Mentorship Prize winners, Suman Bose, Crystal Chu, Dan Schmidt, and Molly Wilson of the Anderson, Langer, Vander Heiden, and Lees Labs. The prize is awarded annually to postdocs and graduate students in recognition of the important role trainees play in the mentorship of undergraduate students working in KI laboratories. |
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Words of WISDM
The Women in Innovation and STEM Database at MIT (WISDM), founded by Langer Lab postdoc Ritu Raman, launched a new fellowship program offering formal training and honorariums to women scientists interested in public speaking roles. The first class of fellows includes Stephanie Gaglione (Birnbaum Lab), Krista Pullen, (Lauffenburger Lab), and Stephanie Smelyansky (Kiessling Lab). Cheers, all! |
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Virtual Lab Tours
Join Koch Institute researchers during the Cambridge Science Festival’s #30DaysOfScience to explore cutting-edge cancer research through online demonstrations and tours. Programs are scheduled for April 17, 21, 23, and 29, with additional video content coming soon! |
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