| | Hynes Wins 2022 Lasker Award
Richard Hynes, the Daniel K. Ludwig Professor for Cancer Research, has received the 2022 Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award. A pioneer in the study of cellular adhesion, Hynes wins the award for the discovery of integrins, proteins that are key to cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions in the body.
MIT community members are invited to celebrate Hynes at an award lecture and fireside chat on Wednesday, November 2 at 4:00 p.m. in 10-250.
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Trace to the Primaries
A deep learning approach from the Garg Lab may help classify cancers of unknown primary that cannot be diagnosed with currently available tools. Trained to spot signs of developmental gene expression patterns in cancer cells, the new technology, described in Cancer Discovery, can identify cancer types with a high degree of sensitivity and accuracy. |
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Photo-genetic Faculty
Meet Francisco Sánchez-Rivera, an assistant professor of biology and one of the Koch Institute’s newest faculty members. He highlights how his research on genetic mutations in cancer could help us understand how to better tailor treatments to individual patients, and discusses his commitments to pushing boundaries, pursuing collaborative approaches, and creating an inclusive lab culture.
Sánchez-Rivera will discuss his work on Thursday, October 13 at 5:30 p.m. as part of SCIENCE with/in/sight: Cancer Research Futures, a public event showcasing the full cadre of new Koch Institute investigators. |
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LUADable Models The Jacks Lab developed new lung organoids for modeling lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD), which comprises approximately 40% of all non-small cell lung cancer cases in the US. Derived from stem cells, organoids are mini cultured organs that provide the ease and speed of use of cell lines, but with improved physiological replication of disease progression. The lab’s approach, described in Genes and Development, provides a gateway to better understanding of LUAD as well as a powerful and flexible strategy for future cancer modeling. |
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Lippard Lecture Returns in Person
The Judith Ann Lippard Memorial Lecture is presented annually by a prominent researcher whose work impacts women’s cancers. The Koch Institute community will gather in the Luria Auditorium on Friday, November 18 at noon for this year’s Lippard Lecture, “Heterogeneity of Breast Cancer Genomes,” given by Dr. Olufunmilayo Olopade of UChicago Medicine. |
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Bravissimo, Bob! Robert Langer won a 2022 Balzan Prize in recognition of his pioneering research in biopolymers and biomaterials, paving the way “for breakthroughs in the controlled release of macromolecules with many medical applications.” The prizes will be awarded by Italian President Sergio Mattarella in November in Rome. |
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A Mind for Metabolism Alejandra Rosario, a senior at the University of Puerto Rico at Cayey and MSRP-Bio student, spent last summer in the Vander Heiden Lab investigating how cells’ access to nutrients in the brain contributes to the persistence of glioblastoma. Inspired by the possibility of impacting patient treatments through research on the fundamental biology of cancer, Rosario hopes to continue the work in an MD/PhD program. |
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BIG Congratulations Cheers to Ömer Yilmaz on receiving a 2022 Glen Foundation for Medical Research BIG Award! Yilmaz will use the award to investigate the molecular mechanisms of how the stromal niche regulates intestinal stem cells in aging and how dietary interventions can reverse some of these changes. |
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From Blacklist to Booklist
Blacklisted from federal funding review panels under McCarthyism but awarded a Nobel Prize for his research on bacteriophage, biologist Salvador Luria was as much an activist as a scientist. On Wednesday, October 26 at 5:30 p.m., join Luria’s former colleagues Phillip Sharp and Richard Hynes in conversation with author and archivist Rena Selya about her new book, Salvador Luria: An Immigrant Biologist in Cold War America. |
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Fascination of Science at the KI
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 for the rest of the fall semester. |
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Menu for Cancer Research
Matt Vander Heiden spoke to Chemical & Engineering News about the complex relationship between diet and cancer. The conversation covers emerging research showing that precise nutritional approaches could restrict tumor growth or improve treatment response. While diet alone is unlikely to cure cancer, Vander Heiden said “it can make a difference, and we need to do the studies to figure that out.” |
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O, the Places You’ll Go
Orna Therapeutics, co-founded by Dan Anderson to engineer circular RNA therapies, announced a collaboration with Merck. Supported by an initial $150 million, the collaboration aims to develop vaccines and therapeutics for infectious diseases and cancer. |
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| | | At President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot address in Boston in September, Director Matt Vander Heiden was most inspired by the goal to halve cancer mortality over the next 25 years: “While President Biden’s goal is ambitious, it is in reach and should be done–our cancer patients and their families need us to bring our best and boldest thinking to meet the challenge.” |
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