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Four headshots of winnners of the 2024 Karches Prize - Shandon Amos, Christina Cabana, Ivan Pires, and Jason Yu.

Introducing the 2024 Karches Prize winners

January 24, 2025

Congratulations to the winners of the 2024 Peter Karches Mentorship Prize — Shandon Amos, Christina Cabana, Ivan Pires, and Jason Yu.

The Peter Karches Mentorship Prize is awarded annually to up to four Koch Institute postdocs, graduate students or research technicians who demonstrate exemplary mentorship of undergraduate researchers or high school students in their labs. The prize allows the Koch Institute community to celebrate and recognize the critical role that mentors play, both personally and professionally, in the early stages of a scientist’s career.

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Soto-Feliciano Named AACR 2023 Gertrude B. Elion Cancer Research Award Grantee

American Association for Cancer Research

August 31, 2023

Congratulations to Yadira Soto-Feliciano on receiving the AACR 2023 Gertrude B. Elion Cancer Research Award. She will use the award to support her work revealing cancer epigenomes through the lens of chromatin adaptor proteins. "The 2023 AACR Gertrude B. Elion Cancer Research Award is important to me because it recognizes the immense value of fundamental biomedical research in combating cancer," remarked Soto-Feliciano. "This prestigious honor inspires me to continue my pursuit of groundbreaking discoveries, ultimately aiming to make a meaningful impact in the lives of cancer patients."  

Paying It Forward

MIT Spectrum

August 29, 2023

As the first person in his family to attend college, Digbijay (Jay) Mahat had the enthusiastic support of his father, who wanted his firstborn to receive the education he had not. Mahat vowed to seek the highest degree possible in what he considered the most prestigious discipline—science—to stay true to his father’s dreams as well as his own. Today, Mahat is a new father and an accomplished cancer researcher who considers humanity and public service to be every bit as important as education and science. Guided by advisors such as MIT Institute Professor Phillip Sharp, Mahat became a mentor with the belief that education can shape not only students’ professional trajectories but also the people they become. “The soft skills of working in a group, the culture of sharing resources, and compassion towards each other mold us into better citizens,” says Mahat, a 2021 recipient of the Peter Karches Mentorship Prize at the MIT Koch Institute. 

Self-Assembling Cell Scaffold

MIT News

August 15, 2023

In a Cell Reports study, the Calo Lab shows that a single self-assembling protein acts as a scaffold for a biomolecular condensate that forms part of the nucleolus, a cell organelle. Biomolecular condensates—loosely formed assemblies of molecules—perform many key functions and are linked to disorders such as ALS, Huntingdon’s disease, and cancer.

Belcher Lab Receives Funding for BRCA Research

Gray Foundation

August 10, 2023

Angela Belcher will lead one of seven teams supported by the Gray Foundation for the study of new approaches for prevention, early detection, and interception of BRCA-related cancers. Other teams selected will be led by Joan Brugge (Harvard Medical School), Dipanjan Chowdhury (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute), Amy Degnim (Mayo Clinic), Shawn Demehri (Massachusetts General Hospital), Judy Garber (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute), and Kenneth Olive (Columbia University). The grants are part of the foundation’s ongoing Team Science program, which funds innovative BRCA-related collaborative research.     The Gray Foundation’s Mindy and Jon Gray commented: “As we double down on our Team Science program, it is our fervent hope that families have far better options than exist today. We are inspired to support this cutting-edge research across institutions as we continue to make progress in early detection, prevention, and interception of BRCA-related cancers.”      

Eye on the STING Pathway

MIT News

August 3, 2023

The Irvine Lab showed a surprising new role for the immune-regulating protein STING in a study appearing in Science, done in collaboration with the Blainey Lab and the Broad Institute’s Hacohen group. The researchers found that in addition to turning on genes involved in cell defense, the STING protein also acts as an ion channel—mechanisms involved in cell signaling and bioelectrics. This is the first human immune sensor found to translate danger signals into ion flow. The findings could help researchers improve cancer therapies targeting STING, so that they stimulate the immune system to destroy tumors without damaging healthy tissues.

Grant to Bhatia Lab to Advance Nanosensors to Diagnose Pediatric Pneumonia

MIT Koch Institute

August 2, 2023

Sangeeta Bhatia and her group have received a grant from Open Philanthropy to develop a non-invasive, accessible platform to diagnose pediatric pneumonia in under-resourced areas. Pneumonia is the leading cause of death among children worldwide, accounting for 14% of deaths among those under age five. Although pneumonia can arise from either bacterial or viral infection, reliable methods of diagnosing young children are invasive and expensive, frequently putting timely diagnosis out of reach of patients in low- and middle-income countries. In 2022, the Bhatia Lab demonstrated that their nanosensor diagnostic could reliably and quickly measure different immune responses to viral and bacterial pneumonia in preclinical models. Bhatia and a team of researchers from MIT, Boston University, and Boston Children's Hospital will use the grant to adapt this pneumonia diagnostic for use in the doctor’s office and other points-of-care.

Wearable Ultrasound for Cancer Detection

MIT News

July 28, 2023

KI alumna and Media Lab professor Canan Dagdeviren has designed a flexible, user-friendly 3D-printed patch that could be incorporated into a bra to enable earlier detection and more frequent monitoring of patients at high risk for breast cancer. She was also named one of three inaugural prize winners by MIT Future Founders Initiative, which promotes female entrepreneurship in biotech.

Paula Hammond Appointed Vice Provost for Faculty

MIT Provost

July 28, 2023

Institute Professor Paula Hammond will begin her new role as as vice provost for faculty in December 2023. In her new role as vice provost for faculty, Hammond will focus on many aspects of professional development, community, and climate for faculty. She will advocate for faculty development and mentoring, working to complement local recruitment and retention efforts led by the schools and college.

Making Sense of Cell Fate

MIT News

July 27, 2023

In a study of ovarian and osteosarcoma cancer cells appearing July 19 in Cell Systems, Yaffe Lab researchers find that timing and dosage of DNA-damaging drugs are key whether cancer cells die or enter senescence. The study has implications for how a class of cancer drugs called MEK inhibitors are used in combination with chemotherapy.  

Kimberly Bennett Named HHMI Gilliam Fellow

Howard Hughes Medical Institute

July 27, 2023

Congratulations to KI grad student Kimberly Bennett, one of 50 new HHMI Gilliam Fellows recognized for their outstanding research and their commitment to making science more inclusive. As a Gilliam Fellow, Kimberly will be working with her advisors Paula Hammond and Joelle Straehla to improve the first generation, low-income graduate student experience at MIT.