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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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What's Next for RNA Vaccines?

MIT News

May 13, 2022

KI member Dan Anderson recently co-authored a review in Nature Biotechnology on mRNA therapies. He sat down with MIT News to discuss the history and lessons learned from the development of mRNA vaccines for Covid-19 as well as future directions for the field.
 

Thrown for a Loop

National Science Foundation

May 10, 2022

Human genomes are folded into loops that control important processes, such as gene expression and DNA repair, and may lead to cancer when misfolded. The Hansen Lab visualized loop formation—for the first time—and discovered that loops are more rare and short-lived than previously thought. The study, published in Science, illuminates the need for new models of how the genome’s 3D structure regulates cellular processes.

Spring Cleaning

MIT News

May 10, 2022

Manalis Lab researchers have discovered that before cells divide, they take out the molecular trash. In a study appearing in eLife and funded by the MIT Center for Precision Cancer Medicine, the team detected a drop in the dry mass of cancer cells using a technique deploying the Manalis Lab’s signature suspended microchannel resonator. Further experimentation revealed an uptick in lysosomal exocytosis, a process where lysosomes—cell organelles that process cellular waste—jettison their contents. Because exocytosis plays a role in the development of resistance to some chemotherapies, the findings could inform new strategies for making cancer cells more susceptible to treatment.

New Partnerships for the Marble Center for Cancer Nanomedicine

MIT Koch Institute

May 6, 2022

The Marble Center for Cancer Nanomedicine—housed within the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT—announces the launch of an affiliate program that will fuel scientific collaborations between academic and industry members and enable breakthrough innovations in all areas impacted by nanomedicine, from drug delivery to gene editing, biomedical imaging, and diagnostics. Inaugural members of this program are Alloy Therapeutics, Danaher Corporation, FUJIFILM Holdings America Corporation, and Sanofi.

Beneath the Skin, More Than Meets the Eye

PNAS

May 5, 2022

Lees Lab researchers probed the genetic underpinnings of cutaneous and uveal melanoma—cancers of pigment-producing cells found in the skin and eye, respectively. Their findings, published in PNAS, reveal key biological distinctions that can inform both clinical treatment development and broader understanding of how cancers of similar lineage develop in different tissue contexts.

Tumor Lineage: The Next Generation

STAT News

May 5, 2022

A lineage-tracing collaboration between the Weissman, Jacks, and Yosef (UC Berkeley) labs boldly goes where far too many cells have gone before—from cancer-causing mutation to deadly tumor. Their CRISPR-enabled barcode technology allows them to track the evolution of cancer cells in unprecedented detail. The work was published in Cell and supported in part by the Ludwig Center at MIT.

Belcher Elected to NAS

National Academy of Sciences

May 3, 2022

Cheers to KI member Angela Belcher, recently elected to the National Academy of Sciences. Belcher, who is also a member of the National Academy of Engineers and the National Academy of Inventors, is being recognized for distinguished and continuing achievements as a materials scientist and biological engineer. She is the fourth KI member to hold all three of these memberships. 

Dragonfly and Gilead Partnership Takes Flight

Fierce Biotech

May 2, 2022

Immunotherapy startup Dragonfly, co-founded by KI member Tyler Jacks, announced a strategic research collaboration with pharmaceutical giant Gilead to advance their natural killer cell engager-based immunotherapies for cancer and inflammatory diseases. The partnership opens up broader pipelines for cancer drug development and approvals, and accelerates opportunities for patient impact and major distribution.

AAAS the World Turns

MIT News

April 28, 2022

Congratulations to KI members Regina Barzilay and Ron Raines for their election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Honored in the “Class 1” cohort of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, they join 19 other current KI members as part of one of the nation’s most prestigious honorary societies.

MIT Koch Institute Receives $6M to Intercept and Cure Deadly Cancers

MIT Koch Institute

April 11, 2022

KI researchers will receive $6 million in grants from Break Through Cancer, a foundation supporting collaborative, multi-disciplinary research teams from leading US cancer centers. The grants support projects aiming to intercept cancer at early stages and find treatments for some of the deadliest cancers, including pancreatic and ovarian cancer, and glioblastoma.