Recent MSK Discoveries & Advances

Memorial Sloan Kettering researchers are relentlessly exploring every aspect of cancer — from basic investigations of cells and molecules to clinical trials of new treatments and population-wide studies of the disease. While our core mission is to translate this knowledge into new strategies to control cancer, many of our investigators are also making scientific progress against other diseases and conditions.

Below are some examples of discoveries and advances that recently were made in our laboratories and clinics, and featured in our news stories.

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391 News Items found
Pediatric oncologist Julia Glade Bender
Q&A
Meet Julia Glade Bender, Who’s Focused on Developing Better Treatments for Kids with Cancer

Pediatric oncologist Julia Glade Bender talks about the challenges of treating rare childhood cancers and how personalized medicine is leading to better therapies for tumors that are especially hard to treat.
illustration of the p53 protein binding to a DNA helix
In the Lab
New Findings Clarify How the “Guardian of the Genome” Works

Surprise! It has to do with metabolism.
A micrograph of a cell nucleus
Finding
How an Altered Gatekeeping Protein Can Cause Cancer

An MSK study explains how the drug selinexor, which was recently approved to treat multiple myeloma and is being tested in many other tumor types, stops cancer.
Finding
What Causes Leukemia after Breast Cancer? Research Shows That a Mutation May Be Present All Along

A study from MSK takes a deeper look at some of the causes of secondary leukemia.
a man holding a shield and sword
Finding
Scientists See Potential in Cellular 'Death by Iron' for Cancer Treatment

This form of cell death is called ferroptosis, and certain cancer cells are especially vulnerable to it.
Microscopy image of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus
In the Lab
Researchers Identify a Bacterial Species That Could Protect against Hospital-Acquired Infections

MSK researchers are reporting that a bacterial species called Blautia producta appears to release a substance that kills harmful bacteria.
An illustration of two teapots with liquid flowing into various cups
In the Lab
How Stem Cells Decide Their Fate

Research in blood stem cells has revealed new information about how these cells decide what to become when they divide.
An illustration of proteins serving as bar-code-reading drones
In the Lab
“Molecular Origami” Enables Proteins to Serve as Specialized Delivery Vehicles, Study Finds

Scientists at the Sloan Kettering Institute have identified a fundamentally new type of protein-sorting system in cells.
Cancer biologist and pediatric oncologist Alex Kentsis
In the Lab
Analyzing Urine Can Guide the Treatment of Childhood Kidney Tumors

A protein detected in the urine of children with Wilms’ tumor led to the development of a test to improve diagnosis and treatment.
An illustration of sugar pouring onto NRF2
Finding
Sugar Directly Controls a Cancer-Causing Protein, Scientists Find

The discovery suggests a potential new treatment approach for certain cancers.