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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385 News Items found
photo of sample blood vials
Finding
Could a Blood Test Detect Early-Stage Cancers?

A sensitive assay for detecting tumor DNA in the blood performed well in patients and may herald the development of a blood test for cancer screening.
Three syringes stuck into an orange and white bull’s-eye
In the Clinic
Drug Targeting Genetic Mutation Works across All Tumor Types

A drug effective in all cancer types with a mutation called a TRK fusion could be the first ever developed simultaneously in adults and children.
Various kinds of nuts
In the Clinic
Two Studies Link Healthy Habits to Increased Colon Cancer Survival

People who maintain a healthy lifestyle after surgery and chemotherapy for colon cancer are more likely to have a favorable outcome after treatment.
Left-handed and right-handed KRas molecules
In the Lab
Mirror-Image Chemistry Enables New Approach for Targeting an “Undruggable” Cancer-Causing Protein

MSK chemists are focusing on developing small-molecule drugs to target KRas, an important cancer protein.
Scientists at the Sloan Kettering Institute are learning why some immune cells are stubbornly hard to revive with immunotherapy.
In the Lab
Why Immune Cells Sometimes Fail to Fight Cancer (and What to Do about It)

By looking at how DNA is packaged in cells, scientists are teasing apart a long-standing conundrum about the immune response to cancer.
Mount Rushmore viewed through face-detection software.
Making a Splash: Researchers Apply Face-Detection Technology to the Study of Genes

Taking a cue from smartphone technology, scientists are using face-recognition algorithms to improve RNA interference.
A cell in the process of dividing
In the Lab
New Study Shows How Wayward Chromosomes Get Back on Track

MSK researchers are learning how cells are able to recognize and correct errors that occur during cell division.
An illustration of CRISPR-Cas9
In the Lab
A Cut Above: MSK-Developed Software Makes CRISPR More Precise

A freely accessible software program provides researchers with an easy way to optimize a popular genome-editing tool.
Image of liver with tumors
In the Clinic
Pumped Up: Implanted Chemotherapy Device Improves Survival when Colorectal Cancer Spreads to the Liver

A retrospective study from MSK has found that colorectal cancer patients with liver metastases live an average of two years longer when they receive an additional treatment called hepatic arterial infusion (HAI).
photo of blood vials
Finding
Blood Will Tell: Scientists Find Clues to Immunotherapy Responders and Non-Responders

Why do some patients respond to immunotherapy while others do not? Blood may hold the answer.