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
immune cells
Finding
#AACR17: Study Explores Best Time to Give CAR T Cell Therapy

Leukemia patients may do better on CAR T cell therapy when they are treated early, before their disease relapses.
David Hyman and Robin Gillespie
Finding
#AACR17: Basket Trial for Experimental Drug Shows Promising Early Results

Neratinib, which targets mutations that drive cancer growth, is showing promise for treating several types of cancer.
Illustration of breast encompassing blue normal cells and red cancer cells.
Finding
A Missing Link Revealed: Researchers Gain Insight into Breast Cancer Drug Resistance

Researchers find an epigenetic role in how breast cancer tumors develop resistance to treatment.
Illustration of intestinal tract with magnifying glass held over it revealing various microbes.
In the Clinic
Intestinal Bacteria May Affect Risk of Cancer Returning after Bone Marrow Transplantation

Learn how a patient’s intestinal bacteria may influence the risk of cancers such as leukemia or lymphoma returning after bone marrow transplantation.
Wearable device on woman’s arm with labels indicating beams going into nanotubes and coming back out for analysis.
In the Lab
Detective Work: How Implantable Nanosensors Could Monitor Cancer Activity

Learn how tiny sensors made of nanotubes could serve as implantable devices that offer a noninvasive way to monitor cancer and its treatments.
Molecular biologist John Petrini of the Sloan Kettering Institute.
Feature
Understanding the DNA-Damage “First Responders”: John Petrini at Work

Scientists know that cancer can result from mistakes in DNA repair. But understanding what controls the repair process itself has been a hard nut to crack.
Andrea Cercek, a medical oncologist in MSK’s Gastrointestinal Service, speaking to a patient.
Feature
MSK Expert Weighs In on New Study Showing Rising Rates of Colorectal Cancer in Young People

Learn more from Andrea Cercek about a new study showing that colorectal cancer rates are increasing in younger people.
CAR T cells attacking cancer
In the Lab
CRISPR Genome-Editing Tool Takes Cancer Immunotherapy to the Next Level

What do you get when you combine two of the hottest areas of biotechnology? A new paper from MSK researchers explains.
Histology images of stem cells and AML cells
In the Lab
Step by Step: Stem Cell Approach Provides New Models for Studying How Acute Myeloid Leukemia Progresses

A new laboratory tool will allow researchers to study the progression from normal cells to myelodysplastic syndromes to an aggressive type of leukemia.
Pancreatic beta cells
In the Lab
Connecting the Dots: Stem Cells Provide Valuable Tool for Linking Genes and Disease

Researchers are using pluripotent stem cells to create models of diabetes and pancreatic cancer.