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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374 News Items found
In the Lab
Pictured: Casper zebrafish
Studying Cancer Mysteries Just Beneath the Scales

Hail to the zebrafish. MSK scientists are using a small fish to answer some big questions about cancer.
Q&A
Young man receiving chemotherapy.
Meet the MSK Oncologist on a Quest to Cure Hodgkin Lymphoma with Fewer Long-Term Side Effects

MSK medical oncologist David Straus is looking for less-intensive treatments for Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of blood cancer most commonly found in young adults.
In the Lab
This cross section of a mouse intestine shows dividing cells (stained white) in the epithelial layer of the intestine, which lines the organ. These proliferating cells help restore intestinal tissue after damage from graft-versus-host disease (GVHD).
Immune System Molecule Could Become New Treatment for Graft-Versus-Host Disease

Scientists are using a molecule from the immune system to combat this serious complication in a new way.
In the Lab
Illustration of DNA strands
Project GENIE Aims to Make Sense of Vast Amounts of Genomic Data

A multi-institutional effort led by MSK’s Charles Sawyers is seeking to interpret information about the genetic causes of cancer.
Feature
Microscopic image of spherical cluster of cells, most of them pink cells with a smaller number of blue ones.
Three Compelling Cancer Advances from 2015

MSK researchers moved cancer science ahead in 2015 with landmark discoveries that suggest new treatment strategies and shed light on how the disease progresses.
In the Clinic
Kenneth Offit
Innovative Research Center Will Explore Hereditary Cancer Genes

MSK’s new Robert and Kate Niehaus Center for Inherited Cancer Genomics is using the latest in gene sequencing technologies to discover the inherited causes of cancer.
In the Clinic
Hyperpolarized MRI
Hyperpolarized MRI: A New Tool to Assess Treatment Response within Days

Hyperpolarized MRI could allow doctors to get a read on a tumor’s response to treatment quickly.
Q&A
Picturing the Body’s Immune Response
Understanding the Body’s Immune Response to Inflammation

Cell biologist Philipp Niethammer discusses what the zebrafish can teach us about how the body heals.
In the Lab
Organoid cell structures fluorescing in blue, green, and purple.
Manipulating a Single Gene Turns Colorectal Cancer Cells Back to Normal

For the first time, scientists have shown that the gene APC, which is mutated in the vast majority of colorectal cancers, might be a promising target for future therapies.
In the Lab
Portrait of a live zebrafish with dark patterning around and above the eyes
Uncharted Waters: The Making of a New Cancer Drug

A team of scientists is combining sophisticated chemistry and experiments in zebrafish to develop a new cancer drug that shows early potential against melanoma and metastatic breast cancer.