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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378 News Items found
Pictured: Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Snapshot
The Social Behavior of Bacteria Offers New Ideas for Antimicrobial Drug Design

Memorial Sloan Kettering researchers have discovered how a common bacterium can evolve to become more mobile and easier to get rid of.
Pictured: Daniel Thorek & Jan Grimm
In the Lab
Faster than the Speed of Light: New Imaging Approach Could Measure Tumor Activity

A new imaging approach being investigated by Memorial Sloan Kettering researchers could provide better information about a tumor’s molecular activity, allowing for a more accurate diagnosis.
Pictured: Derek Tan
Q&A
Taking Clues from Nature for the Development of New Drugs

In this Q&A, Memorial Sloan Kettering chemist Derek Tan discusses why natural products offer inspiration for the development of new drugs.
Pictured: Kenneth Offit
In the Lab
Gene Mutation Linked to Inherited Risk of Common Form of Childhood Leukemia

Researchers have found the first evidence that susceptibility to developing acute lymphoblastic leukemia during childhood may be heritable.
Pictured: Cancer cell lines
In the Lab
Do Cancer Cell Lines Really Resemble Tumors? Now Researchers Can Tell

A recent study found that the cell lines most commonly used for research on ovarian cancer are not the most suitable.
Pictured: Three-dimensional structure of the protein mTOR
In the Lab
A Recently Revealed Protein Structure Creates New Opportunities for Cancer Research and Drug Design

In an eagerly awaited study, Memorial Sloan Kettering researchers report on the molecular structure of mTOR, a protein commonly mutated in cancer.
Pictured: Timothy Chan
In the Lab
Investigators Sequence the Genome of a Rare Head and Neck Cancer

Investigators have sequenced the genome of adenoid cystic carcinoma, a rare and deadly head and neck cancer. The work sets the stage for the sequencing of additional rare cancers at Memorial Sloan Kettering.
Pictured: Melanocytes
Snapshot
Pigment-Producing Skin Cells Generated Using Stem Cell Technology

Memorial Sloan Kettering researchers have developed innovative ways to study some skin diseases, including melanoma skin cancer.
Pictured: Charles Sawyers
In the Lab
Research Suggests a New Approach for Overcoming Resistance to a Targeted Therapy for Prostate Cancer

Research suggests that a new drug could be effective in patients with prostate cancer who develop resistance to the targeted therapy enzalutamide.
Pictured: Kenneth Offit
Finding
New Findings May Lead to Better Predictions of Breast Cancer Risk in Women with Inherited Mutations

A study identifies genetic variations that alter the risk of breast cancer in women who have a certain gene mutation.