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
In the Clinic
Cell-Based Immune Therapy Shows Promise in Leukemia Patients

Memorial Sloan Kettering researchers have used genetically modified immune cells to eradicate cancer in five patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Pictured: ESK1 Monoclonal Antibody
In the Lab
New Molecule Targets Proteins Inside Cancer Cells

Scientists from Memorial Sloan Kettering have collaborated on the discovery of a unique monoclonal antibody, called ESK1, that appears to be effective at targeting and destroying several types of cancer cells.
Pictured: Neurons
In the Lab
Researchers Identify Key Element of Nerve Cell Development

Researchers have clarified the process by which developing nerve cells are directed to specialize into distinct parts.
Pictured: X-ray Image
In the Lab
New Findings Clarify How Kidney Cancer Spreads to Distant Organs

Scientists have identified genes and biological mechanisms that one day could be targeted with drugs to stop kidney cancer from spreading to the bone, brain, or other organs.
Pictured: Ming Li
Q&A
Study Suggests New Ways of Manipulating Immune System to Treat Autoimmune Diseases and Cancer

Recent findings by Memorial Sloan Kettering immunologists might one day pave the way for new strategies to control a range of diseases, including autoimmune disorders and cancer.
Pictured: PET Scan
In the Lab
New Imaging Agent Could Improve Prostate Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

Researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering are developing a new strategy for PET imaging of tumors that could result in new tools to detect and monitor prostate cancer.
Pictured: Structure of Synthesized Erythropoietin
In the Lab
Memorial Sloan Kettering Investigators Synthesize Vital Biological Molecule Erythropoietin for the First Time

Researchers have produced a fully synthetic, functional version of erythropoietin, the hormone that controls production of red blood cells.
Pictured: Tunneling Nanotubes
Snapshot
Tunneling Nanotubes Connect Cancer Cells

Memorial Sloan Kettering researchers have discovered a way that cancer cells may be able to exchange information by establishing long bridges between cells called tunneling nanotubes.
Pictured: Ross Levine
In the Lab
Researchers Discover Why Some Leukemia Drugs Are Not Sufficiently Effective

Memorial Sloan Kettering researchers have found why certain drugs are not sufficiently effective in treating leukemias called myeloproliferative neoplasms.
Pictured: Natural Killer Cells & Cancer Cell
In the Lab
Study Suggests Refined Donor Selection Could Improve Outcomes of Bone Marrow Transplantation in Leukemia

In the future, more-advanced genetic testing might offer better ways to match up patients who need a bone marrow transplant with potential donors.