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
MSK scientists Margaret Callahan, Ronglai Shen, and Katherine Panageas
MSK Study Identifies Biomarker That May Help Predict Benefits of Immunotherapy

A blood-based test identifies patients in whom immunotherapy may ‘LAG.’
Scientist Gabriela Chiosis in her lab
In the Lab
Experimental Drug Targets Misbehaving Proteins in Brain Cancer and Alzheimer’s Disease

Memorial Sloan Kettering researchers are studying how drugs that reverse malfunctioning proteins may treat disease.
Memorial Sloan Kettering surgeon Prasad Adusumilli
Q&A
CAR T Cell Therapy Shows Promise for Treating Mesothelioma

A combination immunotherapy approach using CAR T cells could be an effective new way to treat mesothelioma.
Group photo of researchers Michael Berger, Marc Ladanyi, Dana Tsui, Rose Brannon, Ryma Benayed, Ahmet Zehir, and David Klimstra.
Feature
How MSK-ACCESS Blood Test for Cancer was Created

MSK-ACCESS, a blood test that can detect mutations in 129 genes related to cancer, has already helped guide the treatment of more than 2,800 patients at MSK.
Zsofia Stadler
Finding
Knowledge of Inherited Gene Mutations Increasingly Can Guide Cancer Treatment

An analysis of patients who received molecular testing at MSK has found that about half of those with hereditary gene mutations could benefit from treatment with therapies that target those alterations.
Memorial Sloan Kettering medical oncologist Michael Morris
Finding Hidden Cancer Cells: FDA Approval of New Imaging Tool Could Transform Treatment Decisions for Advanced Prostate Cancer

A newly approved imaging technology can identify the location of prostate cancer cells, allowing doctors to choose the best treatment.
Three photos of Karen Milich: one with her grandson, one of her with her sons, and one of her alone
Feature
How Four Decades of Research Led to an Important Advance in Lung Cancer

Read how a clinical trial is changing the outlook for some people with lung cancer.
Memorial Sloan Kettering medical oncologist Dean Bajorin
Q&A
Immunotherapy Drug Lowers Risk of Bladder Cancer Returning after Surgery

People with bladder cancer may soon have a new treatment option following surgery.
Two clinical trials looking at the effects of a ketogenic diet on cancer treatment are in the works, says MSK medical oncologist Vicky Makker (above). Photo from early 2020.
Can a Keto Diet Fight Cancer?

Learn more about how the keto diet may one day be used as a boost to cancer treatment.
Human metastatic melanoma cells in a lymph node. ENPP1, a protein involved in immune evasion, is shown in green.
Taking the STING Out of Cancer: Discovery about How Cancer Cells Evade Immune Defenses Inspires New Treatment Approach

The research identifies a protein called ENPP1 as a potential drug target in the treatment of advanced cancers with chromosome instability.