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.

and/or
391 News Items found
Memorial Sloan Kettering thoracic surgeon Prasad Adusumilli
New Finding Could Predict Which People with Lung Cancer Will Benefit from Chemotherapy

Researchers identify a biomarker that could predict which lung cancer patients will respond to chemotherapy.
Charles Rudin and Dana Pe'er
Molecular Atlas of Small Cell Lung Cancer Reveals Unusual Cell Type That Could Explain Why It’s So Aggressive

Stem-like cells that make up only a tiny fraction of the total cells in a lung tumor could be the key to stopping the disease’s deadly spread, say researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering.
Katharine Hsu and Rosa Sottile
Unusual Immune Cell Type Could Be Good Target for Immunotherapy

Part natural killer, part T cell, this hybrid immune cell has a “double sword” for fighting cancer.
fruits and vegetables
Food Insecurity Can Make Healthy Eating Difficult for People with Cancer: How MSK is Helping Diverse Communities

Discover how Memorial Sloan Kettering is teaming up with local hospitals to promote healthy eating in diverse communities.
Man holding an IUD
To Detect Ovarian Cancer Early, Researchers Look to Nanotechnology

Could an implantable IUD help detect cancer early, when it is most curable? Scientists at the Sloan Kettering Institute are betting yes.
A collage of photos showing a zebrafish with GFP-labeled melanocytes, magnified GFP-labeled melanocytes, and hPSC-derived melanocytes growing in a dish.
Why Are Only Some Cells ‘Competent’ to Form Cancer? MSK Scientists Say Context Is Key

Experiments with zebrafish and human pluripotent stem cells reveal the necessary ingredients, besides genetic mutations, that fuel the development of melanoma.
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.