From Nobel Prizes to precision medicine—see how Geoffrey Beene-funded research is transforming cancer treatment.
Featured Breakthrough Discoveries
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Breakthrough 1: Car T Therapy Beyond Cancer
Scott Lowe, PhD
Chair, Cancer Biology & Genetics Program | Chair, Geoffrey Beene Cancer Research Center
Extending CAR T Cell Therapy to Treat Aging-Related Diseases
Dr. Lowe’s team demonstrated that CAR T cells, originally developed to fight cancer, can be engineered to target senescent cells: damaged cells that accumulate with age, fuel chronic inflammation, and contribute to tissue dysfunction. By programming CAR T cells to recognize and eliminate these cells, the team reduced fibrosis, improved tissue function, and opened new possibilities for treating aging-related conditions such as liver fibrosis, atherosclerosis, and metabolic syndrome. These studies were published in Nature and Nature Aging.
More recently, this strategy has been extended to cancers that arise in fibrotic tissue environments, a major barrier to effective cell therapy in solid tumors. In a study published in Cell, Dr. Lowe’s team showed remarkable activity against cancer, in part because the engineered cells co-target malignant cells and the fibrotic stroma that supports tumor growth and restricts immune access. Together, these discoveries show how cancer immunotherapy technology can be redirected to treat diseases driven by chronic tissue damage while also creating new therapeutic opportunities for difficult solid tumors, with the team now working toward clinical trials. -
Breakthrough 2: MSK-Impact Precision Testing
Michael Berger, PhD
Revolutionizing Treatment Decisions Through Genomic Profiling
With Geoffrey Beene support, Dr. Berger developed MSK-IMPACT, a pioneering tumor-profiling test designed to identify clinically significant cancer mutations. Originally launched with 341 genes and now expanded to 505 genes, MSK-IMPACT has become a cornerstone of precision oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering.
Implemented in MSK’s clinical molecular diagnostics laboratory, MSK-IMPACT received approval from the New York State Department of Health and became the first tumor-profiling test—academic or commercial—to receive FDA authorization for clinical use.
Results: More than 100,000 MSK patients have had their tumors sequenced using MSK-IMPACT. The platform has informed treatment decisions, enabled identification of patients eligible for genomically matched clinical trials, and generated an unparalleled research resource. MSK investigators have published more than 1,200 scientific papers featuring MSK-IMPACT data, advancing cancer discovery and precision medicine worldwide. -
Breakthrough 3: Rare Blood Cancer Treatment
Omar Abdel-Wahab, MD
FDA-Approved Therapy for Previously Untreatable Blood Cancers
Dr. Abdel-Wahab’s team conducted clinical trials showing that patients with hairy cell leukemia and histiocytosis, rare blood cancers driven by BRAF mutations, responded exceptionally well to the drug vemurafenib. The research, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, has led to FDA approval of the BRAF inhibitor vemurafenib for patients with BRAF V600-mutant histiocytic neoplasms.
The team also discovered that histiocytosis patients without BRAF mutations have other targetable alterations, opening treatment pathways for 100% of patients with these diseases. This culminated in FDA approval of the MEK inhibitor cobimetinib for adults with histiocytic neoplasms regardless of driver mutation. -
Breakthrough 4: Prostate Cancer Organoids
Yu Chen, MD, PhD
Creating “Mini-Tumors” to Test Personalized Treatments
Dr. Chen’s laboratory developed a revolutionary method to grow prostate cancer cells from patient biopsies as 3D “organoids” that accurately mirror tumor behavior. Over two years, the lab established ~15 organoid lines, each harboring different mutations that represent the genetic diversity found across prostate cancer patients.
These living models are now being used to predict how individual patients will respond to specific drugs or drug combinations—accelerating the delivery of personalized treatments. -
Breakthrough 5: Chemotherapy Optimization
Elizabeth Kantor, PhD, MPH
Geoffrey Beene Junior Faculty Chair
Optimizing Chemotherapy Dosing for Breast Cancer Patients
Dr. Kantor has led the development of the Optimal Breast Cancer Chemotherapy Dosing (OBCD) Study, a multi-site cohort of over 34,000 patients with breast cancer. This cohort leverages rich treatment data from electronic health records to understand how chemotherapy dosing relates to patient outcomes, particularly in patients with obesity. Findings from this real-world study hope to complement existing evidence gaps to better inform dosing in real-world populations and improve patient outcomes. -
Breakthrough 6: Leukemia Genetics
Ross Levine, MD
Identifying Genetic Predictors in Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Dr. Levine’s team performed comprehensive mutational profiling of the largest US cohort of AML patients, identifying specific genetic alterations that predict cure or relapse after chemotherapy. They developed a prognostic algorithm now used in clinical practice to guide treatment decisions.
This work allows oncologists to identify which AML patients benefit from dose-intensified chemotherapy and which should be spared more toxic treatments—personalizing care based on genetics.