Recent MSK Discoveries & Advances

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Recent MSK Discoveries & Advances

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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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377 News Items found
In the Lab
X and Y chromosomes in mice
Breaking Up Is Hard to Do (Especially for Sex Chromosomes)

One’s big, one’s small. Somehow, they make it work.
Feature
Two gloved hands opening a drawer in a laboratory.
Double Trouble: Researchers Find Many Cancers Carry Two Mutations in the Same Gene

Discovery reveals that the genetic causes of cancer may be more complicated than previously thought.
In Brief
A fluorescent image of cells undergoing differentiation in a mouse model.
Cancer Stem Cells’ Reliance on a Key Amino Acid Could Be an Exploitable Weakness

The discovery links metabolism to the way cancer stem cells form tumors.
In the Lab
Chromosomes from a human male
How Small Chromosomes Compete with Big Ones for a Cell’s Attention

During meiosis, small chromosomes risk being lost in the shuffle. Here’s how they hold their own.
In the Lab
Fluorescent image of mouse prostate gland
New Discovery Explains How the Prostate Gland Regenerates Itself

Androgen-deprivation therapy, a mainstay of prostate cancer treatment, may give prostate cells new growth abilities, scientists at Memorial Sloan Kettering have found.
Feature
Four dogs wearing blue bandanas are held on leashes in a hallway at Memorial Hospital. Three handlers are seen only from the waist down.
Top Dogs: Meet MSK’s Four-Legged Volunteers

The Caring Canines program at Memorial Sloan Kettering has been going strong for more than 12 years.
In the Lab
An illustration of a samurai riding a horse along a strand of RNA. The samurai’s sword is changing the letter A to the letter I.
Novel Tool Enables Study of Rare Acute Myeloid Leukemia Stem Cells

MSK investigators have used a lab tool originally developed to study fly nerve cells to uncover new findings about acute myeloid leukemia.
In the Lab
Bacteroides bacteria under the microscope
Research Uncovers Details about How Gut Microbes Influence the Immune System

Investigators have shown how gut microbes promote the formation of a type of immune cell called regulatory T cells.
In the Lab
Cancer biologist Scott Lowe
Drug Combination Could Boost the Effectiveness of Immunotherapy against Pancreatic Cancer

Studies conducted in mice reveal a potential way to breach the defenses of pancreatic cancer tumors.
In the Clinic
The latest results come from a team of MSK physicians and scientists (from left to right): Bob Li, Hai-Yan Tu, Mackenzie Myers, Flavia Michelini, Emiliano Cocco, Sandra Misale, and Maurizio Scaltriti
Back-to-Back Studies Support the Use of HER2-Targeted Therapies in Multiple Cancers

Results from a clinical trial and animal studies provide support for targeting the HER2 protein in multiple cancer types.