5/25/10

MicroRNAs (miRNA) regulate gene expression and have been implicated in number of oncologic processes included aggressiveness and metastatic spread.  The details of these associations and underlying biology were highlighted by four miRNA studies reviewed together in a recent AACR press conference.  

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5/13/10 KI researchers are using “directed evolution,” to generate proteins that do not occur in nature.  Most protein structures are so complex that it’s nearly impossible to predict how altering their structure will affect their function. So the trial-and-error approach of directed evolution is usually the fastest way to come up with a new protein with desirable traits and a particularly effective method to fast track the discover of new antibodies that target cancer cells. 

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5/7/10  In India, about a million new cases are diagnosed every year, and that number is projected to triple in the next 20 years.   Efforts are now under way in India to make cancer research a priority — an endeavor that is getting a boost from a new program the Koch Institute.   The new program, funded by Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw a member of KI's Leadership Council and chair and managing director of Biocon, one of India’s largest biotechnology firms, will bring Indian scientists to MIT to train for two years. Those researchers will then return to India to help jump-start cancer research programs there.    MORE  >>

4/29/10   A comprehensive new gene expression study in embryonic stem cells has uncovered a transcription control mechanism that is not only more pervasive than once thought but is also heavily regulated by the cancer-causing gene c-Myc. In research published in the April 30th edition of Cell, a team of Koch Institute and Whitehead Institute researchers describes a pausing step in the transcription process that serves to regulate expression of as many as 80% of the genes in mammalian cells.   

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3/3/10  Now a team of KI and MIT bioengineers has devised a new way to rapidly reveal DNA damage under a variety of conditions, promising to make such analysis a routine aspect of applications such as drug screening and epidemiological studies of the effects of environmental agents.   The new technique is based on a 30-year-old test known as the “comet assay” — named for the comet-shaped smear that the damaged DNA forms during the test. However, the new technology can analyze a much greater number of cells, at a much faster rate, than the traditional comet assay.  

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6/10/10 - 6/11/10   The Koch Institute 2010 Symposium, on “Integrative Approaches to Cancer” is the 9th annual event and will be held on Thursday and Friday, June 10 and 11, 2010. Over the two-day program, top cancer researchers from around the world will share insights and updates on their work. KI's annual oncology symposia are consistently popular and draw more than 1,000 attendees each year from across the world. These events provide an excellent opportunity to participate in a exciting scientific program and to network with those who are also passionate about cancer research. 

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