12/29/09 CNBC reports on studies demonstrating major progress on the systemic delivery of RNAi therapeutics developed by Alnylam and Koch Institute research teams. The work just published in the Journal of Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS) demonstrate how new lipidoid nanoparticles (LNPs) significantly improved in vivo potency for RNAi therapeutics. RNAi therapeutics have the potential to treat disease and help patients in a fundamentally new way.  These new LNP formulations facilitate endogenous gene silencing at doses that are orders-of-magnitude lower than those required by previously described siRNA delivery approaches. In addition, the current study has demonstrated the simultaneous and highly specific RNAi-mediated silencing of as many as five targets in vivo, serving as proof of principle that multiple genes involved in similar or divergent biological pathways can be silenced with a single administration of a single drug product. From a therapeutic standpoint, this could enable novel pharmaceutical strategies, where silencing of multiple targets could achieve an enhanced level of efficacy, a goal known to be particularly important in cancer.

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12/21/09   The Boston Globe reports on how tumor cells use of sugar may be key to their ability to grow.  An 80-year-old discovery about the way cancer cells generate energy is fueling a new wave of research into how cancers proliferate - and how to stop them.  The reason for cancer cells’ peculiar metabolism - and the question of whether it plays a key role in driving cancer - remained largely mysterious to scientists. Over the past few years, however, biochemistry research has led to a resurgence of interest in cancer cell metabolism - the ways in which cancer cells generate energy to function and grow.  Studies have revealed that a key part of what cancer-causing genes and mutations do is change a cell’s metabolism. And emerging evidence indicates that tracking whether a tumor is metabolically active may be helpful in predicting whether a therapy is working well before the tumor itself shows signs of shrinking - or not.  Recently, the American Association for Cancer Research hosted a four-day meeting focusing on cancer and metabolism. The journal Science has named cancer metabolism an area to watch in 2010.  KI newest faculty member, Matthew Vander Heiden, a leading expert in this area, notes, "A ton of evidence is mounting in this direction; many of the genetic changes very clearly involved in driving cancer seem in one way or another to change metabolism.’’

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12/01/09   The National Cancer Institute reports that while searching for the cell of origin of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), KI colleagues found that cellular plasticity — the ability of cells to trans-differentiate in specific conditions — can change the response of a cell to oncogenic mutations.  Not all cell types are amenable to transformation by the overexpression, deletion or deregulation of specific genes. Some cell types require multiple genetic and epigenetic changes before becoming tumorigenic, whereas others appear inert, irrespective of the genetic insult. Changes to the surrounding microenvironment can also influence this process, inflammation being a prime example. While searching for the cell of origin of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), Tyler Jacks and colleagues found that cellular plasticity can change the response of a cell to oncogenic mutations.

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11/23/09 The 2009 Linus Pauling Medal was awarded to KI Member Stephen J. Lippard, Arthur Amos Noyes Professor of Chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), for his outstanding contributions to chemistry.  The Pauling Medal is given annually by the American Chemical Society (ACS) and is named after the US chemist and two-time Nobel Laureate Linus Pauling –one of the most influential scientists in history. The prize was first awarded in 1966 to Linus Pauling himself.  Professor Lippard is the 44th awardee.

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11/5-6/09 The Koch Institute hosted a one and a half day educational event for interested members of the KI’s community of friends and supporters. Members of the Koch Institute's faculty presented details of their bold investigations in pursuit of new methods for diagnosing, treating, and monitoring cancer; the inaugural appointee to the Koch Institute's Clinical Investigator program presented findings on the leading edge of lung cancer research; and Forum attendees received a report on the progress of construction of the KI's new research and technology facility, scheduled for completion in December 2010.

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