Dr. Michel Sadelain and his team along with researchers at UC-San Diego and USC have shown that using mechanogenetics – how physical forces and changes in the mechanical properties of cells and tissues can influence how genes are expressed – to manipulate CAR-T cells to only attack cancer tissues. The researchers found by using ultrasound waves, they could direct certain cells to turn on CAR-T cell gene expression. This research could revolutionize the availability and safety of CAR-T cell treatment by increasing the effectiveness and minimizing the subsequent toxicities of these treatments.

Jimmie C. Holland is known around the world as the founder of psycho-oncology. She passed away on December 24 at the age of 89. Dr. Holland’s contributions at MSK are enormous, from establishing it’s first full-time psychiatry service in 1977, and chairing the Department of Psychiatry until 2003. She founded numerous journals on the topic of psycho-oncology, and continued to participate in patient care well into advanced age. Dr. William Breitbart, Chief of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at MSK described Jimmie as “a hero, an advocate, an inspirational leader, a teacher, a mentor who launched the careers of the leaders of a worldwide field, and always, up to the last days of her life, a caring and effective clinician.”

You can visit Dr. Holland’s Synapse profile (MSK Publication Database) to review some of her research contributions to the field of psycho-oncology.

The Integrated Mutation Profiling of Actionable Cancer Targets (IMPACT) gene profiling assay is a diagnostic test devised by MSK to identify a variety of gene mutations (biomarkers) found in a variety of cancers. It was granted FDA approval last month. By identifying the mutations present in a tumor, clinicians can better treat a patient’s cancer for their exact tumor type. The IMPACT test works by comparing tumor tissue to normal tissue or cells to detect changes in the genetic makeup of the tumor that can direct treatment options.