Surfing the Web uncovered these news items worth sharing:

• The New York Genome Center (NYGC) has been awarded $40 million, over four years, to create a Center for Common Disease Genomics, which will establish a collaborative large-scale genome sequencing program. Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) is a member of NYGC.

• A group of scientists from the University of Washington’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, MSK, Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, and Stanford University’s School of Medicine have come together to devise a microscope that can see cell detail without having to extract it from a patient’s body. Details can be found in their study.

• Read an interview featuring Dr. Francesca Gany from MSK. Dr. Gany is an Internist and Chief, Immigrant Health and Cancer Disparities Service. Learn more about this initiative which was launched in 2011. Continue reading →

A selection of interesting MSK-related news items:

• The Phenotypic and Biomarker-based Drug Discovery symposium, presented by The New York Academy of Sciences’ Biochemical Pharmacology Discussion Group on October 27, 2015, featured current work in phenotypic drug discovery and highlighted the need to bridge commercial and academic research to improve phenotypic drug design.  Read an overview of the event published on January 12. Several individuals helped to organize this meeting including Ralph Garippa, RNAi Core Head from MSK.

• The Moonshot Initiative announced by President Barack Obama is drawing tremendous support. Dr. Baselga, Physician-in-Chief and Chief Medical Officer at MSK is quoted. View video from the World Economic Forum (YouTube; published on Jan 19, 1:05:47 min) to learn more about this endeavor. Listen to Vice-President Joe Biden as he speaks to international leaders in cancer research, cancer treatment and data science to discuss potential opportunities to advance the pace of progress in the fight against cancer.

• Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos are partnering with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to back Grail, a new company hoping to turn simple blood tests into a viable method of detecting many types of cancer. Continue reading →

While browsing the news, these are some of the stories that rose to the top!

• Adimab, LLC establishes two independent academic collaborations to include MSK.  This company is involved with the discovery and optimization of fully human monoclonal and bispecific antibodies. Alexander Rudensky, PhD (Immunology Program, SKI and Director, Ludwig Center for Cancer Immunotherapy, MSK) is quoted.
• From the MSK On Cancer Blog, read how researchers are using techniques conceptually similar to Netflix to study biology and medicine. Lead scientist Christina Leslie, PhD (computational biologist) is mentioned.
• MSK’s Josie Robertson Surgery Center, innovatively designed for the well being of patients, is showcased, with details about how MSK is reinventing cancer surgery and focusing on a better hospital experience.
• Dr. Jedd Wolchok (Chief, Melanoma and Immunotherapeutics Service) from MSK is quoted in an article on how advances in melanoma treatment will aid Former President Carter and others.
• Dr. Ethan Basch is quoted in an article describing a study about MSK patients who self-reported symptoms and their quality of life, on which he was the lead author.