Phenotypic Drug Discovery, Moonshot, Partnership, and Publications

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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.

3D Printing May Lead to Personalized Pills

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The impact of 3D printing in the field of medicine has been impressive; from fully customized implants, medical supplies and braces to bioprinting blood vessels, the list of objects that have already been successfully printed in this field demonstrates the potential that this technology holds for healthcare in the near future. This technology stands to revolutionize the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, with possibilities that sound straight out of science fiction. The first 3D printed pill was approved last year by the Food and Drug Administration to treat epilepsy. While there are several significant concerns that need addressing before 3D pharmaceutical printing technology goes mainstream, the benefits are well worth exploring.

A Collaborative Approach: Providing the Right Tools for Publishing a Systematic Review

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Last year (August and November 2015), the Library partnered with Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK)’s Behavioral Research Methods Core Facility led by faculty from the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences to expand our Systematic Review Workshop and offer a customized two-part training for City College of New York (CCNY) students, as well as, staff and other research colleagues collaborating with MSK researchers involved in the Translational Research Education and Training to Eliminate Tobacco Disparities (TREND) Program. TREND, funded by an NCI P20 Planning Grant, is dedicated to building capacity to pursue tobacco-related disparities research training and educational opportunities at CCNY and MSK. Who could pass on such an amazing training experience?

Why collaborate on a Systematic Review? A systematic review is an in-depth literature review centered on a research question that tries to identify, appraise, select, and synthesize all high quality research evidence relevant to that question. This type of publication actually requires a team to collaborate in reviewing the search results (literature retrieved) and determining which papers will be included and excluded from the research.  There are many steps and tasks required to produce a successful systematic review and the MSK Reference Librarians had a group of extremely interested researchers who wanted to do just that! Publish a Systematic Review! Continue reading →