About Herbs Mobile App Now Available on iOS and Android Devices

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The MSK Bendheim Integrative Medicine Center recently released their About Herbs app for both iOS and Android.

Here are some key features: 

• 290 Entries on herbs, botanicals, and supplements with purported benefits, side effects, drug interactions & more
• Objective information backed by scientific references
• Formatted for both healthcare professionals and consumers
• Search by herb or supplement
• Save favorites for offline availability or to discuss them with your physician for safe use
• Explore featured products and services
• Updated weekly
• Original art renderings

75 Years! MSK Library Reaches Milestone Anniversary! #MSKLibrary75

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An image of Candles all in a row to celebrate the Library's 75th Anniversary.

We’re so excited!  And want to invite you to take a trip down memory lane with us.

How did we arrive at our anniversary date? While searching the MSK Archives, an annual report was located that references a library as early as 1921–1922. Upon further investigation, we uncovered that this was a departmental library and that the formation of the library that is the direct predecessor of the library we know today first opened its doors in April 1948. The library was dedicated and named in honor of Lee Coombe, the daughter of Reginald Coombe, the President of Memorial Hospital. The Lee Coombe Memorial Library was located in a building that was later named for Frank Howard.

Today, the MSK Library continues to support the clinical, research, administrative and educational needs of the Institution and beyond. Over the years, the Library has marked many changes, moving from print to a mostly digital collection, offering new services and resources that reflect the information needs of the medical and research activities of the organization, and providing a space where reflection, collaboration, and focus on scholarly activities was and continues to be encouraged and supported.

For the remainder of this year, we have plans to share a timeline of the MSK Library’s accomplishments, events, launches, and changes, starting in the late 1940s and working our way to the present. We plan to illustrate interesting facts about our early beginnings and how we evolved via the MSK Library Blog, our social media platforms, and OneMSK. We also will share fascinating tidbits about the history of health science libraries over the years.

We’ll be tagging all our posts, tweets, photos, and videos with the hashtag #MSKLibrary75.  Join our celebration tour to learn more about our history, our role within the Institution, and the services we provide. Subscribe to the MSK Library Blog, or follow us on Twitter, @MSKLibrary or Instagram, @msklibrary

Donna Gibson, Director, Library Services

Circadian Rhythm and Chemotherapy, Cancer Cells Transformed to Fight Cancer and More

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  • Researchers from Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich have discovered that cancer development and, specifically, metastasizing can be connected to the circadian rhythm. Circadian rhythm is a natural process that regulates the sleep–wake cycle and repeats approximately every 24 hours. These findings may help in better timing of chemotherapy treatments for their higher efficacy. The study was published in Trends in Cell Biology.
  • In a preclinical study, Standford University researchers found a way to alter cancer cells so that they can induce the body’s immune system “to fight the very cancer the cells came from”. The study was published in Cancer Discovery.
  • Researchers from the University of Toronto and Insilico Medicine used an AI drug discovery platform called Pharma.AI. to develop a potential therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). This is just the first step, as any potential drug would need to be tested in clinical trials before it can be used in humans. The study was published in Chemical Science.
  • An experimental drug, Revumenib, showed very promising results in leukemia early (phase 1) clinical trial. Complete remission was achieved in 18 Leukemia patients. The study reporting on this trial was published in Nature. A related study was published in the same issue.
  • Researchers from Australia who studied the mechanisms of tumor resistance to chemotherapy discovered that tumor cells can alternate responding or not responding to chemotherapy through natural randomness. This randomness occurs in the process of cancer cells dying from chemotherapy treatment. Still, there is “a small window where treatment could be most effective.” The researchers also identified specific drugs that can help dealing with this mechanism of resistance. The study was published in Science Advances.
  • New research exploring the genomic doubling phenomenon occurring in the process of carcinogenesis was conducted by researchers from Switzerland. The study that provides a new insight into cancer development processes was published in Nature.