MSK’s Sloan Kettering Institute Celebrates 75 Years of Discovery

In an article published by Ian Demsky, he states that, “When the Sloan Kettering Institute opened its doors on Friday, April 16, 1948, an Associated Press wire story announced: “The world’s greatest cancer center opened here today.”

And over the last seven and a half decades, institute researchers have made important contributions to the fundamental understanding of human biology, as well as driven practice-changing innovations in the treatment of cancer.

Sloan Kettering Institute scientists have discovered cancer-linked genes, unraveled signaling pathways that control cell growth and division, and identified cells involved in mounting and repressing immune responses.

They’ve illuminated how vesicles transport molecules to the surface of cells for secretion — work that later went on to earn a Nobel Prize. They’ve figured out how to derive dopamine-producing neurons from human embryonic stem cells, setting the stage for new treatments for Parkinson’s disease. And they’ve uncovered an overlooked alternative to the famous Krebs cycle, the main process that supplies the energy needs of cells — to list just a few examples.

And they’ve helped pioneer major advances in cancer treatment, from developing some of the first effective chemotherapy drugs to making significant contributions to today’s cutting-edge immunotherapies.

“Even with the many milestones in fundamental biology and cancer research that have happened here, there’s good reason to believe our most important contributions are yet to come,” says Sloan Kettering Institute Director Joan Massagué, PhD, a leading researcher on cancer metastasis and Chief Scientific Officer of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). “That’s true not just for the research being done within the walls of the institute, but also for the many young scientists who receive their training here and go on to do profound, influential work around the globe.”

Read the full article with the following link: MSKCC