Over the past four decades, MIT has had a focused effort in cancer research, first in the form of the MIT Center for Cancer Research (CCR) and, since 2007, as the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT. This effort has been continuously supported by a Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG) from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), providing the designation as an NCI-designated Cancer Center at MIT. By supplying infrastructural support for Core Facilities and other organizational components of the Koch Institute as well as funds for faculty recruitment and pilot projects, this CCSG is a critical resource for cancer research at MIT. From the establishment of the CCR in 1974 to the transition to the Koch Institute and continuing to the present, the NCI Cancer Center designation has had a strong influence on the MIT administration, leading to significant institutional support over this entire period. The investment in construction of the Koch Institute building (opened in late 2010) is a recent indication of this support. The building brings together 27 cancer scientists and cancer-oriented engineers to form a highly inter-disciplinary and collaborative research environment. The building is also the hub of cancer research on the MIT campus, with a nearly equal number of Members of the Center having their laboratories in other research buildings nearby. The 56 Center Members are drawn from eight academic departments at the School of Science or School of Engineering at MIT. Beyond the discovery research and technology development being pursued by the Members of this Center, significant emphasis is placed on translational research in the form of collaborations with clinical centers and industry partners. Research in the Koch Institute is organized into three Programs. Each of these Programs has made significant advances over the current grant period. Program 1: Genetic & Cellular Programs in Cancer is co-led by Drs. Phillip Sharp, J Christopher Love, and Eliezer Calo. Program 2: Cancer Biology & Immunology is co-led by Drs. Richard Hynes, Dane Wittrup, and Stefani Spranger. Program 3: Systems and Engineering Approaches to Cancer is co-led by Drs. Michael Yaffe, Scott Manalis, and Angela Koehler. These Programs function to stimulate new research initiatives by their Members as well as to foster intra- and inter-programmatic collaborations. In aggregate the 56 Members of this Center have published 1006 cancer-related articles over the past grant period. Of those, nearly 18% have involved multiple Members. The Center has a cancer-related funding base of $58,596,507 TDC (see Data Tables 2A/2B).
The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT is a highly inter-disciplinary Cancer Center that brings together the great strengths at MIT in cancer science and cancer-oriented engineering to address long- standing problems in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The Koch Institute is focused on basic discovery and technology development; however, advancing projects toward the clinic and to the benefit of patients as rapidly as possible is a high priority. This occurs through extensive interactions with clinical centers as well as industry partners.
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