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Ludwig Link | April 2020 2 LUDWIG LINK | APRIL 2020 IN THIS ISSUE LUDWIG 4 | A distinguished 18 | Q&A with scholar Robert Weinberg LINK Renowned scientist The Ludwig MIT Douglas Hanahan joins Director on his science, APRIL 2020 the Lausanne Branch his mentors and more LIFE-CHANGING SCIENCE 1 LUDWIG LINK | APRIL 2020 2 LUDWIG LINK ludwigcancerresearch.org APRIL 2020 LETTER TABLE OF CONTENTS This issue of Ludwig Link arrives at a personally and professionally Awards and distinctions 4 Welcoming a distinguished Ludwig scholar 4 challenging time for everyone For taking on ALS 4 in the Ludwig community and For miniature miracles 5 beyond. Aside from coping For immunometabolic insight 5 with the worry caused by the For model science 6 COVID-19 pandemic and its For enriching immunology 6 economic fallout, many of you have had to secure your labs and, at the same time, work News roundup 7 to assure that critical research resources are preserved Deadly duo undone 7 and protected. We appreciate that this is a time of A matter of fat 7 tremendous uncertainty for everyone and wish you all Suppressor suppression 8 the best in your efforts. We recognize that you are all A broader attack 8 doing your part to help end this pandemic and following A malignant balance 9 whatever mitigating and safety measures your host Microhelper 9 institution requires. Car-T revival 10 Tracking TDO 10 If the New York office can be of help to you in your efforts, Designing and tuning signals 11 please do not hesitate to contact us. Two-hit strategy 11 Hyperactive nuclear hoops 12 LUDWIG LINK | APRIL 2020 We hope you and your loved ones are staying safe and Deadly low profile 13 healthy in this difficult time. Your work will resume when Clock link 13 the pandemic passes, and we hope this newsletter will Empowering predictions 14 remind you of how important it is to the wellbeing of The tribes of DC 15 humanity. You will, we’re sure, find ample evidence of Oncogenic alternatives 15 that in the following pages, which brim with intriguing The advantage of slowing down 16 discoveries, awards and honors bestowed on your Electric discovery 16 colleagues and include an engaging interview with a Simple needs 17 cancer research pioneer. Clinical trials 17 Prime and boost 17 Sincerely, Q&A with Robert Weinberg 18 Rachel Reinhardt Senior Vice President for Communications Ask a scientist 24 Required reading 25 3 Awards and distinctions WELCOMING A LUDWIG DISTINGUISHED SCHOLAR Douglas Hanahan was appointed Ludwig blood vessels. Their subsequent work in Distinguished Scholar at the Lausanne this area led to the development of new Branch of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer anti-angiogenic drugs. Doug’s seminal Research in January. Doug has made review The Hallmarks of Cancer, authored many landmark contributions to cancer with Ludwig MIT Co-director Robert biology and immunology. Working out of Weinberg and published in Cell in 2000, the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in the drew from all corners of basic cancer late 80s, he developed one of the first research to create a unifying conceptual Douglas Hanahan transgenic mouse models of cancer and framework for understanding tumor Ludwig Lausanne used it to investigate the stages of cancer initiation and progression. It is widely progression, the role of oncogenes in regarded among the most influential that process and the immune system’s publications of modern cancer biology. response. Collaborating with the late His laboratory continues to explore the Judah Folkman, he also used these mouse stages and drivers of tumor progression models to identify the “angiogenic switch” and pharmacologic strategies to disrupt employed by tumors to generate new them. FOR TAKING ON ALS LUDWIG LINK | APRIL 2020 Ludwig San Diego’s Don Cleveland as well. Don has made many significant and colleagues received the inaugural discoveries on the molecular biology of Healey Center International Prize for neurodegenerative diseases, including innovation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis the identification of tau, a protein that (ALS) research for their discovery and features in other cognitive disorders, development of antisense oligonucleotide including Alzheimer’s disease, frontal (ASO) technology as a treatment approach temporal dementia and chronic traumatic for SOD1-mediated ALS. Over 100 brain injury. Don and his colleagues Don Cleveland different mutations to the SOD1 gene have received their award during the 30th Ludwig San Diego been linked to inherited ALS, and ASO International Symposium on ALS/MND in intervention is already being evaluated in Perth, Australia on December 6th. Click clinical trials. The approach holds promise here to see Don’s presentation at the for other forms of ALS and a number award ceremony. of other neurodegenerative disorders 4 Awards and distinctions FOR MINIATURE MIRACLES Ludwig MIT’s Sangeeta Bhatia has also uses computer-chip technology to been elected to the National Academy fabricate synthetic microtissues to model of Medicine. She is already a member and treat diseases of the liver. Sangeeta of the National Academies of Science and her trainees have founded several and of Engineering, making her just the biotechnology companies to further 25th person to be elected to all three develop these technologies. Election national academies. Sangeeta and her to the National Academy of Medicine is colleagues harness miniaturization considered one of the highest honors tools from the world of semiconductor in the fields of health and medicine manufacturing to improve human health, and recognizes individuals who have and have designed nanoparticles and demonstrated outstanding professional Sangeeta Bhatia other materials to diagnose and treat achievement and commitment to service. Ludwig MIT disease, including cancer. Her laboratory FOR IMMUNOMETABOLIC INSIGHT Ludwig Lausanne’s Ping-Chih Ho, macrophages in tumors, disrupt the T cell LUDWIG LINK | APRIL 2020 newly appointed Ludwig Associate response to cancer and how those escape Member, was selected by the European mechanisms might be pharmacologically Molecular Biology Association (EMBO) undone for immunotherapy. EMBO Young for membership in its Young Investigator Investigators are researchers under Program. Ping-Chih is a leader in the the age of 40 who are within their first field of immunometabolism, which four years as group leaders and have a explores how cellular nutrients and proven record of scientific excellence. byproducts of metabolism mediate As part of the program, Ping-Chih will a molecular conversation between receive training in leadership skills and the immune system and the tissues it responsible research practices, and Ping-Chih Ho patrols. His lab has made significant have access to core facilities at the Ludwig Lausanne contributions to our understanding European Molecular Biology Laboratory in of how immunometabolomic effects Heidelberg, Germany. alter the behavior of immune cells like 5 Awards and distinctions FOR MODEL SCIENCE Ludwig Johns Hopkins Co-director Bert the full spectrum of genes expressed in Vogelstein was awarded the 2020 Jessie scores of malignancies has left a mark Stevenson Medal for his transformative on virtually every aspect of basic and work illuminating the fundamental translational cancer research. Today, principles and molecular drivers of cancer his lab mainly focuses on developing initiation and progression, which laid novel diagnostic methods for the earlier the groundwork for more sophisticated detection of cancers and new gene-based approaches to diagnosing and treating therapeutic approaches for treating Bert Vogelstein cancers. The multi-step model of cancer advanced cancers. The Jessie Stevenson Ludwig Johns Hopkins progression he developed more than Kovalenko Medal is awarded by the three decades ago, popularly known as National Academy of Sciences every two the “Vogelgram,” is now taught around years for outstanding research in the the world. His subsequent work charting medical sciences. FOR ENRICHING IMMUNOLOGY Ludwig MSK’s Alexander Rudensky is the of their generation, maintenance and LUDWIG LINK | APRIL 2020 2020 recipient of the AAI-Thermo Fisher function to their relevance to cancer Meritorious Career Award. He received biology—in which they play a central role the award, presented by the American in thwarting the immune surveillance Association of Immunologists, for his of tumors. Alexander’s discoveries hold contributions to the field of immunology. significant promise for the development Alexander is an internationally recognized of therapies for autoimmune diseases leader in the study of regulatory T cells and the prevention and treatment of Alexander Rudensky (Tregs), which control immune responses, cancer. He will present a lecture titled Ludwig MSK prevent autoimmunity and participate The virtue of restraint in adaptive immunity in wound healing. His work has touched in May, when he receives his award in on almost every aspect of Treg cells, Honolulu, Hawaii. from the molecular biology and genetics 6 News roundup DEADLY DUO UNDONE The main risk factor for stomach cancer H. pylori infection. Interfering with the is an infection by Helicobacter pylori (H. CagA–ASPP2 interaction using small pylori). Strains of H. pylori that produce molecules or a specific peptide blocks the toxin CagA significantly increase the loss of cell polarity and reduces bacterial risk of stomach cancer compared with colonization in organoids, which are tiny, strains that do not. In a January paper in self-organized three-dimensional tissue the Proceedings
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