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2003-05 Press Releases

December 25, 2005
NEW YORK - Researchers led by a team of scientists at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center have devised a novel strategy that uses stem cell-based gene therapy and RNA interference to genetically reverse sickle cell disease (SCD) in human cells. This research is the first to demonstrate a way to genetically correct this debilitating blood disease using RNA interference technology.
November 17, 2005
NEW YORK - Three young investigators who have made major accomplishments in cancer research will be the recipients of the 2005 Paul Marks Prize for Cancer Research and will share a $150,000 award.
November 6, 2005
NEW YORK - A team of researchers led by scientists at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center have discovered that a new class of drugs -- now in early stage clinical trials -- work best in patients with mutations in the BRAF gene.
October 19, 2005
NEW YORK - Your cancer is under control, but how is everything else? This is not a question cancer patients expect to be asked, but with millions of cancer survivors in the United States living longer, there's a growing need and increased interest in making sure that they are living better.
October 4, 2005
NEW YORK - Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center researchers have found that melanoma patients with a family history of melanoma and/or dysplastic nevi (abnormal moles) are at high risk of developing multiple primary melanomas (MPM).
September 21, 2005
NEW YORK - Women with a strong family history of breast cancer but who don't have breast cancer genetic mutations can now be reassured that they are not at increased risk for ovarian cancer.
August 4, 2005
NEW YORK - Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center found that prostate tumor growth is arrested through a biological process called cellular senescence, in which cells stop proliferating and remain alive but fail to respond to normal growth signals.
July 28, 2005
NEW YORK - Scientists at Memorial Sloan-Kettering have identified a set of genes in breast tumors that appear to predict if breact cancer will spread to the lungs and, once there, how virulent it will become.
June 27, 2005
NEW YORK - According to research published today, investigators from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center have used new techniques in the laboratory that allowed them for the first time to derive unlimited numbers of purified mesenchymal precursor cells from human embryonic stem cells (HESCs).
June 1, 2005
NEW YORK - Scientists at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) have uncovered the structure of a network of proteins that help regulate the life cycle of cells. Understanding the network's physical layout is an important step toward learning its precise function, and in finding ways to correct flaws in the system that could lead to cancer.
May 23, 2005
NEW YORK - Three New York City biomedical research institutions -- The Rockefeller University, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) -- will receive $50 million over three years from The Starr Foundation to develop new resources and expertise in stem cell research.
May 16, 2005
ORLANDO - A prospective, randomized trial comparing a novel regimen with a standard treatment for adult patients with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) showed a distinct advantage that continued to show superior results at three-, four-, and five-year intervals in the investigational arm of the trial.
May 14, 2005
ORLANDO - Recent studies of a new anticancer drug show continued response for patients with late-stage kidney cancer.
February 21, 2005
NEW YORK - Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) have found an explanation for why some lung cancers stop responding to the drugs erlotinib (TarcevaTM) and gefitinib (Iressa®). This discovery may lead to the development of new therapies to use when these agents stop working. The research is to be published online in the open-access international journal PLoS Medicine on February 22, 2005.
January 28, 2005
NEW YORK - Nominations are currently being sought for the Paul Marks Prize for Cancer Research. The prize recognizes outstanding young investigators who have made significant contributions to increase the understanding of cancer or improve the treatment of the disease through basic or clinical research.
January 20, 2005
NEW YORK - Scientists at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) have identified a new cellular oncogene essential for the development of cancer.
January 14, 2005
NEW YORK - A new study by researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and The Johns Hopkins University provides new insight into how tumor cells can become resistant to anti-cancer therapy.
November 18, 2004
NEW YORK - Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) today announced the establishment of a new graduate school of biomedical sciences. It will offer a novel doctoral program that will train basic laboratory scientists to work in research areas directly applicable to human disease and, in particular, to cancer.
October 25, 2004
NEW YORK - A new center for children with cancer has been created at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. The 45,428 square-foot Claire Tow Pediatric Pavilion includes a day hospital and a unit for inpatients. It is designed to create a bright and comforting second home for children and families during cancer treatment, which often lasts 12 to 24 months.
October 7, 2004
NEW YORK - Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center report that 15 embryonic stem cells injected into early embryos of mice whose hearts were genetically predisposed to develop a lethal defect, rescued the heart from developing the disorder by not only producing normal daughter cells that were incorporated into the defective embryonic heart but also by releasing biological factors into the nearby vicinity. This prevented neighboring heart cells from developing into defective tissue.
October 2004
ATLANTA - Experts from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) will present the latest advances in the use of radiation therapy to treat various cancers at this year's 46th Annual Meeting of the Society of Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) in Atlanta, GA.
September 30, 2004
BASKING RIDGE, NJ - Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) today announced construction of a new outpatient cancer treatment facility in New Jersey. The new facility will incorporate the latest concepts in therapeutic design and offer the latest advances in cancer care.
September 25, 2004
NEW YORK - Mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer of the chest cavity that kills about 2000 people a year in the United States. Seventy to eighty percent of patients with this rare cancer have had exposure to asbestos. It has also been proposed that simian virus 40 (SV40), a contaminant in some polio vaccines administered in the 1950's and 1960's, might be a cause. However, studies reporting the detection of SV40 DNA in human tumors (including mesotheliomas, and also some lymphomas, brain cancers, and bone cancers) have not consistently yielded the same results when repeated by other groups. This has fueled an ongoing debate over laboratory methods and the strength of the association of SV40 with these tumors.
September 9, 2004
NEW YORK - Many cancers, including colon, prostate, and leukemia, continue to grow unchecked because they do not respond to a signal to die and stop proliferating from Transforming Growth Factor-beta (TGF-b). For the first time, scientists at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center have discovered the biologic function of the cytoplasmic form of the Promyelocytic Leukemia protein (PML), and identified it as an essential factor in maintaining TGF-b signaling.
August 15, 2004
NEW YORK - David W. Golde, MD, former Physician-in-Chief of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, died on August 9th, 2004 at age 63.
August 5, 2004
NEW YORK - If you are a black Medicare patient in the United States, you are more likely than a white Medicare patient to be treated by a primary care physician who reports being unable to provide consistently high-quality medical care to all patients.
July 16, 2004
NEW YORK - James Allison, PhD, has been named the new Chairman of the Immunology Program at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). He succeeds Alan Houghton, MD, who has led the Program since 1995.
June 7, 2004
DETROIT - Dr. Thomas Kelly, Director, Sloan-Kettering Institute, has been awarded the Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. Prize, one of three awards given annually by the General Motors Cancer Research Foundation (GMCRF).
June 5, 2004
NEW ORLEANS - Recent findings in a national study demonstrated that women with advanced breast cancer have improved response rates and prolonged time to disease progression when they received weekly paclitaxel (Taxol™) versus the standard every 3-week therapy.
June 5, 2004
NEW ORLEANS - A new multi-targeted anticancer drug called SU11248 has shown very promising results in the treatment for metastatic renal cell cancer, one of the most chemotherapy-resistant of all cancers. The study's lead investigator, Robert Motzer, MD, attending physician at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), reported the results of a Phase II study today at the American Society for Clinical Oncology annual meeting.
May 26, 2004
NEW YORK - Larry Norton, MD, Deputy Physician-in-Chief for Breast Cancer Programs at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, is the recipient of the 2004 David A. Karnofsky Memorial Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
May 1, 2004
NEW YORK - A new study shows that the risk for prostate cancer is significantly elevated in men who are part of families with a hereditary form of breast and ovarian cancer.
March 15, 2004
NEW YORK - A new anti-cancer agent, gefitinib (Iressa), recently received FDA approval for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after a series of clinical trials and an expanded access program led by researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC).
March 1, 2004
NEW YORK - Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) is pleased to announce the appointment of David Spriggs, MD, as Head of the Division of Solid Tumor Oncology in the Department of Medicine.
February 1, 2004
NEW YORK - An abnormal or rising prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test is often the first indication that a man may have prostate cancer. Even after diagnosis, the test continues to play a role in monitoring disease progression and assessing treatment outcomes. However, after a man has received curative therapy, there is uncertainty about what the PSA measurement means since the relationship of tumor mass and PSA value is less established at this time.
January 22, 2004
NEW YORK - Royalty Pharma acquired a portion of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center's ("MSKCC") U.S. royalty interest in Neupogen/Neulasta, the entities announced today. Under the agreement, MSKCC received $263 million in cash up-front plus certain additional payments should Neupogen/Neulasta yearly sales exceed certain agreed sales hurdles. In addition, as part of the agreement, MSKCC has made a $7 million investment in Royalty Pharma.
December 3, 2003
NEW YORK - Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center have developed a new computerized tool called a nomogram that will help patients and their physicians calculate the likelihood of breast cancer spreading beyond the sentinel lymph nodes to additional lymph nodes under the arms (axilla).
December 1, 2003
NEW YORK - Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center is pleased to announce the appointment of Larry Norton, MD as Deputy Physician-in-Chief for Breast Cancer Programs. Dr. Norton formerly served as the Chief of the Division of Solid Tumor Oncology in the Department of Medicine.
October 27, 2003
NEW YORK - In patients with prostate cancer, one change that can be seen at the molecular level is the loss of the PTEN tumor suppressor gene, a gene responsible for restricting cell proliferation.
October 26, 2003
NEW YORK - The Paul Marks Prize for Cancer Research goes to three young investigators who have made important contributions to understanding of disease.
October 23, 2003
NEW YORK - Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center has launched its first major capital campaign since the 1980s. With a goal of raising $1 billion over five years, the Campaign for Memorial Sloan-Kettering will provide the means to expand the Center's programs and facilities in fast-emerging areas that hold the key to transform today's research opportunities into new ways of controlling and curing cancer.
October 22, 2003
NEW YORK - A new anti-cancer agent, gefitinib (Iressa), designed to block the signals responsible for telling cancer cells to grow has shown promising results for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.
October 21, 2003
SALT LAKE CITY - New research shows that men with clinically localized prostate cancer, treated to high dose levels with three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT), achieved long-term PSA relapse-free survival (PRFS) with minimal side effects.
October 21, 2003
NEW YORK - David Kissane, M.D. has been named Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC).
October 15, 2003
NEW YORK - New research shows that pediatric brain tumors and Fanconi anemia can develop among children in the rare instance that both parents carry mutations of the BRCA2 gene.
October 1, 2003
NEW YORK - Mary McCabe, RN, MA has joined Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) as Director of a new Cancer Survivorship Program, a Center-wide initiative intended to address the long-term medical, psychological, and social consequences of cancer and its treatment.
September 29, 2003
NEW YORK - Scientists at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and colleagues found that by inhibiting both the proteins responsible for breast cancer growth and those required for the formation of new blood vessels, they could more effectively suppress the growth of extremely aggressive breast tumors in mice.
September 21, 2003
NEW YORK - New research from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), Cornell University, and The University of Connecticut describes a novel way of producing therapeutic nerve cells that can cure mice with Parkinson's-like disease. The work, which will be published in the October issue of Nature Biotechnology (available online September 21), provides the first evidence that cloned cells can cure disease in an animal model.
June 1, 2003
CHICAGO - A new study suggests that a drug called erlotinib (TarcevaTM) has promising activity in patients with bronchioloalveolar cell carcinoma (BAC), a type of non-small cell lung cancer generally considered to be resistant to chemotherapy.
June 1, 2003
CHICAGO - New research finds that Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is a highly sensitive screening tool that may detect breast cancers missed by mammograms in women who are at increased risk for developing the disease.
May 28, 2003
NEW YORK - In a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and colleagues studied nearly one thousand men who had five consecutive PSA tests over a four-year period. Their evidence suggests that biopsy should not be performed until the test is repeated because PSA levels commonly fluctuate above and below the normal range.
May 16, 2003
NEW YORK - For more than 40 years, it has been accepted that radiation kills tumors by damaging their DNA and that other elements that are part of the tumor mass, such as connective tissue and blood vessels, are minimally affected by radiation or not at all. New research by scientists at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center published in the May 16 issue of the journal Science challenges this notion.
May 1, 2003
NEW YORK - Through an innovative partnership, The Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention has opened its doors to provide individuals -- many of whom are medically underserved -- with access to the highest quality cancer screening and treatment services.
April 17, 2003
COMMACK, NY - Northport resident John Joseph Fiore, MD, has joined the staff at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center's Suffolk Outpatient Center as its newest full-time physician. An experienced medical oncologist, Dr. Fiore specializes in the treatment of patients with lung cancer.
April 8, 2003
NEW YORK - For nine dogs that naturally developed canine malignant melanoma, treatment with a new DNA-based vaccine more than tripled their median survival from an expected 90 days to an average of 389 days.
March 19, 2003
NEW YORK - A new study that shows lung cancer risk varies widely among smokers may help individuals and their doctors decide if voluntary screening is appropriate for them.
February 12, 2003
NEW YORK - Nominations are currently being sought for the Paul Marks Prizes for Cancer Research.
February 9, 2003
NEW YORK - Researchers have developed a novel approach to genetically instruct human immune cells to recognize and kill cancer cells in a mouse model. The investigators plan to ultimately apply this strategy in a clinical trial setting for patients with certain forms of leukemias and lymphomas.
February 6, 2003
NEW YORK - Marc Rosenblum, MD, has been named Chairman of the Department of Pathology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
January 10, 2003
NEW YORK - - A rare genetic syndrome, Dyskeratosis Congenita (DC), may hold the key to understanding a mechanism that causes premature aging and cancer.
January 7, 2003
NEW YORK - - A unique web-based resource about herbs, botanicals, and other products has been launched to provide medical practitioners, as well as the general public, access to comprehensive information about these products.
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