The Tisch Cancer Institute

We begin 2022 with a look at The Tisch Cancer Institute’s (TCI) latest discoveries and highlight the work of our dedicated investigators who explore the complex details involved in cancer formation and metastasis. These advances will bring our patients one step closer to longevity and better health.

At Mount Sinai’s Vaccine and Cell Therapy Laboratory, we have created unique, individualized vaccines and shown their safety and promise. In other work, we have engineered a small molecule, MS21, which effectively targets the PTEN/AKT pathway, one of the most commonly mutated pathways in human cancer. Biopharmaceutical companies have been working to develop a drug that accomplishes this for two decades, but with limited success. We believe MS21 holds promise.

In this report, we also share Mount Sinai’s latest findings on macrophages and their potential role in curtailing tumor invasiveness and growth. You will read about our focus on “bystander killing” as a method of improving T-cell-based immunotherapies for a range of cancers. And we show how many of our National Cancer Institute (NCI)-funded researchers are making strides in overcoming refractory acute myeloid leukemia, bladder cancer, mantle cell lymphoma, and hepatocellular carcinoma.

During the summer of 2021, we welcomed Joseph A. Sparano, MD, as Deputy Director and Chief of Hematology and Medical Oncology. Dr. Sparano’s work has led to breakthroughs in the screening and treatment of breast cancer and cancers associated with HIV infection. He will continue this work at Mount Sinai and help us prepare for an updated, future designation as an NCI Comprehensive Care Center.