insights

Highlights from the Koch Institute Public GalleriesW

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The Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT was founded in 2007 and opened at its current facility

on March 4, 2011. By combining the biology faculty of the former MIT Center for Cancer Research with cancer-

oriented engineers drawn from across the MIT School of Engineering, the Koch Institute continues a tradition

of scientific excellence while directly promoting innovative solutions for the improved detection, monitoring,

treatment, and prevention of cancer.

[ THE GALLERIES ]

PHILIP ALDEN RUSSELL (1914) EAST GALLERY WEST IMAGE GALLERY

Cancer Research Stories

Capturing the Life Sciences

Signals High-Tech Neighborhood Capturing

the Life Sciences

Eureka!

A Convergent Moment

A Human Endeavor

The Koch Institute Public Galleries were established to connect the community in Kendall Square and beyond

with the work of the Koch Institute. Within the Galleries, visitors can explore current research projects, examine

striking biomedical images, hear personal reflections on cancer and cancer research, and investigate the

historical, geographical, and scientific contexts out of which the Koch Institute emerged. Further information

about the work of the Koch Institute is available online at ki.mit.edu.

The Koch Institute is deeply grateful to Charles B. and Ann Johnson for their generous gifts establishing the Philip Alden Russell (1914) Gallery at the Koch Institute and providing ongoing support for exhibit revitalization.

A Human EndeavorCancer is personal. No statistic can convey the hardships that cancer patients and their families endure; no

publication can summarize the lifelong efforts of cancer researchers. This video installation explores diverse

personal perspectives on cancer and cancer research through an ongoing interview series.

“ Five and a half years in, my husband

still can’t say the word cancer. I own

it. Yes, I have cancer. And that’s okay.

It’s not great. I’d prefer not to. But at

the same time, life goes on.”

“ It was when I was in fifth grade that my teacher walked into the room and said, “Okay boys and girls, close your books. We’re going to talk about, ‘What is life?’” I remember after an hour of that discussion, of trying to figure out what the heck life was, I was just so astonished. I thought, ‘Gee, this is really cool.’ And I don’t think I ever stopped wondering about it from that moment on.”

“ We will make important discoveries.

We will develop new technologies.

But at the end of the day we will

impact patients’ lives. And for me,

it will be especially satisfying when

we’re able to connect very directly

from discoveries in our laboratories

to better outcomes for patients.”

“ I’ve had several phone calls from people

that I don’t even know that have been

staring at this cancer thing either like a

four year old child or a 25 year old child,

and they’ve had no good news at all. They

hear a little bit about what’s going on at

MIT, and they’ve called me and want to

hear some of the story because this is

some good news. We’re not going to solve

it this afternoon, but MIT’s resources with

science and engineering are really honing

in on this thing, and its seems to mean

quite a bit to a lot of people.”

“ If there’s any message I try to get across to people

when I meet them, it’s that things might not be

as bad as you might expect. We’re doing better.

We’re making progress. We have a much bet-

ter understanding of what causes cancer, and

not only general cancers but individual patients’

tumors. And now we have drugs that can target

some of those weak areas.”

[ VIDEO INSTALLATION ]

“ In the midst of my Ph.D. studies, my father was

actually diagnosed with prostate cancer. You just

think about cancer in the abstract as this beast

that you’re clawing against and trying to slay.

But when it becomes kind of a more personal

thing and a more personal concern, I think you

realize the impact that it has.”

A Convergent MomentIt is no coincidence that the Koch Institute’s cross-disciplinary approach to cancer has emerged first at MIT,

where both engineering and science have thrived since 1861. This exhibit reflects on the rich parallel histories

of these disciplines during MIT’s first 150 years. The timeline is unfinished; it closes with an opening, anticipa-

ting many more milestones to follow. 2016 marks the fifth anniversary of this moment and a new inflection point

for life scientists and engineers working collaboratively under one roof.

[ TIMELINE ]

The Koch Institute is in the heart of Kendall Square, a center of innovation and

commerce since the nineteenth century. Formerly a thriving home for

the manufacture of everything from rubber to chocolate and soap,

Kendall Square today hosts more than 150 high-tech companies,

including some of the most esteemed technology, biotech,

and pharmaceutical companies in the world. The Koch

Institute itself is sited in the former location of

the United-Carr Fastener Corporation,

a manufacturer of metal parts for

clothing and automobiles.

Cancer Research Stories

High-Tech Neighborhood

What do cancer researchers do? What tools do they use? What questions do they try to answer? This

exhibition samples five current stories of cancer research at the Koch Institute through a series of in-

teractive animations. Each story aligns with one of the Koch Institute’s research focus areas. Alongside

the animations, the material culture of 21st century cancer research is displayed through a selection of

objects from Koch Institute laboratories. These include specimens, devices, models, and other samples

of the work of a cancer researcher.

[ EXHIBITION ] [ MAP ]

NANO-BASED DRUGS

DETECTION AND MONITORING

METASTASIS

PERSONALIZED MEDICINE

CANCER IMMUNOLOGY

STEM EDUCATION: IMAGINE THE POSSIBILITIESSílvia A Ferreira, Cristina Lopo, Eileen GentlemanKing’s College London

SUIT YOUR CELL: DESIGNING CUSTOM BIOMATERIALSAsha K. Patel, Daniel G. Anderson, Robert S. Langer, Morgan R. Alexander, Chris N. Denning, Martyn C. DaviesKoch Institute at MIT and University of Nottingham

Capturing the Life Sciences

What do you want to be when you grow up? This is the question every young stem cell must ask itself before it differentiates. But as with any development, outside influences are not to be overlooked. The stem cell seen here has been cryogenically frozen in a hydrogel matrix, designed to mimic the cell’s native environment in the bone marrow. Researchers are studying the interactions between the cell and its surroundings—and nurturing new understandings of how nature works.

This image appears in the Koch Institute Public Galleries as part of a partnership between the Koch Institute and Wellcome Images.

Developing materials for biotechnology is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Different cell types behave in different ways depending on the materials they interact with.

This composite image shows how heart cells (fibrous images, e.g., row 2, column 1) and stem cells (spotted images, e.g., row 1, column 3) respond to various synthetic polymers deposited onto microscopic arrays. After testing hundreds of chemi-cal combinations, the most promising candidates are selected to create tailor-made materials for biomedical research and clinical applications.

[ WINNERS OF THE 2016 KOCH INSTITUTE IMAGE AWARDS ]

Scientific data come in many flavors and types, but a special place is reserved for images. Micrographs,

MRI scans, and other biomedical images serve as windows through which experts and non-scientists alike

can glimpse otherwise invisible biological worlds. The advancement of imaging technologies through

science—and of science through imaging—exemplifies the progress that can be made at the interface

of biology and engineering.

The annual Koch Institute Image Awards were established to recognize and publicly display these

extraordinary visuals. From more than 150 submissions to the 2016 contest, 10 winning images were

selected by a panel of expert judges to appear in the Galleries.

2016 SELECTION PANEL

Catherine DraycottHead of Wellcome Images, The Wellcome Trust

Carrie Fitzsimmons Executive Director, ArtScience Labs & Le Laboratoire Cambridge

Janis Fraser, PhD ’76 (VII) Principal, Fish & Richardson, P.C.

Member, Koch Institute Director’s Council

Dan HartSenior Developer, WGBH

Bethany MillardExecutive Producer, Phosphorus Productions

Chair, MIT Corporation Partners Program

Mary Schneider Enriquez, PhDHoughton Associate Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, Harvard Art Museums

Deborah Sweet, PhDEditor in Chief, Cell Stem Cell

Publishing Director, Cell Press

SPHERE, THERE, AND EVERYWHERE: INTERROGATING TINY TUMORS Alexandre Albanese, Jeffrey Wyckoff, Sangeeta BhatiaKoch Institute at MIT

LAUNCHING A SATELLITE LIVER: TISSUE ENGINEERING IN ACTIONChelsea Fortin, Kelly Stevens, Sangeeta BhatiaKoch Institute at MIT

BEYOND THE RED: SEEING TUMORS IN A NEW LIGHTLi Gu, Xiangnan Dang, Paula Hammond, Angela BelcherKoch Institute at MIT

GUT REACTION: NOVEL TRANSPLANTS FOR BIOLOGICAL UNDERSTANDING Jatin Roper, Tuomas Tammela, Omer YilmazKoch Institute at MIT

Cancer cell experiments fall flat at the bottom of a Petri dish. This image shows three spherical clusters of cancer cells (blue/white dots) implanted in a three-dimensional matrix of protein fibers (white strands).

These tiny tumors allow researchers to understand how small metastases interact with their surrounding environment, and to evaluate the delivery of drug-loaded nanoparticles. The use of spheroids rather than isolated cells offers a more well-rounded picture of the challenges researchers must overcome to detect and treat cancer.

The liver is known for its regenerative properties, but certain types of damage are irreversible. To combat the growing short-age of replacement organs, researchers have grown liver cells on a specially patterned matrix of blood vessels (green) and transplanted them into their disease model.

This image shows how, in response to damage in the original organ, the cells (orange) reorganize and expand, integrating blood (white) from the host to support their growth. The cre-ation of such “satellite livers” could greatly improve outcomes for patients suffering from liver disease, cirrhosis, and liver cancer.

Tiny tumors escape detection via traditional means, but researchers are using a long-wavelength band of light known as the second near-infrared window to penetrate deep into tissue and monitor cancer cells in real time at unprecedented resolution.

This image shows layered nanoparticles (green) illuminating a microscopic tumor. With the ability to selectively target cancer cells now established, researchers are turning their attention to programming the particles to deliver drugs that will annihilate these hard-to-find, early-stage tumors.

Organoids—miniature organs derived from an organism’s own cells—are widely used in biology research. However, it is unclear how these dish-grown structures respond to actual living condi-tions inside the body.

Here, two intestinal organoids (pink) have been transplanted into the colon wall (blue/green). After confirming their long-term survival in this living intestinal environment, scientists have begun altering the properties of the organoids and host organisms to learn more about the effects of diet, aging, and cancer on both healthy and diseased tissue.

HUNGRY LIKE THE MACROPHAGE: EMPOWERING THE IMMUNE SYSTEM TO ELIMINATE TUMORS Ali Roghanian, Sonya James, Gessa Sugriyato, Mark Cragg, Jianzhu ChenUniversity of Southampton and Koch Institute at MIT

NERVES OF GOLD: NEW POTENTIAL FOR REGENERATIVE MEDICINEJonathan K. Tsosie, Omar F. Khan, Daniel G. Anderson, Robert S. LangerKoch Institute at MIT

DUCT DUCT GOOSE: CHASING DOWN ANSWERS IN DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGYDaniel H. Miller, Dexter X. Jin, Piyush B. GuptaWhitehead Institute and Koch Institute at MIT

HEAD IN THE GAME: USING CANCER CELLS TO STUDY NEURAL DEVELOPMENT Russell McConnell, Frank GertlerKoch Institute at MIT

Macrophages are the hungry hippos of the immune system. In this image, human macrophages (blue) have successfully engulfed tumor cells (orange) that have been flagged with a therapeutic antibody. However, even with these antibodies, cancer cells can hide from immune cells and suppress their appetite for destruction. Researchers are working to improve treatment by stabilizing the antibodies on cancer cells, and are screening for different therapeutics that can activate macro-phages to empower the body’s natural defense system against these treacherous cancer cells.

The circuitous path of gold in this image may seem random, but it is actually a fractal pattern designed to improve the elasticity of hard-metal components used in restorative bionics. When implanted in the body after neural separation, this stretchable device stands in for the nervous system to provide electronic stimulation to muscles, promoting contraction and preventing atrophy. In addition to keeping muscles active while nerves regenerate, this biocompatible circuit board will collect data about the repair process, increasing capacity for both treatment and understanding.

Watch out for foul play! By examining the normal growth of biological structures, scientists figure out how developmental processes are perturbed in cancer and other diseases.

This image shows the architecture (purple) and cell types (cyan) in the human mammary gland. The round lobes seen here are responsible for production of milk, which then travels through the duct to the nipple in a mature female. Using this model as a starting point, biologists can now begin to study how genetic and chemical perturbations can disrupt tissue development and cause disease.

Rapid growth and the ability to divide indefinitely make cancer cells a unique tool in fundamental biology research. In this experiment, cells derived from a brain tumor grow on a soft, flexible material that mimics the mechanical environment of the brain and spine.

Under these conditions, the axons do not branch, but instead form extensive, thread-like structures well suited for long-range connections between cells. Researchers continue to study how mechanical signals affect the shape and dynamic behavior of neurons during development and injury repair.

KOCH INSTITUTE PUBLIC GALLERIES 500 Main Street, Cambridge, MA

[INFO]web ki-galleries.mit.edu

email kigalleries mit.edu

[HOURS]8am–6pm, Mon–Thu

8am–4pm, Fri

Admission is free

[OTHER VISITOR ATTRACTIONS AT MIT]MIT Museum

DNAtrium at the Broad Institute

MIT List Visual Arts Center and public art tour

Maihaugan Gallery, MIT Libraries

MIT Media Lab

Ray and Maria Stata Center

Corridor Lab in Strobe Alley, MIT Edgerton Center

cover artSuit Your Cell Asha K. Patel, Daniel G. Anderson, Robert S. Langer, Morgan R. Alexander, Chris N. Denning, and Martyn C. Davies (Koch Institute at MIT and University of Nottingham)

gallery design Biber Architects and P

entagram / videography AM

PS – M

IT / design Hecht/H

orton Partners