Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, USA
The Mazumdar Shaw Translational Research Initiative in Kidney Cancer Research
Through its world class research enterprise and dedicated clinicians, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) is leading the way in the detection and treatment of kidney cancer. MSK doctors and scientists take a personalised approach using targeted diagnostic methods, genetic sequencing of tumours, and innovative, tailored treatments to fight each patient’s cancer.
Mazumdar Shaw Philanthropy’s gift enabled the establishment of the Mazumdar Shaw Translational Research Initiative in Kidney Cancer Research in 2022. It has empowered four multidisciplinary teams of highly specialised physicians and scientists to make impressive strides toward innovative treatments that improve patient outcomes. Additionally, MSK has formalised their research goals into an application for a Specialized Programs of Research Excellence grant, a prestigious award of US$5 million given by the National Cancer Institute. This grant requires researchers to prove additional sources of funding, which MSP’s gift has supported. If approved, the grant will be used to establish a comprehensive translational kidney cancer research programme that will lay the foundation for a kidney cancer centre at MSK.
I am profoundly grateful to Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw for her generosity and vision to establish a translational research initiative for kidney cancer at MSK. Her gift has been a big boost to our research programs and will help us expand our decade-long work of leading global clinical studies with broad impact.”
Robert Motzer, MD, Section Head of Kidney Cancer at the Genitourinary Oncology Service, and Jack and Dorothy Byrne Chair in Clinical Oncology
Research Focus
- Addressing the challenges surrounding an uncommon kidney cancer variant
- Leveraging the power of cellular therapies for kidney cancer
- Advancing clinical genetics in kidney cancer
- Developing liquid biopsy to monitor immunotherapy
The Mazumdar-Shaw Translational Research Initiative in Kidney Cancer Research, set up in 2022, has supported sevral studies focused on improving treatments for kidney cancer. A recent success story is that of Sophie Hanina, a senior research scientist at the Sloan Kettering Institute, who is on the brink of a breakthrough in kidney cancer research that could lead to treatment of solid tumors though CAR T cell therapy. Dr. Hanina acknowledges that the Mazumdar-Shaw research initiative has been instrumental in enabling her to pursue this line of work. She says, “Philanthropy accelerated the project. It gave me the freedom to go after my hunches, and that was really amazing.”
– Sophie Hanina, BMBCh, PhD
Gallery
Images courtesy: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
