{"entity":{"id":"mit-koch","kind":"institution","name":"David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT","aka":["Koch Institute","MIT Center for Cancer Research"],"tldr":"MIT's cancer research institute, where the first human oncogene and RB were found and where biology meets engineering; Moderna's academic root.","summary":"Founded in 1974 by Salvador Luria as the MIT Center for Cancer Research and reborn as the Koch Institute in 2007, this NCI basic laboratory centre pairs cancer biologists with engineers. Robert Weinberg identified the first human oncogene (RAS) and the first tumour suppressor gene (RB) and co-wrote 'The Hallmarks of Cancer'; Phillip Sharp discovered RNA splicing (Nobel Prize 1993); Tyler Jacks built the genetically engineered mouse models of KRAS/p53 lung cancer used worldwide. Robert Langer's drug-delivery laboratory co-founded Moderna and dozens of companies, Sangeeta Bhatia develops synthetic biomarkers and nanotechnology for early detection, and Darrell Irvine designs nanoparticle vaccines and cytokine engineering. The institute's Bridge Project funds joint work with the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center.","asOf":"2026-09-09","links":[{"label":"Koch Institute","url":"https://ki.mit.edu"}],"tags":[],"related":["break-through-cancer"],"cancers":[],"sections":["drug-discovery"],"technologies":["neoantigen-mrna-vaccine","cytokine-therapy","pdx-models"],"targets":["kras","tp53"],"drugs":[],"companies":["moderna"],"institutions":["dana-farber","broad-institute"],"pathways":[],"terms":["oncogene-addiction"],"trials":[],"people":["matthew-vander-heiden","robert-langer","regina-barzilay"],"bottlenecks":["b-preclinical-models","b-early-detection"],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"city":"Cambridge, MA","country":"US","lat":42.362,"lng":-71.091,"institutionType":"research-institute","website":"https://ki.mit.edu","nci":"basic","university":"Massachusetts Institute of Technology","programs":["Cancer biology (oncogenes, mouse models)","Drug delivery and nanomedicine","Engineered immunotherapy","Bridge Project with DF/HCC"]},"route":"/institutions/mit-koch/","neighbours":{"company":[{"id":"break-through-cancer","kind":"company","name":"Break Through Cancer","route":"/companies/break-through-cancer/"},{"id":"moderna","kind":"company","name":"Moderna","route":"/companies/moderna/"}],"section":[{"id":"drug-discovery","kind":"section","name":"Drug Discovery Platforms","route":"/fronts/drug-discovery/"}],"technology":[{"id":"cytokine-therapy","kind":"technology","name":"Cytokines & engineered cytokines","route":"/technologies/cytokine-therapy/"},{"id":"pdx-models","kind":"technology","name":"Patient-derived xenografts","route":"/technologies/pdx-models/"},{"id":"neoantigen-mrna-vaccine","kind":"technology","name":"Personalised neoantigen (mRNA) vaccines","route":"/technologies/neoantigen-mrna-vaccine/"}],"target":[{"id":"kras","kind":"target","name":"KRAS","route":"/targets/kras/"},{"id":"tp53","kind":"target","name":"TP53","route":"/targets/tp53/"}],"institution":[{"id":"broad-institute","kind":"institution","name":"Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard","route":"/institutions/broad-institute/"},{"id":"dana-farber","kind":"institution","name":"Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center","route":"/institutions/dana-farber/"},{"id":"ludwig-cancer-research","kind":"institution","name":"Ludwig Cancer Research","route":"/institutions/ludwig-cancer-research/"},{"id":"nci","kind":"institution","name":"National Cancer Institute (NIH)","route":"/institutions/nci/"}],"term":[{"id":"oncogene-addiction","kind":"term","name":"Oncogene addiction","route":"/terms/oncogene-addiction/"}],"person":[{"id":"daniel-ludwig","kind":"person","name":"Daniel K. Ludwig","route":"/people/daniel-ludwig/"},{"id":"david-koch","kind":"person","name":"David H. Koch","route":"/people/david-koch/"},{"id":"matthew-vander-heiden","kind":"person","name":"Matthew Vander Heiden","route":"/people/matthew-vander-heiden/"},{"id":"regina-barzilay","kind":"person","name":"Regina Barzilay","route":"/people/regina-barzilay/"},{"id":"robert-langer","kind":"person","name":"Robert S. Langer","route":"/people/robert-langer/"}],"bottleneck":[{"id":"b-preclinical-models","kind":"bottleneck","name":"Lab models that fail to predict what happens in patients","route":"/bottlenecks/b-preclinical-models/"},{"id":"b-early-detection","kind":"bottleneck","name":"The hardest cancers are found late","route":"/bottlenecks/b-early-detection/"}],"paper":[{"id":"paper-mani-emt-stem-cell-properties-cell-2008","kind":"paper","name":"Mani 2008: the epithelial-mesenchymal transition generates cells with properties of stem cells","route":"/key-papers/paper-mani-emt-stem-cell-properties-cell-2008/"}]}}