Cancer Program

The Cancer Program brings together a scientific community focused on understanding in vivo cancer biology at the systems level and applying this knowledge to early cancer detection and therapy assessment. Program members work within CSB, the MGH Cancer Center and/or other MGH laboratories. Strong collaborations exist also with the MIT Center for Cancer Research, the Harvard Cancer Center and the Broad Institute.

Funding
  • Tumor Microenvironment PO1
  • PDAC PO1
  • Molecular Imaging Center P50
  • Cancer Nanotechnology U54
  • SAIRP U24
  • GI Spore

Research Projects

Early cancer detection and innovative diagnostics

Detection of stage I cancers is associated with >90% 5-year survival rate, and treatment is often curative. This program defines molecular and cellular alterations that signal the presence of (pre)cancers and develops novel diagnostic platforms such as endoscopic fiber-optic microscopy for noninvasive in vivo screens.

Drug efficacy

Todays molecularly targeted therapeutics often dictate objective efficacy read-outs as these therapeutics are often costly, only work well in subgroups of patients and so those associated toxicity in non-target populations can be minimized. This program develops and tests novel read-outs of emerging therapeutics. Another aspect of this program is the development of nanotechnology–based diagnostic and therapeutic (‘theranostic’) agents.

Pathway analysis

The key role played by kinases in the vast majority of cancer suggests that specific inhibitors whose disposition could be ascertained in vivo would be useful in biological research and, potentially, for imaging kinase acitivity in a clinical setting. The program uses novel tools to identify kinase and other molecular signatures in cancer cells, and to interrogate the effects of anti-kinases and other drugs on these pathways.

Recent Publications

  • Richardson DL, Moore KN, Vergote I, Gilbert L, Martin LP, Mantia-Smaldone GM, Castro CM, Provencher D, Matulonis UA, Stec J, Wang Y, Method M, O'Malley DM Phase 1b study of mirvetuximab soravtansine, a folate receptor alpha (FRα)-targeting antibody-drug conjugate, in combination with carboplatin and bevacizumab in patients with platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer. Gynecol Oncol. 2024;185:186-193 - PMID: 38447347 - DOI: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2024.01.045

  • Fredrich IR*, Halabi EA*, Kohler RH, Ge X, Garris CS, Weissleder R Highly Active Myeloid Therapy for Cancer. ACS Nano. 2023;17(20):20666-20679 - PMID: 37824733 - PMCID: PMC10941024 - DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c08034

  • Batool SM, Yekula A, Khanna P, Hsia T, Gamblin AS, Ekanayake E, Escobedo AK, You DG, Castro CM, Im H, Kilic T, Garlin MA, Skog J, Dinulescu DM, Dudley J, Agrawal N, Cheng J, Abtin F, Aberle DR, Chia D, Elashoff D, Grognan T, Krysan K, Oh SS, Strom C, Tu M, Wei F, Xian RR, Skates SJ, Zhang DY, Trinh T, Watson M, Aft R, Rawal S, Agarwal A, Kesmodel SB, Yang C, Shen C, Hochberg FH, Wong DTW, Patel AA, Papadopoulos N, Bettegowda C, Cote RJ, Srivastava S, Lee H, Carter BS, Balaj L The Liquid Biopsy Consortium: Challenges and opportunities for early cancer detection and monitoring. Cell Rep Med. 2023;4(10):101198 - PMID: 37716353 - PMCID: PMC10591039 - DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2023.101198

  • Shiau C, Cao J, Gregory MT, Gong D, Yin X, Cho JW, Wang PL, Su J, Wang S, Reeves JW, Kim TK, Kim Y, Guo JA, Lester NA, Schurman N, Barth JL, Weissleder R, Jacks T, Qadan M, Hong TS, Wo JY, Roberts H, Beechem JM, Fernandez-Del Castillo C, Mino-Kenudson M, Ting DT, Hemberg M, Hwang WL Therapy-associated remodeling of pancreatic cancer revealed by single-cell spatial transcriptomics and optimal transport analysis. bioRxiv. 2023;:ePub - PMID: 37425692 - PMCID: PMC10327107 - DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.28.546848

  • Silberman JN, Bercow AS, Gockley AA, Eisenhauer EL, Sisodia R, Randall T, Del Carmen MG, Goodman A, Castro CM, Melamed A, Bregar AJ Trends in the use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for low-grade serous ovarian cancer in the United States. Gynecol Oncol. 2023;175:60-65 - PMID: 37327540 - DOI: 10.1016/j.ygyno.2023.06.001

  • More publications ...

News

2021-12-02:

Following a national search, The Mass General Cancer Center is extremely pleased to announce that Cesar M. Castro, MD, MSc is appointed as the new Program Director for Gynecologic Oncology. Cesar is internationally recognized for combining cutting edge translational cancer nanotechnology research with compassionate, patient-centered clinical care. Please join us in congratulating Cesar on this new leadership position and wishing him well with this new and exciting opportunity.

2019-07-15:

Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Innovation in Early Cancer Detection (CIECD) selected Cesar M. Castro to receive funding to support research on new technologies and innovations in early cancer detection and diagnosis. Congratulations, Cesar!

2018-08-27:

"AI-powered cancer diagnoses for resource limited settings" - CSB work is featured on the Nature Bioengineering blog.

2017-09-18:

The work of Lee Lab on detecting and profiling circulating ovarian cancer cells is highlighted on the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) site.

2017-09-11:

"Uncovering Cancer" - the work of Pittet Lab is featured in Nature Medicine article.