The past, present and future of cancer
Leading cancer researchers reflected on past achievements and prospects for the future of cancer treatment during a special MIT symposium on Wednesday titled “Conquering Cancer through the Convergence of Science and Engineering.”The event, one of six academic symposia taking place as part of MIT’s 150th anniversary, focused on the Institute’s role in studying the disease over the past 36 years since the founding of MIT’s Center for Cancer Research.During that time, MIT scientists have made critical discoveries that resulted in new cancer drugs such as Gleevec and Herceptin. The center has since become the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, which now includes a mix of biologists, who are trying to unravel what goes wrong inside cancer cells, and engineers, who are working on turning basic science discoveries into real-world treatments and diagnostics for cancer patients.That “convergence” of life sciences and engineering is key to making progress in...