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May 2026

Brian Brown, PhD; Joshua Brody, MD; Miriam Merad, MD, PhD; Yizhou Dong, PhD; Alessia Baccarini, PhD, and colleagues

mRNA Vaccine Immunity Is Enhanced by Hepatocyte Detargeting and Not Dependent on Dendritic Cell Expression

Nature Biotechnology. 2026 Apr 29. PMID: 42056385

This study sheds new light on how mRNA vaccines generate immunity, revealing that certain non-immune cells, particularly muscle cells and liver cells, can play a role in shaping immune response. The researchers used a novel technology to control which cells express the vaccine, allowing them to enhance or dampen mRNA immunity—this can help enhance the vaccines’ effectiveness for cancer treatment or provide a way to use mRNA to turn down immune responses to treat autoimmune diseases. The studies provide important insights into how different cell types can affect the immune response to mRNA-encoded antigens and a new framework for designing mRNA vaccines and mRNA therapeutics, with significant implications for cancer immunotherapy, infectious disease vaccines, and gene-editing treatments. 

Press Release

Diego Chowell, PhD, received a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award—the NSF’s most prestigious award for early-career faculty, supporting a five-year research and education program. Dr. Chowell’s project focuses on developing structure-aware protein language models to understand the fundamental process of immune recognition, a central question in immunology. It was selected by the NSF’s Foundations of Emerging Technologies program, which supports unconventional, potentially paradigm-shifting approaches to computing, including novel ways to understand biological systems.

Dr. Chowell’s proposal for a Department of Defense Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program (PRCRP) Impact Award has been recommended for funding. This award will support Dr. Chowell’s work to accelerate personalized T cell receptor immunotherapy for colorectal cancer.

Juan Arriaga, PhD, was awarded R01 grant funding from the National Cancer Institute for “Role of ATAD2 in Prostate Cancer Progression and Metastasis.” Dr. Arriaga and team have identified ATAD2 as a novel epigenetic and transcriptional regulator that is overexpressed during prostate cancer progression. They aim to delineate the mechanisms of how ATAD2 drives metastasis and immune evasion, paving the way for future biomarker driven targeted therapies that may enable durable and systemic therapeutic responses in currently incurable metastatic disease.

The Melanoma Research Alliance has granted a Team Science Award to a team led by Poulikos Poulikakos, PhD. Co-investigators are Evripidis Gavathiotis, PhD, and Seiya Kitamura, PhD, both with Albert Einstein College of Medicine. The team will develop novel tumor-selective RAF inhibitors for melanomas driven by RAS mutations or dimeric BRAF mutants, cancers that are intrinsically resistant or have acquired resistance to current therapies. They will do this by exploiting conformational differences in RAF between tumor and normal cells and leveraging an innovative click chemistry platform that enables rapid synthesis and live-cell compound screening, to identify and optimize highly tumor-selective RAF inhibitor leads. This project has the potential to transform the treatment landscape for melanoma patients who have exhausted current targeted therapy options.

Announcement from Melanoma Research Alliance

Oren Becher, MD, and Emily Bernstein, PhD, were awarded a grant from the DIPG/DMG Collaborative—a collection of foundations that support research into the cure of diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma and diffuse midline glioma (DMG)—for “Targeting DMG Microenvironment with LSD1 Inhibitors.” In collaboration with the Chandra Laboratory at MD Anderson Cancer Center, Drs. Becher and Bernstein will evaluate an inhibitor to block LSD1—bomedemstat—which is currently in late phase clinical trials in adults.

Oren Becher, MD

Emily Bernstein, PhD

Hanna Irie, MD, PhD, received an Exceptional Project Grant from the Breast Cancer Alliance for “Overcoming CDK4/6 Inhibitor Resistance of Hormone Receptor (HR)+ Metastatic Breast Cancer.” In collaboration with E. Premkumar Reddy, PhD, Elisa Port, MD, and Joseph Sparano, MD, Dr. Irie will investigate an approach for treating HR+ metastatic breast cancer that has become resistant to standard first-line treatments by targeting a unique metabolic vulnerability of resistant cancer cells expressing myc. High levels of myc drive resistance to anti-estrogen and CDK4/6 inhibitor therapies in a subset of HR+ tumors. The novel agent 123300 could help overcome drug resistance to improve disease control and survival and may also help patients with early-stage HR+ breast cancers to prevent metastasis.

The Breast Cancer Alliance also awarded the Breast Surgical Oncology Fellowship at Mount Sinai West, under the leadership of Stephanie Bernik, MD, a grant that supports one of three fellows for one year. The grant has been awarded every year since 2023. 

Hanna Irie MD, PhD, and Jian Jin, PhD, received a Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program Level 2 Partnering PI Award for “First in Class Degraders To Target Oncogenic PTK6 in Triple Negative Breast Cancer." Proposed studies, with collaborator Elisa Port, MD, will design and validate degraders targeting protein tyrosine kinase 6 (PTK6), an important driver of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) growth and metastasis, as well as regulator of the TNBC immune microenvironment. The goal is to identify a PTK6 degrader for clinical translation that effectively blocks tumor cell intrinsic growth and favorably remodels the immune microenvironment, leading to improved disease control and enhanced efficacy of immunotherapies for TNBC.

Yelena Ginzburg, MD, received R01 funding from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases for “Modulating Iron Trafficking to Ameliorate Ineffective Erythropoiesis in MDS.” Amit Verma, MBBS, at Montefiore Einstein, is Co-Principal Investigator. Extensive compelling translational preliminary data supports their proposal to target how dysregulated iron metabolism contributes to the mechanisms underlying disease pathophysiology in myelodysplastic syndrome. The goal is to enable novel therapeutic options for these patients.

Eirini Papapetrou, MD, PhD, received a grant award from Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation and RARE Grant Program (Research Accelerating RUNX1 Exploration) for “Modeling Clonal Hematopoiesis and Genetic Correction in RUNX1-FPD Using Human iPSC-derived HSCs.” The two-year award is designed to fund research that will lead to the development of therapies for patients with RUNX1-FPD that will either correct the RUNX1-FPD mutation to provide a cure or intercept the transition from a precancer state (clonal hematopoiesis) to MDS/AML.

Scott Friedman, MD, was awarded R01 funding from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases for “Hepatic Stellate Cells in MASH Fibrosis and HCC." Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) of the liver leads to scarring, or fibrosis, and is the fastest rising cause of primary liver cancer development. This project aims to clarify how fibrogenic cells, known as hepatic stellate cells, communicate with each other to generate scar in MASH and learn how they contribute to primary liver cancer. 

The services of the Mount Sinai Tisch Cancer Center Biostatistics Shared Resource, directed by Marcio Diniz, PhD, can significantly increase the likelihood of successful grant awards. The first step in the process is to submit a request for services (allowing a four-week lead time).

Questions? Contact Erin Moshier, MSc, Managing Director.

Jerry Edward Chipuk, PhD, is an organizer of the International Cell Death Society’s 2026 Annual Meeting—The Dying Code: Deciphering Death in Health & Disease—to be held May 27–29 in Paris. The meeting brings together groups from different research backgrounds to examine cell death in a multidisciplinary fashion, with interaction among neurologists, immunologists, developmental biologists, oncologists, and gerntologists.

Lakshmi Rajdev, MD, MS, has been appointed as Co-Chair for the ASCO Targeted Therapy and Immunotherapy for Advanced Gastroesophageal Cancer Living Guidelines. The living guidelines require a continual literature search and expert review to ensure recommendations reflect the most current data. Dr. Rajdev was senior author for the guidelines published in February, prior to the transition to living status.

Javier Jose Bravo-Corderro, PhD, is an organizer of the Metastasis Research Society (MRS) 21st Biennial Congress, June 28 - July 1, in Salt Lake City. MRS promotes research into all aspects of metastasis and the exchange of metastasis-related information among scientists, clinicians, and patients.



Mount Sinai Tisch Cancer Center

Seminar Series

Tuesdays at noon, Davis Auditorium

May 19

Patricia LoRusso, DO

Chief, Experimental Therapeutics

Associate Cancer Center Director, Experimental Therapeutics

Yale School of Medicine

Hosted by Thomas Marron, MD, PhD

May 26

Dmitriy Zamarin, MD, PhD

Co-Director, Center of Excellence for Gynecologic Cancer

Mount Sinai Tisch Cancer Center

Hosted by Mount Sinai Tisch Cancer Center

Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology Grand Rounds

Thursdays at 8:30 am

May 14

Noopur Raje, MD

Professor of Medicine

Harvard Medical School

Director, Center for Multiple Myeloma

Massachusetts General Hospital

Hosted by Joseph Sparano, MD

May 21

Michael Andreeff, MD, PhD

Professor of Medicine and Endowed Haas Chair in Genetics

Chief, Section of Molecular Hematology & Therapy

Department of Leukemia

University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Gedalio and Sonia Grinberg/Nathaniel Wisch, MD Endowed Visiting Lectureship

“Decoding TP53 in Myeloid Leukemias: When Guardian Becomes Gatekeeper of Resistance”

Hosted by Joseph Sparano, MD

Josep Llovet, MD, PhD; Daniela Sia, PhD, and colleagues

Hallmarks of Liver Cancer: Therapeutic Implications

Cell. 2026 Apr 16. PMID: 41997132

This review provides one of the clearest roadmaps to date for understanding and treating liver cancer. The study focuses on primary liver cancer and offers new insights into disease biology and treatment strategies, with discussion of breakthroughs in management and emerging directions that may further improve therapeutic strategies.

Press Release

Guillaume Mestrallet PhD; Robert Samstein, MD, PhD; Nina Bhardwaj, MD, PhD, and colleagues

Reprogramming T Cell-Myeloid Crosstalk Overcomes Immune Resistance in Colorectal Cancer

Cell Reports Medicine. 2026 May 5. PMID: 42092363

This study identifies key T cell and macrophage subsets mediating the efficacy of immunotherapy in overcoming immune escape in both mismatch repair-deficient (MMRd) and mismatch-proficient (MMRp) colorectal cancer settings. Results show that successful anti-tumor responses depend not only on activating cancer-fighting T cells, but also on coordinated interactions between T cells and myeloid cells. Simultaneously reinvigorating T cells and targeting suppressive macrophages enabled restoration of immune coordination and generation of powerful anti-tumor responses. The findings have significant implications for the future of cancer treatment, supporting the development of rational combination immunotherapies that go beyond single-agent approaches. 

Press Release

Lucas Ferrari de Andrade, PhD; John Mascarenhas, MD; Juan Arriaga, PhD; Bridget Marcellino, MD, PhD, and colleagues

A MICA/B GAALIE-Mutant Antibody Elicits Potent Natural Killer Cell-Driven Immunity in Solid and Hematologic Malignancy Models

Cell Reports Medicine. 2026 Apr 17. PMID: 41999749

This study establishes the proof of concept of a next-generation anti-MICA/B antibody for cancer immunotherapy through an Fc optimization that enhances the antibody's ability to elicit NK cell-driven immunity. Dr. Ferrari de Andrade and team developed a next-generation anti-MICA/B antibody that inhibits the shedding of MICA/B from the surface of cancer cells, by introducing GAALIE mutations in the Fc to increase the binding affinity to Fcγ-activating receptors. This Fc-optimized antibody more potently elicited NK cell-driven immunity and displayed therapeutic activity in preclinical models of prostate cancer, melanoma, and leukemia, demonstrating that GAALIE mutations represent an effective means to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of anti-MICA/B antibodies for cancer.

Matthew Galsky, MD; Sacha Gnjatic, PhD; and colleagues

Gemcitabine Plus Nivolumab With Carboplatin or Oxaliplatin in Cisplatin-Ineligible Patients With Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma: A Randomized Phase II Trial

Clinical Cancer Research. 2026 Apr 19. PMID: 42001507

This randomized trial evaluated oxaliplatin-based chemo-immunotherapy versus carboplatin-based chemo-immunotherapy in cisplatin-ineligible metastatic urothelial patients. The study showed that the carboplatin-containing regimen was associated with a higher objective response rate. Exploratory biomarker analyses revealed that carboplatin treatment was associated with transcriptional and cellular changes indicative of enhanced adaptive immune activation, whereas oxaliplatin treatment induced signatures consistent with tumor-promoting inflammation. These findings underscore that cytotoxic agents may exert distinct immunomodulatory effects when combined with immune checkpoint blockade and emphasize the need to dissect these mechanisms in human studies with the goal of optimizing combination strategies.

Manik Uppal, MD; Joshua Brody, MD, and colleagues

Integrative Molecular Analysis Reveals Determinants of Clinical Outcomes in TP53-Mutated Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2025 Apr 29. PMID: 42054619

This study examined the clinical and molecular determinants underlying poor outcomes in TP53-mutant diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCLs), based on data derived from 3,091 patients. Findings showed that poor prognosis is dependent on intrinsic features such as variant allele frequency and is modulated by co-occurring genomic lesions or lymphoma cell-intrinsic or microenvironmental expression patterns.

Yelena Ginzburg, MD, and colleagues

Erythroferrone Derived From Osteoblasts Regulates Stress Erythropoiesis

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2026 May 5. PMID: 42048446

Bone marrow erythroferrone (ERFE) suppresses hepcidin via bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) sequestration, increasing iron availability during stress erythropoiesis. Dr. Ginzburg and colleagues previously showed that ERFE is produced by osteoblasts and controls bone mass. They now report that osteoblast-derived ERFE is a major regulator of stress erythropoiesis. Their findings provide compelling evidence that osteoblast-derived ERFE modulates BMP4 levels to modulate responsiveness of erythroblasts to erythropoietin during stress erythropoiesis.

Jiahua Lu; Robert Samstein, MD, PhD; Diddier Prada, MD; Fred R. Hirsch, MD, PhD

Lung Cancer in Never Smokers: Genetics, Epidemiology, Environmental Exposures, and Distinct Immune Landscape

Journal of Thoracic Oncology. 2026 Apr 1. PMID: 41932615

Lung cancer in never smokers (LCINS) disproportionately affects younger women and East Asian populations and is characterized by distinct genetic susceptibility, environmental exposures, and molecular alterations. However, never smokers are excluded from current screening guidelines despite rising incidence and identifiable high-risk subgroups. This review summarizes LCINS epidemiology, genetic susceptibility, molecular alterations, environmental risk factors, and tumor immunology. Findings support expanding screening eligibility to include never smokers with identifiable demographic and familial risk factors who would benefit from early detection.

Eirini Papapetrou, MD, PhD, will present “TET2 Mutations Drive Clonal Hematopoiesis Through TRIM4 Silencing and Induction of Type I IFN” at the Fifteenth International Workshop on Molecular Aspects of Myeloid Stem Cell Development and Leukemia, May 18-21, in Cincinnati.

Dr. Papapetrou will give a Grand Rounds presentation—“Clonal Evolution of Myeloid Leukemia”—on June 5 at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Jerry Edward Chipuk, PhD, will present “The ATF5-Dependent Mitochondrial Unfolded Protein Response Coordinates Oncogenic Fate” at the Mitochondria & Cell Fate Transitions: From Stemness to Senescence Conference, May 10-13, in Malta.

Karyn Goodman, MD, MS, was the Keynote Speaker at two meetings in April:

• Third Annual UT Southwestern Pancreatic Cancer Symposium—"Redefining the Role of Radiation Therapy for Pancreatic Cancer: New Data and Future Horizons”
• Seventh Annual Paul R. O’Hara II Esophagogastric Symposium at the University of Colorado Anschutz—"Surveying the Scientific Horizon to Advance Prevention and Treatment of Esophageal Cancer”

Zeynep H. Gümüş, PhD, gave an invited talk at the University of Pittsburgh Biomedical Informatics Colloquium on March 27—"From Samples to Populations: Interactive Visualizations of Multi-Omics Data at Scale.”

Dr. Gümüş participated at the Princeton University Biomedical Engineering Society Career Panel on Saturday, April 18.

Scott Friedman, MD, delivered the Smith Family Foundation Distinguished Lecture—“The Fibrotic Microenvironment of HCC: Mechanisms, Mediators, and Targets”—on May 6 at MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Beau Baars, MS, PhD candidate in the Poulikakos Lab, was selected to receive an AACR-Sanofi Scholar-In-Training Award. Scholar-In-Training Awards recognize outstanding young investigators presenting meritorious proffered papers at the AACR Annual Meeting (held April 17–22, 2026). Ms Baars’ paper: "Profiling Tumor Selectivity of State- and Paralogselective RAS Inhibitors Through a Signaling Inhibition Index (SII)."

The Community Outreach and Engagement Program is pleased to shine a light on the extraordinarily dedicated individuals who truly make a difference through education and screening programs in the communities Mount Sinai serves.

Rev Carmen Hernandez is President of the NYC LGBTQS Chamber of Commerce, Inc. She is the CEO/Founder/Outreach/Pastor of the Stratford Community Services, Inc. Giving Kids/Youth a Chance program and President/Founder of the NYC LGBTQS Chamber of Commerce, Inc.

Read the Q&A with Rev Carmen Hernandez 

Community Cancer Awareness Event

Day of Learning and Connection

Saturday, May 16, 10 am-3:30 pm

Bay Chester Community Center

1220 East 229th Street

Bronx, NY 10466



More Information

• Read the 2026 Specialty Report

• See recent press releases at https://icahn.mssm.edu/research/tisch under Discover the Latest.

  TCC Connections  is a monthly publication of the Mount Sinai Tisch Cancer Center

Ramon Parsons, MD, PhD, Director

Janet Aronson , Editor

Past issues of  TCC Connections  are available on the Mount Sinai Tisch Cancer Center website