The Cancer Grand Challenges recently announced the five winning teams for 2024, which included five researchers from MIT: Michael Birnbaum, Regina Barzilay, Brandon DeKosky, Seychelle Vos, and Ömer Yilmaz. Each team consists of interdisciplinary cancer researchers from around the world and will receive $25 million over five years.
Michael Birnbaum, an associate professor in the Department of Biological Engineering, leads Team MATCHMAKERS along with co-investigators Regina Barzilay, the School of Engineering Distinguished Professor for AI and Health in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and the AI faculty lead at the MIT Abdul Latif Jameel Clinic for Machine Learning in Health; and Brandon DeKosky, Phillip and Susan Ragon Career Development Professor of Chemical Engineering, who are also affiliates of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research At MIT.
Team MATCHMAKERS will use recent advancements in artificial intelligence to develop personalized immunotherapies for cancer patients. This approach aims to improve treatment outcomes for various types of cancers and patients.
The team will focus on collecting data on T cell receptors and the antigens they target to develop computer models for predicting T cell recognition. The ultimate goal is to create tools for predicting T cell recognition with simple clinical lab tests and designing antigen-specific immunotherapies.
Another team, KOODAC, will work on developing new treatments for solid tumors in children, while team PROSPECT will address early-onset colorectal cancers. Both teams are supported by various organizations through Cancer Grand Challenges.
