Christopher Vakoc Archives | ��ϳԹ��Դ

The science of storytelling

Communications Department — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 12:06:43 +0000

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A fellowship of curiosity

Communications Department — Tue, 26 May 2026 16:00:56 +0000

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Powered by community, driven by science

Caroline Cosgrove — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 14:22:43 +0000

Each February brings Rare Disease Month, a time when ��ϳԹ��Դ (CSHL) reflects on the partnerships that advance research in this often-under-addressed area of study. The Christina Renna Foundation (CRF) is one shining example. Its 19th Angel’s Wish Gala, held the last weekend of January, offers a powerful reminder of how community-based philanthropy...

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Shapeshifting cancers’ masters, unmasked

Jen A. Miller — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 12:30:01 +0000

Some tumors are almost impossible to treat. That’s especially true for carcinomas, which don’t behave like other malignancies. Some of these tumors act as shapeshifters and start to resemble cells from other organs of the human body, such as skin. This bizarre behavior presents a challenge for existing therapies. “The tumors are notoriously plastic in...

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Pediatric cancers: Rare, relentless, and real

Phil Renna — Wed, 05 Nov 2025 12:30:50 +0000

Pediatric cancer—two words that carry immense weight. For many, it’s a distant fear; for some, it’s a daily reality. And for my family, it became a devastating truth. After losing our teenage daughter to a rare form of cancer, we were left with a haunting question: Why are these cancers so difficult to treat? In...

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The CSHL School of Biological Sciences’ class of 2025

Communications Department — Mon, 05 May 2025 18:00:58 +0000

The ��ϳԹ��Դ (CSHL) School of Biological Sciences (SBS) takes an innovative approach to advanced science education. Graduates of the doctoral program go on to pursue a wide range of careers. On May 4, the SBS awarded nine graduates Ph.D. degrees. Here, the class of 2025 reflects on their time and experiences at...

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‘Her dream continues’

Caroline Cosgrove — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 12:30:43 +0000

At the 18th annual Angel’s Wish Gala on January 25, the Christina Renna Foundation (CRF) presented $41,700 to ��ϳԹ��Դ (CSHL). Driven by its goal to see a cancer-free world, CRF raises funds to combat rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), the rare and often fatal pediatric cancer that claimed the life of Christina Renna nearly two...

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Cocktails & Chromosomes: Cancer’s identity crisis

Communications Department — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 12:30:14 +0000

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Flipping cancer’s off switch

Communications Department — Thu, 07 Nov 2024 12:30:54 +0000

If there’s one thing cancer knows, it’s growth. Over the last two decades, scientists have observed that many cancers progress by activating a set of proteins called YAP and TAZ, which control cell growth and organ size. When left uncontrolled, YAP/TAZ can lead to tumor formation. So, if you’re looking for new drug targets, why...

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Friends of T.J. Foundation carries on his legacy

Samuel Diamond — Fri, 18 Oct 2024 11:30:46 +0000

It’s more common in children, but when diagnosed in adults, it’s far more deadly. Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) is a cancer of the soft tissue—muscle, fat, tissues, tendons, nerves, or even blood vessels. We often think of it as a pediatric cancer, but that’s not the whole story. Sometimes, it strikes later in life. Such was the...

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At the Lab Season 1 Research Rewind: Cancer

Communications Department — Tue, 08 Oct 2024 11:30:26 +0000

Miss an episode or two from the first season of our new podcast? Over the next few weeks, we’ll revisit each in a series we call ‘Research Rewind.’ This week At the Lab, you’ll hear all about our cutting-edge cancer research from CSHL scientists Semir Beyaz, Mikala Egeblad, Alea Mills, John Moses, and Christopher Vakoc....

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At the Lab Episode 22: Outmuscling cancer

Communications Department — Tue, 03 Sep 2024 11:30:30 +0000

In 2014, experts from across the country came together at CSHL’s Banbury Center to discuss rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS), a tissue cancer mainly diagnosed in children. Now, CSHL Professor Christopher Vakoc could be at a turning point. You may have seen Vakoc on FOX. This week At the Lab, he brings us an RMS breakthrough 10 years...

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Pancreatic cancer’s cellular amnesia

Margaret Osborne — Mon, 17 Jun 2024 09:00:13 +0000

Things aren’t always as they seem. Take pancreatic cancer, for example. In up to one in 10 cases, researchers have documented a peculiar characteristic. Some of the pancreatic cells appear to have lost their identity. It’s as if they forget what they are. Former ��ϳԹ��Դ (CSHL) postdoc Diogo Maia-Silva, now at Massachusetts...

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The immune system’s moonlighters

Luis Sandoval — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 12:30:43 +0000

Our immune system is remarkably powerful. It quickly assembles teams of cells to eliminate threats inside our bodies. But sometimes, it hits the wrong target. Autoimmune diseases like lupus and multiple sclerosis result from friendly fire—immune cells attacking healthy tissues and organs by mistake. New treatments and therapeutic targets are direly needed for these conditions....

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Pancreatic cancer hijacks a brain-building protein

Nick Wurm — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 12:30:53 +0000

Scientists at ��ϳԹ��Դ (CSHL) and the University of California, Davis have reached a new breakthrough in pancreatic cancer research—eight years in the making. It could help slow the disease’s deadly spread. In 2017, as a postdoc in CSHL’s Tuveson lab, Chang-il Hwang and collaborators from the Vakoc lab uncovered a protein essential...

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Angel’s Wish raises $45K for CSHL cancer research

Nick Wurm — Wed, 07 Feb 2024 12:30:40 +0000

“Laboratory research is one of the best tools we have to help improve the lives of children with cancer. Support from families who’ve lost someone and groups like the Christina Renna Foundation (CRF) has been crucial in the fight against this horrible disease.” That’s ��ϳԹ��Դ (CSHL) Professor Christopher Vakoc speaking about the...

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Mary Ruchalski Foundation supports Vakoc lab at CSHL

Jill Stone — Tue, 09 Jan 2024 19:39:02 +0000

On December 29, 2023, Carol and Fran Ruchalski, founders of the Mary Ruchalski Foundation met with CSHL Professor Chris Vakoc and presented a check for $150,000 to support the Vakoc lab’s rhabdomyosarcoma research. Sarcomas originate in bone or soft tissues such as muscle, and primarily affect children. Regrettably, majority of the sarcoma tumors do not...

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Vakoc receives Excellence in Healthcare Award

Samuel Diamond — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 11:30:52 +0000

��ϳԹ��Դ (CSHL) Professor Christopher Vakoc has received an Excellence in Healthcare Award from the Long Island Herald. The award recognizes his lab’s recent advances in pediatric cancer research and education. Earlier this year, Vakoc and his team discovered a way to transform certain cancers into healthy functioning tissue cells. They’ve now accomplished...

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Second Annual Tree Lighting for Pediatric Cancer Awareness

Jill Stone — Thu, 07 Sep 2023 14:54:04 +0000

On August 29, 2023, ��ϳԹ��Դ (CSHL) hosted its second annual tree lighting ceremony, marking the beginning of September as the National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. This event acknowledged another year of unwavering support from families who have been championing pediatric cancer research at CSHL since 2014. The Mary Ruchalski Foundation, the Christina...

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Once rhabdomyosarcoma, now muscle

Luis Sandoval — Mon, 28 Aug 2023 19:00:00 +0000

“Every successful medicine has its origin story. And research like this is the soil from which new drugs are born,” says ��ϳԹ��Դ Professor Christopher Vakoc. For six years, Vakoc’s lab has been on a mission to transform sarcoma cells into regularly functioning tissue cells. Sarcomas are cancers that form in connective tissues...

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Christopher Vakoc Archives | ���ϳԹ���Դ