Harvard University
Cancer
Harvard researchers are exploring a holistic view of the disease, from fine tuning prevention and diagnosis to bolstering treatment and support.
Harvard Chan School’s Cancer FactFinder has evidence-based information in nine languages.
A new artificial intelligence tool for cancer
Scientists at Harvard Medical School have designed a versatile, ChatGPT-like AI model capable of performing an array of diagnostic tasks across multiple forms of cancers.
RISE to the pediatric cancer challenge
“One in three children diagnosed with cancer lives in a low-income household in a family that is concerned about meeting basic needs while the child is receiving cancer treatment,” says Pediatric Oncologist Kira Bona, who is working to address that problem with Pediatric RISE (Resource Intervention to Support Equity).
[H]ow can we make cancer vaccines as available as, say, the COVID vaccine?”Catherine Wu, a professor of medicine and chief of the Division of Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapies at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
On this episode of the “Harvard Thinking” podcast, experts discuss breakthroughs in cancer treatments, from genomic sequencing to AI, and explain how close we are to personalized vaccines.
At the forefront
Harvard students, faculty, and alumni are doing important work on cancer research, health care policy, health inequities, and more.
Kyoko Crawford
With only 11,000 dermatologists in the U.S., alum Kyoko recognized a demand for ways to make it easier to screen for skin cancer, whether in a physician’s office or at home.
Jessalyn Ubellacker
Jessalyn, an assistant professor of molecular metabolism at the Harvard Chan School, leads a laboratory that studies metabolism to target and treat cancer.
Liang Chang
As a Ph.D. student, Liang is pioneering a new approach to cancer treatment, one that targets the genes required for the disease’s growth and survival.
Ananya Zutshi
Within a year of leaving Harvard, Ananya founded her first company: Guardian Bio, a pharma-biotech company developing a novel therapy to combat cancer.
Chris Wagner
Chris is designing a technology and software platform to help surgeons target even the most difficult tumors.
Jen Cruz
After losing her mother to cancer while she was in middle school, Jen committed herself to finding solutions for reducing inequities in breast cancer screening across rural settings.
Where research happens
These scholars and many more in the Harvard community research cancer at Schools, hospitals, centers, and institutes across our campus.
Exploring new treatments
The Harvard community is contributing to important advancements in cancer treatment that are happening every day.
Fixing a key flaw in revolutionary cancer treatment
Researchers have figured out how to give a timely boost to a revolutionary treatment that enlists immune cells in the anticancer fight.
Fixing a key flaw in revolutionary cancer treatment- Brain Cancer
A new therapy aimed at treating glioblastomas provides promising results
- Cell Therapy
Scientists are harnessing a new way to turn cancer cells into anti-cancer agents
- Oral Cancer
New findings explore a therapy that will treat an aggressive form of oral precancerous disease
- Immunotherapy
Gut bacteria can alter the body’s response to a common form of cancer immunotherapy
- Ovarian Cancer
A team has developed the first injectable lymphoid organs for therapeutic purposes which could be used for the treatment of ovarian cancer
Better understanding prevention
Harvard researchers are digging into how cancer begins in the body, how our diet and lifestyle affects outcomes, and what we can do to detect the disease sooner.
Discovering how each cancer works
Scientists are looking into the mechanisms that cancers use to form and grow, including estrogen, gene mutations, and DNA defects. They are also looking into ways to help the immune system effectively defeat aggressive cancers.
Exploring how lifestyle affects the disease
With a dramatic rise in cancer in people under 50, researchers are looking into lifestyle factors. Studies have found that soft drinks and alcohol consumption can increase the risk of cancer in some populations, while the Mediterranean diet can lower the risk of a variety of cancers.
Improving cancer screenings to improve outcomes
Researchers are exploring novel ways to detect cancer early and easily, like blood proteins that point to potential liver cancer and an AI model that flags pancreatic cancer risk. They are also promoting earlier colon cancer screenings and more vigilant breast cancer screening for young women.
A broader view of the disease
A cancer diagnosis is so much more than the disease and its treatment. It can affect body image, budget, faith, and community connections.
- Building hope
The ReConstruct project
Gozde Basara is creating viable breast tissue using the patient’s own cells, for safer reconstruction surgeries post-mastectomy.
The ReConstruct project- Moving on
Exercise oncology is bringing benefits and hope to cancer survivors
- Making equal
Breast-cancer guidelines may delay diagnoses in nonwhite women
- Finding solace
Spirituality may be a missing element of healthcare for some patients
- Lowering costs
30% of Medicare patients didn’t fill a new cancer medication prescription
- Busting Myths
Correcting cancer misconceptions one podcast at a time
- Caring for caregivers
A communal music-theater experience gives voice to doctors, patients, and researchers
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