Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

01/09/2026

CSHL’s Krainer lab has discovered a key, three-part cancer gene circuit driving progression of the most common and lethal form of pancreatic cancer, PDAC. The team developed an RNA splicing-based treatment that, in human PDAC tumor organoids, kills three birds with one stone—collapsing the circuit, leading to less viable cancer cells and a type of programmed cell death called apoptosis. https://www.cshl.edu/short-circuiting-pancreatic-cancer/

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most lethal form of pancreas cancer. It’s also the most common form of the disease. Potential treatments typically target a key mutated oncogene called KRAS. In some cases, PDAC tumors with these mutations have resisted therapeutic efforts. However, c...

01/08/2026

BIG changes are coming to Cocktails & Chromosomes!

Starting January 2026, Cocktails & Chromosomes will move to a new location and shift to an every-other-month schedule. These changes will allow us to elevate each gathering with more intentional programming.

Join us for an exciting new chapter at Six Harbors Brewing Company in Huntington! You can find our speakers for 2026 listed here, as well as a link to RSVP to each event: https://cocktailsandchromosomes.eventbrite.com.

Our first Cocktails & Chromosomes of 2026 will be held on January 29th at 7:00 pm at Six Harbors Brewing Company featuring Associate Professor Ullas Pedmale.

01/07/2026

Passion fuels CSHL graduate students, whether they’re conducting experiments or chasing goals beyond science. Renee Garcia Flores, a graduate student in the Trotman Laboratory, is researching the tissue structure of the prostate to aid in future prostate cancer research. She is also aiming to run a marathon before she graduates! Take a peek into Renee’s journey as a Ph.D. student and how she juggles multiple goals at once.

01/06/2026

Weight matters. In the kitchen, it could mean cooking with too little or too much of an ingredient. In the lab, it can shed light on potential drug targets, tumor composition, and more. For measures like these, scientists rely on tools called mass spectrometers. CSHL’s Cifani lab has developed a new, innovative mass spectrometry technique that pushes instrument performance to deliver scans more sensitive than ever before. https://www.cshl.edu/new-mass-spec-innovation-could-transform-research/

Weight says a lot. In the kitchen, it could mean cooking with too little or too much of an ingredient. For scientists, a molecule’s weight can help determine its makeup. This, in turn, can shed light on whether a potential drug is acting on the body or not working at all. Weight can even reveal...

01/05/2026

It may be a new year, but Dr. Chris Vakoc and his lab have the same resolution annually—to fight pediatric cancer.

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory is incredibly grateful to The Mary Ruchalski Foundation for consistently supporting the Vakoc Laboratory in their mission. Since 2018, the Mary Ruchalski Foundation has been dedicated to funding pediatric cancer research, providing resources for patients and their families and supporting educational and recreational activities that Mary loved. Most recently, Carol Ruchalski delivered CSHL a generous donation of $60,000 for Dr. Vakoc's pediatric cancer research.

(Pictured: Charlie Prizzi, Senior VP of Advancement accepting donation on behalf of CSHL).

12/31/2025

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory 2025 Wrapped! A look back at our most-read stories — inspiring curiosity, discovery, and innovation all year long.

Here’s to another year of science that shapes the future.

12/30/2025

Each year, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory research groups publish their findings in the world's leading scientific journals. Here is a sample of our latest discoveries from 2025.

Which discoveries in you?

Comment below

12/17/2025

Season’s Greetings! Students, faculty, and staff at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory would like to wish you and your loved ones a wonderful holiday season. May the coming year bring curiosity, discovery, and innovation to all!

12/16/2025

Scientists discovered nuclear speckles over a century ago. Until recently, that’s pretty much all anyone knew. So, if you’ve never heard of them, you’re certainly not alone. For our latest podcast, CSHL Assistant Professor Kate Alexander joins us At the Lab to dig into what she’s uncovered, how it might impact cancer treatment strategies, and how her investigations are shining a light on these mysterious cellular structures.

If you remember high school biology, you know cells pack a lot inside a tiny package. Inside the nucleus of every one of our cells, you’ll see more than a few things floating around. You may be familiar with RNA and DNA. But that’s not all you’ll find there. Over a century ago, scientists disc...

12/15/2025

“It's been known for decades that cancer can flatten healthy day-night stress hormone rhythms—but how?” asks CSHL’s Jeremy Borniger. In mice, the Borniger lab discovered that breast cancer disrupts the brain-body feedback loop that regulates these rhythms. Stimulating key neurons in the brain's hypothalamus—which regulates hormones and other bodily processes—at the right times restored healthy function, bolstering anti-tumor defenses. Their work may one day do the same for existing cancer therapies.

“The brain is an exquisite sensor of what’s going on in your body,” says Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Assistant Professor Jeremy Borniger. “But it requires balance. Neurons need to be active or inactive at the right times. If that rhythm goes out of sync even a little bit, it can change the...

12/11/2025

Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory faculty and staff recently attended the Don Monti Memorial Research Foundation 54th Anniversary Ball of the Year.

The Don Monti Foundation is dedicated to patient care, research, and education in the fields of oncology and hematology. Similar to CSHL’s mission of making life better though improving quality of life, the Don Monti Foundation is dedicated to easing the pain and suffering of patients and helping families in times of great need.

Since 2006, the partnership between CSHL and the Don Monti Foundation has continually grown stronger. Most recently, the Foundation supported Assistant Professor Lingbo Zhang’s work on acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a rare blood cancer that is related to a group of blood disorders, including myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). With the Foundation’s support, the Zhang laboratory is currently working with experts in the pharmaceutical industry to develop a treatment for AML.

12/11/2025

As we age, foods. hit. differently. Often triggering inflammation and conditions like leaky gut syndrome which can result from or just natural .
CSHL biologists Corina Amor Vegas and Semir Beyaz have devised a way to stimulate cell growth and repair in the intestine. Their discovery lays the groundwork for new drugs that can address age-related diseases like leaky gut syndrome and improve overall gut health.

Ever notice that as you get older, some foods no longer sit with you the same? This could be due to a breakdown of the intestinal epithelium, a single layer of cells that forms the organ’s lining. The intestine plays a crucial role in many health functions, including digestion. Under normal condit...