Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Surgeon-Scientist, Vinod Balachandran, MD, Named to The Washington Post Next 50

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) is pleased to announce The Washington Post has named Vinod Balachandran, MD, surgeon-scientist and Director of The Olayan Center for Cancer Vaccines at MSK, to the inaugural edition of the Post Next 50, a list of up-and-coming changemakers shaping society in 2025. Dr. Balachandran was selected for his groundbreaking work to advance personalized messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

“This recognition highlights the incredible dedication and relentless effort of my lab members and collaborators at MSK – their passion and commitment are what drives progress towards new therapies for pancreatic and other deadly cancers,” said Dr. Balachandran. “It is an immense honor to be acknowledged by The Washington Post among this esteemed group of leaders across disciplines.”

Foundational research led by Balachandran and colleagues uncovered a promising new approach to treat pancreatic cancer, a common, deadly cancer with no effective treatments. His team orchestrated a landmark phase-1 clinical trial to demonstrate that personalized mRNA vaccines targeting ‘neoantigens’ – immune signals uniquely found in cancer cells – trigger a strong, long-lasting immune response that is associated with delayed pancreatic cancer recurrence. This early breakthrough work has ignited global interest in mRNA vaccines as a potentially transformative cancer treatment and has galvanized efforts to uncover and apply the principles of successful vaccination to other cancers.

Dr. Balachandran serves as the Founding Director of The Olayan Center for Cancer Vaccines at MSK, a hub for vaccine science and innovation that positions MSK at the leading edge of a new generation of immune-based treatments for a wide range of cancers.