Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
A nonprofit New York cancer center combining specialist treatment, biomedical research, education, and prevention programs.
Last updated October 7, 2026
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Overview
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, commonly known as MSK or Memorial Sloan Kettering, is a nonprofit cancer treatment and research institution based in New York City. Its work spans cancer prevention, screening, diagnosis, surgery, radiation therapy, medical oncology, cellular and genetic therapies, supportive care, rehabilitation, survivorship, and palliative care. The institution also operates major laboratory and translational research programs and trains physicians, scientists, nurses, and other health professionals. MSK traces its institutional history to the New York Cancer Hospital, established in 1884 as one of the earliest hospitals in the United States devoted specifically to cancer care. The organization later became Memorial Hospital and developed a close relationship with the Memorial Foundation. In the mid-twentieth century, industrialist Alfred P. Sloan Jr. and Charles F. Kettering supported the creation of the Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research. Memorial Hospital and the institute were formally brought together in 1961, creating the organization now known as Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. The institution’s model is based on linking laboratory discovery with clinical practice. Researchers study cancer biology, genetics, immunology, drug development, imaging, epidemiology, and prevention, while clinical teams use the resulting knowledge to refine diagnosis and treatment. MSK is particularly associated with specialized multidisciplinary care, clinical trials, precision oncology, immunotherapy, pediatric oncology, and complex cancer surgery. It also provides information and educational resources for patients, families, clinicians, and the wider public. MSK is not a publicly traded company and does not operate as a conventional consumer brand. Its public identity is instead that of an academic medical center and specialist cancer institution. The organization serves patients primarily in the United States, with its principal campus and many clinical and research facilities in New York City. Its research, publications, clinical collaborations, educational activity, and digital health resources give it an international profile. The available reference material confirms the official website but does not provide sufficient information for a complete current executive roster, detailed financial profile, or comprehensive chronology of campaigns and news events.
History
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center has roots in the New York Cancer Hospital, founded in New York City in 1884. The hospital was established specifically to treat people with cancer, at a time when dedicated cancer institutions were uncommon. Over subsequent decades, the organization developed into Memorial Hospital and expanded its clinical capabilities as surgery, radiation, pathology, imaging, and medical treatment evolved. During the twentieth century, cancer medicine increasingly depended on laboratory science as well as hospital care. The Memorial organization therefore developed research capacity alongside its clinical work. A major institutional development came through the involvement of Alfred P. Sloan Jr. and Charles F. Kettering, whose support contributed to the creation of the Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research. The institute was designed to pursue fundamental and applied research into cancer and to support the development of better methods of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Memorial Hospital and the Sloan-Kettering Institute were formally joined in 1961. This combination created a structure linking a cancer hospital with a dedicated research institute and established the foundation for the modern Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. The merged institution continued to expand its laboratory programs, clinical departments, educational activities, and capacity for clinical investigation. In the modern era, MSK has operated as an integrated academic cancer center. Its activities include direct patient care, basic and translational research, clinical trials, professional education, public cancer information, and prevention initiatives. The institution’s clinical model brings together specialists from multiple disciplines to evaluate and treat different cancer types. Its research programs address subjects including tumor biology, cancer genetics, immunology, drug development, imaging, population science, and supportive care. MSK’s development reflects the broader history of oncology: the shift from limited surgical options toward coordinated multimodal treatment; the growth of radiation and systemic therapies; the use of molecular information to classify tumors; and the emergence of immunotherapies, cellular therapies, and other precision approaches. Its institutional role is consequently broader than that of a hospital alone. It functions as a specialist treatment network, a research enterprise, and a teaching organization, while maintaining a public-facing identity centered on cancer care and discovery. The supplied reference material is limited to the official MSK website. It supports the institution’s identity and website but does not independently document a detailed list of historical officeholders, campaigns, scandals, acquisitions, financial results, or current strategic decisions. Those fields are therefore left empty rather than inferred.
- 1961
Memorial Hospital and Sloan-Kettering Institute are brought together
[1]The clinical hospital and the cancer research institute were formally combined, creating the institutional foundation of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
- 1884
New York Cancer Hospital is established
[1]The institution traces its origins to the founding of the New York Cancer Hospital, an early United States hospital devoted specifically to cancer care.
Products and positioning
A nonprofit academic cancer center positioned around highly specialized cancer care, research-led medicine, education, and translation of laboratory discoveries into clinical treatment.
Clinical services
Cancer diagnosis and screening
MSK provides specialist evaluation, diagnostic testing, imaging, pathology, molecular analysis, and screening-related services used to identify cancer, characterize tumors, and support treatment planning. These services are integrated with disease-specific clinical teams rather than presented as a standalone consumer product.
Clinical services
Cancer treatment
The center offers multidisciplinary treatment across medical oncology, surgical oncology, radiation oncology, pediatric oncology, hematology, and other specialist areas. Care may combine surgery, radiation, systemic medicines, immunotherapy, cellular approaches, and supportive services according to the cancer type and the patient’s circumstances.
Research and development
Cancer research and clinical trials
Research programs cover cancer biology, genetics, immunology, drug development, imaging, prevention, epidemiology, and translational medicine. Clinical trials provide a pathway for evaluating investigational treatments and new care approaches while connecting laboratory discoveries with patient care.
Education and information
Patient and professional education
MSK publishes cancer information and educational material for patients, families, clinicians, researchers, and the public. Its education role also includes training and professional development associated with an academic medical center.
Recent events
International Isotopes licenses antibody-test commercialization rights from MSK[2]
Reported:
International Isotopes announced that it had executed an exclusive licensing agreement with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for a patent-pending radiolabeled antibody test to detect SARS-CoV-2.
MSK appoints Tracy Gosselin as senior nursing executive[3]
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center appointed Tracy Gosselin as Senior Vice President, Chief Nurse Executive, and Chair of Nursing, effective November 2021. Gosselin was serving as Chief Nursing & Patient Care Services Officer at Duke University Hospital.
MSK ranked among America’s Best Employers for Diversity[4]
Reported:
Forbes named Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center one of America’s Best Employers for Diversity and ranked it 17th out of 500 companies.
Diaprost signs exclusive PSA antibody license with Memorial Sloan Kettering[5]
Reported:
Diaprost announced that it had signed an exclusive license agreement with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for intellectual property related to using PSA antibodies for therapeutic and diagnostic purposes for prostate cancer.
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