The center researches the genetic and molecular basis of cancer, how alterations in cellular processes affect cell growth and behavior, and how the immune system develops and recognizes antigens.

[9] In 2006, President Susan Hockfield announced plans for a new CCR center to support and expand cancer research performed by biologists and engineers.

Koch graduated from MIT with bachelor's and master's degrees in chemical engineering and served on the university's board of directors since 1988.

[11] The gift supported the construction of the estimated $240–$280 million facility, on the condition that MIT build the center even if fund raising fell short.

[1] Koch Institute faculty teach classes at MIT, as well as train graduate and undergraduate students as well as postdoctoral fellows.

Designed to encourage interaction and collaboration, the building employs both dedicated lab space as well as common areas, and features a ground-floor gallery exhibiting art and technical displays related to biomedical research.

[18] In 2020, Alex K. Shalek, Christopher Love, Travis Hughes and Marc Wadsworth developed an updated protocol for the commonly used low-input RNA sequencing method Seq-Well, increasing output resolution by ten times.