Cancer has impacted almost every single person on the planet in one way or another. Maybe you've had it yourself, or know someone who has. Despite how long it's plagued the human species, the opportunities for a deeper understanding of its causes and mechanisms are vast.

Tune in to discover:

• How cells undergo non-genetic heritable changes, and how this might explain the development of cancer
• Whether it's actually true that all cancer cells undergo unlimited proliferation
• What properties make certain tumor types particularly aggressive

Gάbor Balάzsi is Henry Laufer Endowed Professor of physical and quantitative biology, and professor of biomedical engineering at Stony Brook University in New York. He joins the show to answer a series of challenging and important questions about cancer.

How does cancer first start and why? What abilities do cancer cells have that other cells don't? And why do certain types of cancers seem to prefer specific sites for metastasis?

There are just a few of the compelling questions that Balάzsi offers insight on, diving into the details of tumor heterogeneity, the positive feedback mechanism that can perpetuate cytoplasmic conditions, whether there's a certain point at which a tumor establishes a sense of 'self' versus 'other', the impact of cell-to cell signaling disruption, tumor structure, the difference between primary tumors and metastasis, and the latest breakthroughs in cancer treatment.

Balάzsi discusses immunotherapy, the drawbacks of targeted drug therapies, gene therapy and RNA or DNA-based vaccines, and more innovative approaches to cancer treatment.

Learn more at https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/bme/people/g_balazsi.php. Episode also available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/30PvU9C