Cancer Has No Borders

In this episode of Cancer Has No Borders, host Zach Randles-Friedman sits down with Giancarlo Benelli, M.D., BeOne's Senior Vice President and Head of Europe, to explore his journey from surgeon and military service in Italy to leading the organization's growing team in Europe. Giancarlo shares the deeply personal story that first inspired his commitment to patient care — learning to give his mother insulin injections at just five years old — and how that early experience shaped a career dedicated to helping patients. Together, they discuss Europe’s growing role in global oncology, expanding clinical research across more than 30 countries, accelerating access to innovative treatments, and the bold effort to bring life-saving therapies to patients, faster. This conversation is about science, speed, and purpose — and what it truly means to turn hope into action for millions of patients worldwide.

• Dr. Benelli’s early inspiration: learning to give his mother insulin at age five
• Moving from clinical practice to the pharmaceutical industry
• Why BeOne’s mission to put patients first stood out
• Europe’s rapid growth — from 7 employees in Basel in 2017 to nearly 1,000 today
• Expanding clinical trials across 30+ European countries
• Market access challenges and inequities across Europe
• The importance of speed in clinical development and regulatory approval
• Building and developing high-performing teams
• Work-life integration and leading with family-first values
• Defining success: patient access, people development, and scientific excellence
• Reflecting on the real human impact of oncology innovation

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In this episode of Cancer Has No Borders, host Zach Randles-Friedman welcomes back Dr. Mark Lanasa, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at BeOne Medicines, for an in-depth conversation about the future of cancer drug development.

Dr. Lanasa breaks down what makes BeOne’s clinical pipeline stand out in an increasingly crowded solid tumor space—balancing deep scientific focus with broad diversification across targets, modalities, and tumor types. From EGFR and KRAS biology to combination therapies and global clinical trial execution, this episode explores how innovation, urgency, and patient access intersect in modern oncology.

The conversation also dives into the growing role of AI in R&D, the importance of internalized clinical development, why clinical trials are essential to advancing care, and what it means to build medicines with a truly global mission. At its core, this episode reinforces a simple truth: cancer has no borders—and neither should innovation.

• How BeOne balances focus and diversification in solid tumor development
• Key disease areas: lung, GI, breast, gynecologic, and more
• Targeting core cancer drivers like EGFR and KRAS with multiple modalities

• Why Dr. Lanasa transitioned from treating patients to drug development
• Witnessing the shift from chemotherapy to targeted and immunotherapies
• How working on investigational medicines can impact patients worldwide

• Why global patient access is central to BeOne’s mission
• The critical role of clinical trials in advancing cancer care
• Building diverse, international trial populations for better outcomes

• How AI is accelerating protocol design, data analysis, and development timelines
• Where automation helps—and why human judgment still matters
• Reflections on how dramatically oncology innovation has changed in 20 years

• Why most cancers require combination approaches
• Designing smarter trials for multi-drug regimens
• How BeOne’s in-portfolio combinations create unique advantages

• BeOne’s large-scale discovery engine and rigorous selection process
• Advancing first-in-class and best-in-class therapies
• Highlights from recent R&D milestones and investigational programs

• The sacrifice and courage of patients who join clinical trials
• Why meeting patients remains the most meaningful part of the work
• Reflecting on impact, teamwork, and long-term progress in oncology

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In this powerful episode of Cancer Has No Borders, host Zach Randles-Friedman sits down with Pam Traxel, Senior Vice President of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) — the nation’s leading advocacy organization for cancer patients.

Pam shares her inspiring journey from political campaigns to patient advocacy, revealing how she found her true calling fighting for those impacted by cancer. Together, Zach and Pam explore the urgent challenges facing patients today — from paused clinical trials and insurance barriers to the growing mental health toll of cancer care.

They also discuss how advocacy can shape the future of cancer policy, why biomarker testing and early detection could transform survival rates, and how caregivers are often the unsung heroes of the cancer journey.

This episode is a moving reminder that while cancer has no borders, neither does the fight for equitable access, innovation, and compassionate care.

Visit https://www.fightcancer.org/

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In this powerful episode of The Cancer Has No Borders podcast, host Zach Randles-Friedman sits down with Pat García-González, co-founder and CEO of The Max Foundation, an organization that has transformed global cancer care in more than 80 countries.

What began as one family’s response to losing 17-year-old Max to leukemia has grown into a worldwide movement delivering lifesaving treatments, hope, and dignity to more than 100,000 patients across low-resource nations. Pat shares the deeply human story behind the foundation’s creation, the logistical and cultural challenges of providing equitable cancer access, and moving stories of patients and families whose lives have been forever changed.

From coordinating medicine delivery to remote islands to breaking the stigma surrounding cancer in underserved regions, Pat reveals how compassion, collaboration, and relentless determination can reshape what’s possible in global oncology.

🔗 Learn more about The Max Foundation: themaxfoundation.org

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In this episode of Cancer Has No Borders, host Zach Randles-Friedman sits down with Lynn Godfrey, Chief Constituent Experience Officer at Blood Cancer United (formerly the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society). Lynn shares why the 76-year-old organization rebranded, how it’s supporting patients with more than 100 types of blood cancers, and the ambitious goal of extending 1 million years of life for patients.

From investing $1.8 billion in research and pioneering breakthroughs like CAR-T therapy, to offering one-on-one patient and caregiver support, Lynn explains how Blood Cancer United is driving global innovation, awareness, and advocacy. You’ll also hear inspiring stories of resilience, the critical role of clinical trials, and why this rebrand is about making support more inclusive, accessible, and impactful than ever.

Visit their new website at https://bloodcancerunited.org.

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In this episode of Cancer Has No Borders, we delve into the stark disparities in cancer care across the European continent—where mortality rates in parts of Eastern Europe are nearly 50% higher than in the West. What’s driving this gap, and more importantly, how can it be closed?

Joining us are Caroline Berchet from the OECD and Sebastian Bojkow, Head of Market Access for Sub-region Europe at BeOne. Together, we explore the transformative role of prevention, the promise of policy reform initiatives like the Joint Clinical Assessment (JCA), and the impact of innovation and local partnerships in improving patient outcomes.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.