TGen Talks

At TGen, scientists have studied naturally occurring cancer in canines for over a decade. This expertise led to the formation of a company aimed specifically at partnering with veterinarians to identify treatment options for our four-legged friends and bring greater peace of mind to pet parents.

  Vidium Animal Health was launched in September of 2020, to provide genomic based precision medicine to veterinary oncologist through its flagship test Searchlight DNA. 

  Searchlight DNA was designed to specifically identify any of the nearly 120 known cancer associated genetic mutations in dogs and to use the molecular profile of misbehaving genes to help guide diagnosis and treatment. 

  In episode 36 of TGen Talks, veterinarian and Vidium president Dr. David Haworth discusses how Vidium can help inform veterinarians and pet parents about which mutations are causing their pet’s cancer

to grow and spread, and how Vidium wants to  use precision medicine to combat canine cancer in new and more effective ways.

At TGen's Center for Rare Childhood Disorders, we are committed to developing, refining, and applying the latest tools of genomic medicine to help diagnose and direct treatment for children with rare diseases and disorders.

Did you know that there are over 7,000 rare diseases that affect over 25 million Americans? Many of these patients endure a diagnostic odyssey that involves multiple tests and doctor visits that all too often are expensive and painful, yet offer no additional clues.

To address this challenge, TGen established the Center for Rare Childhood Disorders in 2012 with the goal of using advanced genomic testing to identify the factors that cause rare disorders in children, which comprise approximately half of all rare disease patients.

In honor of Rare Disease Day (February 28) Center medical director, Vinodh Naryanan, M.D., talks numbers, treatments and more on this month's edition of TGen Talks.

It took under a year to develop, test and begin to deploy vaccines against COVID-19. And despite a few hiccups upon arrival, the rollout is underway... and that's great news for a world that's nearing 100 million cases and over 2 million deaths.

  Joining TGen Talks to discuss his take on COVID-19 vaccines is Dr. David Engelthaler, Director of TGen North, the Pathogen and Microbiome Division of TGen located in Flagstaff, Arizona.

  Dr. Engelthaler discusses the vaccine's available today, those that are currently in the development pipeline and why getting vaccinated is important. He also tackles the known side-effects, the speed at which the vaccines were developed, and the recent variant strains that were discovered in the UK, South Africa and elsewhere, and which of these are already being seen in the US. 

  All that and more on this month's edition of TGen Talks.

Internships provide students an opportunity to learn more about potential career choices and equally important, following the experience, gauge whether that career is right for them. Joining TGen Talks is Josh Niska, MD — a 2007 Helios Scholar at TGen — who explains the value of his Helios internship experience, how it helped shape his career, and how the lessons learned at the bench continue to inform his work as a radiation oncologist.

  He explains how the technologies and techniques and concepts he learned at TGen helped with his undergraduate education, medical school, residency and his work today. He also discusses the importance of mentorships, and how the Helios Scholars at TGen program offered more than just applicable hands-on learning but created friendships and networks that exist to this day.

For 45 students, Summer 2021 could be life-changing … an opportunity to look into the future of biomedical science and see where their own careers could lead them. It’s possible thanks to The Helios Education Foundation and TGen.

   For 14 years, these forward-thinking organizations have offered gifted students the opportunity to work on real-life projects as paid interns, side-by-side with skilled TGen mentors.

   In this podcast, learn how this program has been a springboard to inspiring careers and find out how the next generation of students can apply to change their lives.

Recent events and social protests have prompted increased dialog, and rightly so, on the topic of diversity, equity, and inclusion in America. It's a big topic that covers multiple segments of society. But this edition of TGen Talks will focus on how diversity relates to the fields of science and medicine.

  Our guest this month on TGen Talks is Dr. Joseph Mikhael, professor of Applied Cancer Research and drug discovery at TGen and Chief Medical Officer of the International Myeloma Foundation, or IMF, and a counselor on the Executive Committee of the American Society of Hematology, who shares his insights on the into how we all can become better at embracing and understanding differences that make us unique and the value inherent in assessing our own thoughts and beliefs.

  To Dr. Mikhael, it's not just business, it's personal.

275 days ago, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission in China reported a cluster of cases of pneumonia … a novel coronavirus was eventually identified and labeled COVID-19.

  Since that time, over 200,000 Americans have died and over 7.1 million have tested positive for the disease. Globally, the number of deaths has reached 1 million with more than 33 million citizens testing positive.

  Our guest this month on TGen Talks is Dr. David Engelthaler, co-director of TGen North, the Pathogen and Microbiome Division of TGen located in Flagstaff, Arizona, who shares his insights on the latest information and developments surrounding COVID-19 — locally and globally — from testing to the value of masks, and vaccine development.

Immune cells, also known as white blood cells, help the body fight infection and disease. Now, scientists and clinicians at TGen and City of Hope are using immune cells in combination with chemotherapy drugs to tailor personalized treatments for cancer patients. Specifically, they're using a mathematical formula to predict who might respond best to this type of therapy. 

  This month on TGen Talks, Sunil Sharma, M.D, TGen Deputy Director of Clinical Sciences and Director of the Applied Cancer Research and Drug Discovery Division discusses immunotherapy, this latest advance, and how it could lead to the development of innovative clinical trials in the future.

Following the lifting of social restrictions and individuals returning to work, the medical profession has seen a recent spike in COVID-19 cases. This month on TGen Talks, Tyler Delaughder, D.O., a TGen clinical research coordinator and recent graduate of Midwestern University, shares his interpretations of the medical issues surrounding COVID-19.  

  Dr. Delaughder provides insight on the progress of testing and what we might expect next by looking into the past, identifying human error, understanding the power of Mother Nature, and the body’s own genomic complexities. Is there a way of stopping future viruses from developing or are they inevitable? And how is the progress being made in the labs at TGen and TGen North informing the medical profession during this pandemic. All this and more on TGen Talks.

For nearly 6 months, COVID-19 has raised numerous questions and concerns, as well as having led to global disruption. In addition to testing, TGen was an early adopter in tracking the virus to learn how it mutates and spreads. Joining TGen Talks to discuss what we've learned is Dr. David Engelthaler, co-director of TGen North, the Pathogen and Microbiome Division of TGen located in Flagstaff, Arizona.

  Dr. Engelthaler discusses what the epidemiology is telling us about COVID-19, and how that plays into decisions states are making on whether to open, and if so, how broadly? He also discusses the global effort toward vaccine development, the possibility of a second wave of COVID-19 in the fall, lessons learned in terms of public health and how we prepare for other viruses in the future.