Can a fascination with science fiction fuel life-changing research?

If you've followed the career of David Edgell, PhD, then you'll know the answer is a resounding yes. From Star Trek to Blade Runner, the biochemistry professor has spent his career recreating the seemingly impossible health solutions that were promised in fictional far distant futures. Edgell is now exploring the next frontier of gene editing as he pushes the science behind CRISPR-Cas9, the Nobel Prize-winning technology that allows scientists to cut DNA at precise locations.

David Edgell, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Biochemistry at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry.

Related links:

• The Edgell Lab
• New funding advances precision gene-editing technology
• Gene editing's next frontier

The future of neurosurgery is bright.

That's according to neurosurgeon Dr. Victor Yang, who is combining engineering and medicineto improve patients' lives. Fresh off 24 hours of back-to-back surgeries, Dr. Yang joins The Catalysts to discuss the evolution of technology in neurosurgery, share some of his favourite inventions and provide an intimate look at life in a high-stakes career.

Dr. Victor Yang is a Professor of Neurosurgery, Medical Imaging, Orthopaedic Surgery and Medical Biophysics at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, where he holds the Charles G. Drake Chair in Neurosurgery Research. He was recently elected as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.

Related links:

This is Not a Robot Takeover – Rapport Magazine: https://www.schulich.uwo.ca/rapport//2025/features/this_is_not_a_robot_takeover.html

Pioneering research bridges engineering and medicine: https://news.westernu.ca/2022/03/pioneering-research-bridges-engineering-and-medicine/

Life-saving surgery inspires gift to spinal implant research: https://www.schulich.uwo.ca/about/news-events-community/news/2026/life-saving-surgery-inspires-gift-to-spinal-implant-research.html

EPISODE CHAPTERS

0:44 – Intro

2:07 – Combining engineering and medicine

6:20 – Unpacking neurosurgery

9:10 – Technology and neurosurgery

12:42 – Dr. Yang's inventions

17:18 – The future of neurosurgery

20:29 – The high stakes of neurosurgery

27:10 – Invention inspiration

29:10 – Dr. Yang's love for London, Ont.

There's power in shining a light on an invisible injury.

That's what Dr. Ruth Lanius has heard from the patients she's treated for post-trauma stress disorder (PTSD). Working with civilians, military members, first responders and refugees, the internationally recognized researcher is exploring new and effective ways to treat PTSD. In this episode of The Catalysts, Dr. Lanius shares what she knows about PTSD and what's yet to be discovered.

Dr. Ruth Lanius is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University. She holds the Harris-Woodman Chair in Psyche & Soma.

With Dr. Ruth Lanius MDr. Ruth Lanius is a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University. She holds the Harris-Woodman Chair in Psyche & Soma.

Related links:

Dr. Ruth Lanius' website: https://www.ruthlanius.com/

Dr. Lanius' latest book, Sensory Pathways to Healing from Trauma: Harnessing the Brain's Capacity for Change: https://www.indigo.ca/products/sensory-pathways-to-healing-from-trauma

The health of our planet requires a solution that bridges perspectives, knowledges and people.

It's a solution that Nicole Redvers, DPhil, ND, has promoted at regional, national and international levels, working to advocate for the inclusion of Indigenous perspectives in both human and planetary health research and practice. In this episode of The Catalysts, we catch up with Redvers to learn about her prescription for planetary health.

Nicole Redvers, DPhil, ND, is a member of the Denı́nu Kų́ę́ First Nation (Northwest Territories, Canada), and is an Associate Professor, Western Research Chair, and Director of Indigenous Planetary Health at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at Western University.

Related links:

• Indigenous Community & Planetary Health Research Lab
• Stories of Hope & Strength – Healing Hearts
• The Science of the Sacred: Bridging Global Indigenous Medicine Systems and Modern Scientific Principles

Episode chapters

Timing may vary after final edit of podcast.

• 0:00 – Intro
• 1:21 – Linking planetary health and human health
• 3:54 – Understanding planetary health
• 5:29 – Indigenous Peoples and land stewardship
• 7:07 – Policy and planetary health
• 15:27 – Communicating planetary health
• 19:55 – Bridging knowledge and perspectives
• 26:50 – Healing Hearts
• 31:49 – The importance of wellness
• 36:30 – The future of planetary health

When it comes to predicting your health, the answer often lies in your DNA.

That's according to Dr. Rob Hegele, whose life's work has led to numerous breakthroughs for patients combatting cardiovascular disease. In this episode of The Catalysts, we catch up with the 2026 Canadian Medical Hall of Fame inductee to learn about reading DNA, treating high cholesterol, witnessing groundbreaking research and the art of curiosity and discovery.

Dr. Rob Hegele is a Distinguished University Professor in the Departments of Medicine (Division of Endocrinology) and Biochemistry at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. He is a Scientist at the Robarts Research Institute, where he serves as Director of the London Regional Genomics Centre.

He is also the holder of the Edith Schulich Vinet Chair in Human Genetics, the Jacob J. Wolfe Distinguished Medical Research Chair in Human Gene Function and the Martha G. Blackburn Chair in Cardiovascular Research.

Related links:

• The London Regional Genomics Centre
• The Lipid Genetics Clinic
• Dr. Robert Hegele inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame

Episode Chapters

• 0:00 – Intro
• 0:37 – Predicting health with genes
• 9:19 – On treating high cholesterol
• 14:59 – The power of genetic diagnoses
• 17:23 – The birth of statins
• 21:12 – Theories on cholesterol
• 26:45 – Dr. Hegele's musical origins
• 30:12 – The art of discovery
• 35:50 – The future of cardiovascular disease

For Eric Arts, curing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is not a question of how, but when.

One of Canada's leading researchers in combatting HIV joins host Patrick Morley to discuss an equitable approach to treating the roughly 40 million people living with the virus around the world.

Arts also chats about his own in experience in treating HIV in Uganda, as well as the healthy future being promised by Western University's upcoming Pathogen Research Centre.

Eric Arts, PhD, is the Canada Research Chair in HIV Pathogenesis and Viral Control and a Professor in Microbiology & Immunology at the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry.

Related resources:

• Western leads new international, public-private initiative for equitable access to HIV cure

• Western University building one-of-a-kind facility to test how infectious diseases spread

• The Arts Lab

• Frugal Biomedical Innovations

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Learn more about The Catalysts

The Catalysts is produced by Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry in association with the J. Allyn Taylor International Prize in Medicine — one of Canada's most prestigious medical research prizes.

What if we could teach the immune system to fight cancer? Dr. Carl H. June pioneered the bold ideas behind CAR T-cell therapy, a breakthrough that is transforming cancer treatment and holds the potential to reshape care for millions. In this episode, he reflects on a remarkable career that has spanned the Vietnam War, the HIV epidemic and the rise of modern immunotherapy. He shares how curiosity has driven his work, and why he remains a champion for science in an era when it is increasingly under threat. Dr. June is the 2025 J. Allyn Taylor International Prize in Medicine laureate.

With Dr. Carl H. June

Richard W. Vague Professor in Immunotherapy, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine

Director, Center for Cellular Immunotherapies at The University of Pennsylvania

Director, Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, Perelman School of Medicine at The University of Pennsylvania

Links:

Dr. June: A Global Titan of Cancer Research

Emily Whitehead Foundation

Official Film Trailer: Of Medicine and Miracles

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Canadian women, with 1 in 8 women facing a diagnosis in their lifetime. It's a complex foe, shaped by biology and lifestyle, made difficult by invasive treatments and cumbersome diagnostic techniques.

In this episode, Dr. Ana Lohmann, a medical oncologist and scientist at Western University's Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, discusses how this complexity is being met head-on. Her research explores how obesity and metabolism shape cancer diagnosis and recurrence, and how lifestyle, access to care and social inequities influence outcomes. She also discusses emerging tools like liquid biopsies and the growing focus on survivorship and quality of life.

With Dr. Ana Lohmann, MD PhD

Medical Oncologist, Verspeeten Family Cancer Centre

Associate Scientist, London Health Sciences Research Institute

Assistant Professor, Western University

Dept. of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Dept. of Oncology

• Breast Cancer and Obesity
• Bio
• Breast Cancer and Diabetes Drugs

Can the trillions of microbes in our gut hold the key to transforming cancer treatment? Through relentless persistence, Saman Maleki, PhD, is pioneering research that uses the gut microbiome and fecal microbiota transplants (FMT) to boost the power of cancer-fighting immunotherapy. In this episode, he shares the science, the challenges, and the hope driving a new frontier in cancer care.

With Saman Maleki, PhD

Associate Professor, Departments of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Oncology, and Medical Biophysics, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University

Scientist, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR)

Scientist, Verspeeten Family Cancer Centre, London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute

Saman Maleki's Poop Pills

FMT Phase 1 Trials

FMT at Work

What if your body already held a secret weapon to beating cancer? Mansour Haeryfar, PhD, is tapping into MAIT cells — a rare type of immune cell that can be supercharged with bacterial molecules to hunt down tumours. His research suggests these cells could form a basis for powerful, universal therapies that work across patients. In this episode, he'll reveal how this cutting-edge science could transform cancer treatment and how the inspiration to fight against malignancy came from an unexpected source.

With Mansour Haeryfar, PhD

Professor, Departments of Microbiology & Immunology, Medicine, Surgery, and Oncology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University

Scientist, Lawson Research Institute of St. Joseph's Health Care London

Past President, Canadian Society for Immunology

Robert Pope: the Artist

MAIT Cells Fighting Cancer Tumors

The Haeryfar Laboratory