Physician Ash Alizadeh has seen the future of disease diagnosis and monitoring. It is coursing through every patient’s veins. Traditionally, biopsies have required invasively gathering tissue – from a lung, a liver, or a fetus. Now it’s possible to look for disease without surgery. The DNA is sitting there in the bloodstream, Alizadeh tells host Russ Altman, as they preview the age of liquid biopsies on this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything podcast.

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Episode Reference Links:

• Stanford Profile: Ash A. Alizadeh, MD/PhD

Connect With Us:

• Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website
• Connect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / Mastodon
• Connect with School of Engineering >>> Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Introduction

Russ Altman introduces guest Ash Alizadeh, a faculty member at Stanford University in Oncology and Medicine.

(00:03:39) What is a Liquid Biopsy?

Accessing tissues non-invasively using bodily fluids.

(00:04:31) Detecting Cancer with Liquid Biopsies

How localized cancers can be detected through blood samples.

(00:06:32) The Science Behind Cancer DNA Detection

The differences between normal and cancer DNA

(00:09:51) How Liquid Biopsy Technology Works

The technologies behind detecting cancer-related DNA differences.

(00:12:36) Advances in Liquid Biopsy

New detection approaches using non-mutant molecules and RNA.

(00:14:10) RNA as a Real-Time Tumor Marker

How RNA reveals active tumor processes and drug resistance.

(00:15:55) Tracking Cancer Reccurence

Using tumor-informed panels to monitor cancer recurrence.

(00:16:28)  Adapting to Tumor Evolution

Why core mutations remain detectable despite cancer changes.

(00:17:57) Stability of DNA, RNA, and Methylation

Comparing durability and reliability of different biomarkers.

(00:20:49) Listener Question: Early Cancer Detection

Daniel Kim asks about pre-cancer detection and its potential impact.

(00:24:44) Liquid Biopsy in Immunotherapy

Using liquid biopsy to track and improve immune-based treatments.

(00:27:35) Monitoring CAR T-Cell Therapy

How liquid biopsy helps assess immune cell expansion.

(00:32:02) EPIC-Seq: Inferring RNA from DNA

Using DNA fragmentation to predict gene expression in tumors.

(00:34:49) Targeting Tumor Support Systems

Treatment strategies disrupting the tumor microenvironment.

(00:35:52) Conclusion

Connect With Us:

Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website

Connect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / Mastodon

Connect with School of Engineering >>>Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook

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