TheoryLab

The American Cancer Society is committed to maintaining a broad cancer research portfolio—any type of cancer, within any part of the cancer research continuum.

This episode is a perfect example of this commitment and features three cancer researchers from the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center.

Kathy Shair, PhD, studies how the Epstein-Barr virus causes cancer. Sarah Hengel, PhD, is investigating why unrepaired DNA leads to cancer. And Yuri Bunimovich, MD, PhD, conducts research into the role of our body’s nerves in melanoma growth.

1:47 – Yuri Bunimovich, MD, PhD, is Assistant Professor in the Department of Dermatology and member of the Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy program at Hillman Cancer Center

Sarah Hengel, PhD, is an American Cancer Society postdoctoral fellow at the Hillman Cancer Center in the Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology in the Kara Bernstein lab.

Kathy Shair, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics and an investigator in the Cancer Virology program at the Hillman Cancer Center

3:11 – Dr. Shair on how her lab is focused on understanding how chronic infections can turn bad and result in cancer

4:13 – Dr. Hengel’s research into a subset of breast and ovarian cancers

6:17 – Dr. Bunimovich on the role of nerves in the tumor microenvironment in melanoma and other cancers

12:13 – Dr. Shair on recent advancements that help us understand the circumstances under which the Epstein-Barr virus can lead to cancer

22:24 – Dr. Hengel explains how our improved understanding of different mutations is leading to more personalized therapies

26:38 – Dr. Bunimovich explains how melanoma can injure nerves, creating an immune-suppressive environment that protects the melanoma from the body’s immune response.

35:16 – Dr. Shair on how Epstein-Barr viruses’ interference with DNA repair can be used to our advantage

38:00 – Dr. Hengel on how gathering more information about these mutations is critical to developing novel therapeutic targets

40:29 – The three aspects of his research Dr. Bunimovich is most excited about

45:28 – Dr. Shair and Dr. Hengel talk DNA repair and studying cancer in model organisms

47:21 – Dr. Bunimovich and Shair on viruses and cancers

51:42 – The impact of ACS funding

53:45 – A message for cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers

At first glance, the work of Eva Hernando and Thales Papagiannakopoulos might not seem to have much in common.

Dr. Hernando studies the contributions of non-genetic alterations to the aggressive behavior of melanoma. Dr. Papagiannakopoulos is applying CRISPR/Cas9 to study lung cancer.

But in this conversation, Drs. Hernando and Papagiannakopoulos take us through the ins and outs of their research into why cancer grows and spreads, and we learn how they learn from each other, how NYU Grossman School of Medicine encourages collaboration, and why new directions in cancer research have them feeling optimistic.

3:05 – Eva Hernando, PhD, is Professor in the Department of Pathology and Assistant Dean for Research at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Thales Papagiannakopoulos, PhD, is Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

5:26 – Dr. Hernando on why cancer cells metastasize

10:10 – Why she studies metastasis in melanoma

13:28 – Dr. Papagiannakopoulos on why it’s so hard to understand what the cancer genome is telling us

20:50 – Dr. Papagiannakopoulos on why he studies lung cancer

23:32 – Dr. Hernando on the biggest challenge she’s facing as a melanoma researcher

27:42 – Dr. Papagiannakopoulos on new directions in lung cancer research

30:34 – On encouraging research collaborations at NYU

35:16 – How ACS funding has impacted their cancer research

At first glance, the work of Eva Hernando and Thales Papagiannakopoulos might not seem to have much in common.

Dr. Hernando studies the contributions of non-genetic alterations to the aggressive behavior of melanoma. Dr. Papagiannakopoulos is applying CRISPR/Cas9 to study lung cancer.

But in this conversation, Drs. Hernando and Papagiannakopoulos take us through the ins and outs of their research into why cancer grows and spreads, and we learn how they learn from each other, how NYU Grossman School of Medicine encourages collaboration, and why new directions in cancer research have them feeling optimistic.

3:05 – Eva Hernando, PhD, is Professor in the Department of Pathology and Assistant Dean for Research at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Thales Papagiannakopoulos, PhD, is Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

5:26 – Dr. Hernando on why cancer cells metastasize

10:10 – Why she studies metastasis in melanoma

13:28 – Dr. Papagiannakopoulos on why it’s so hard to understand what the cancer genome is telling us

20:50 – Dr. Papagiannakopoulos on why he studies lung cancer

23:32 – Dr. Hernando on the biggest challenge she’s facing as a melanoma researcher

27:42 – Dr. Papagiannakopoulos on new directions in lung cancer research

30:34 – On encouraging research collaborations at NYU

35:16 – How ACS funding has impacted their cancer research

Pancreatic cancer is a terrible disease.

“The 5-year relative survival rate for all stages combined is 10%,” according to Cancer Facts & Figures 2021. “Even for the small percentage (11%) of people diagnosed with local disease, the 5-year survival rate is only 39%.*”

But cancer researchers are learning more every day about how to find pancreatic cancer early and develop targeted therapies.

Laura D. Wood, MD, PhD, a clinician scientist at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, joined the podcast to explain why pancreatic cancer is difficult to detect early and how her team is approaching the problem.

2:34 – Laura D. Wood, MD, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology and Director of GI Pathology in the Division of Gastrointestinal and Liver Pathology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. And she’s an American Cancer Society Research Scholar.

3:32 – As a graduate student she was among the first in the world to sequence the whole exomes of human tumors. What are whole exomes?

5:38 – Why this accomplishment was important and how much technology has advanced since then

9:03 – How a more complete picture of the cancer genome changes our understanding of that cancer

13:37 – Why early detection of pancreatic cancer is such a clinical challenge

17:13 – “It’s actually on course to be the 2nd-leadest cause of cancer death within a few years”

21:15 – What she’s learned from genetics about the development of precancerous lesions in the pancreas

24:56 – How it’s different from colorectal cancer screening

26:37 – How can we tell which lesions are going to turn into cancer?

29:36 – On growing mini-tumors in fancy science jello to understand cancer cell invasion

31:37 – How she is studying pancreatic cancer from both ends of the spectrum

33:01 – How her clinical training and knowledge of genetics and morphology helps her think about what research questions matter to cancer patients

34:56 – Progress she hopes to see in the pancreatic cancer research field in the next 5 years

36:54 – A message she’d like to share with cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers

*Source: https://www.cancer.org/content/dam/cancer-org/research/cancer-facts-and-statistics/annual-cancer-facts-and-figures/2021/cancer-facts-and-figures-2021.pdf

Pancreatic cancer is a terrible disease.

“The 5-year relative survival rate for all stages combined is 10%,” according to Cancer Facts & Figures 2021. “Even for the small percentage (11%) of people diagnosed with local disease, the 5-year survival rate is only 39%.*”

But cancer researchers are learning more every day about how to find pancreatic cancer early and develop targeted therapies.

Laura D. Wood, MD, PhD, a clinician scientist at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, joined the podcast to explain why pancreatic cancer is difficult to detect early and how her team is approaching the problem.

2:34 – Laura D. Wood, MD, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology and Director of GI Pathology in the Division of Gastrointestinal and Liver Pathology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. And she’s an American Cancer Society Research Scholar.

3:32 – As a graduate student she was among the first in the world to sequence the whole exomes of human tumors. What are whole exomes?

5:38 – Why this accomplishment was important and how much technology has advanced since then

9:03 – How a more complete picture of the cancer genome changes our understanding of that cancer

13:37 – Why early detection of pancreatic cancer is such a clinical challenge

17:13 – “It’s actually on course to be the 2nd-leadest cause of cancer death within a few years”

21:15 – What she’s learned from genetics about the development of precancerous lesions in the pancreas

24:56 – How it’s different from colorectal cancer screening

26:37 – How can we tell which lesions are going to turn into cancer?

29:36 – On growing mini-tumors in fancy science jello to understand cancer cell invasion

31:37 – How she is studying pancreatic cancer from both ends of the spectrum

33:01 – How her clinical training and knowledge of genetics and morphology helps her think about what research questions matter to cancer patients

34:56 – Progress she hopes to see in the pancreatic cancer research field in the next 5 years

36:54 – A message she’d like to share with cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers

*Source: https://www.cancer.org/content/dam/cancer-org/research/cancer-facts-and-statistics/annual-cancer-facts-and-figures/2021/cancer-facts-and-figures-2021.pdf

How can we use the exceptional greed of cancer cells against them?

They gobble up all the resources in their local environment, spread to another area, and then gobble up more resources.

Thales Papagiannakopoulos, PhD, explains that there’s a cost to that. A cancer cell takes a lot of fuel, but it produces a lot of waste. It has a few tricks for getting rid of that waste, such as taking advantage of antioxidants in our diet, but Dr. Papagiannakopoulos and his team are exploring some innovative approaches to this problem.

In this conversation, Dr. Papagiannakopoulos takes us through cancer metabolism and the implications of ACS-funded cancer research that has moved into clinical trials.

3:30 - Thales Papagiannakopoulos, PhD, is Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine

4:26 –What does metabolism do for normal cells? How does the metabolism of immune cells help them fight off infections?

9:03 – How does a cell’s need for energy change as it becomes a cancer cell?

11:06 – Cancer cells as factories

15:02 – How a higher metabolism can also damage cancer cells…

17:01 – How cancer cells accumulate and clear out free radicals

23:50 – How cancer cells take advantage of antioxidants in our diet

26:44 – Exciting therapeutic implications resulting from these insights

32:17 – How ACS funding helped move his research into clinical trials

How can we use the exceptional greed of cancer cells against them?

They gobble up all the resources in their local environment, spread to another area, and then gobble up more resources.

Thales Papagiannakopoulos, PhD, explains that there’s a cost to that. A cancer cell takes a lot of fuel, but it produces a lot of waste. It has a few tricks for getting rid of that waste, such as taking advantage of antioxidants in our diet, but Dr. Papagiannakopoulos and his team are exploring some innovative approaches to this problem.

In this conversation, Dr. Papagiannakopoulos takes us through cancer metabolism and the implications of ACS-funded cancer research that has moved into clinical trials.

3:30 - Thales Papagiannakopoulos, PhD, is Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine

4:26 –What does metabolism do for normal cells? How does the metabolism of immune cells help them fight off infections?

9:03 – How does a cell’s need for energy change as it becomes a cancer cell?

11:06 – Cancer cells as factories

15:02 – How a higher metabolism can also damage cancer cells…

17:01 – How cancer cells accumulate and clear out free radicals

23:50 – How cancer cells take advantage of antioxidants in our diet

26:44 – Exciting therapeutic implications resulting from these insights

32:17 – How ACS funding helped move his research into clinical trials

A key challenge in treating some cancers is the ability to distinguish tumors that are likely to metastasize from indolent disease that can be managed with active surveillance.

Dr. Peder Larson has developed a non-invasive imaging method based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to measure the rate at which a tumor creates lactic acid and transports it out of cells.

In this conversation he explains how the technology works and how he hopes to create imaging biomarkers to identify cancers that require aggressive therapy.

3:13 – Peder Larson, PhD, is an Associate Professor in Residence and a Principal Investigator in the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at the University of California, San Francisco.

He’s also a core member of the joint UC Berkeley–UCSF Graduate Program in Bioengineering.

4:13 – How oncologists use imaging data

8:57 – How does MRI work?

13:11 – How MRIs are used in treatment decisions…

15:56 – …and some of their limitations

17:44 – How we could use MRIs to understand cancer metabolism

21:55 – On the special type of MRI focused on differences in metabolism, called Hyperpolarized carbon-13 magnetic resonance imaging, how it works, and why it’s so cool

25:43 – How he’s improved this technology

28:57 – The impact of ACS funding on cancer research

31:25 – A message he’d like to share with cancer patients, survivors and caregivers

A key challenge in treating some cancers is the ability to distinguish tumors that are likely to metastasize from indolent disease that can be managed with active surveillance.

Dr. Peder Larson has developed a non-invasive imaging method based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to measure the rate at which a tumor creates lactic acid and transports it out of cells.

In this conversation he explains how the technology works and how he hopes to create imaging biomarkers to identify cancers that require aggressive therapy.

3:13 – Peder Larson, PhD, is an Associate Professor in Residence and a Principal Investigator in the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at the University of California, San Francisco.

He’s also a core member of the joint UC Berkeley–UCSF Graduate Program in Bioengineering.

4:13 – How oncologists use imaging data

8:57 – How does MRI work?

13:11 – How MRIs are used in treatment decisions…

15:56 – …and some of their limitations

17:44 – How we could use MRIs to understand cancer metabolism

21:55 – On the special type of MRI focused on differences in metabolism, called Hyperpolarized carbon-13 magnetic resonance imaging, how it works, and why it’s so cool

25:43 – How he’s improved this technology

28:57 – The impact of ACS funding on cancer research

31:25 – A message he’d like to share with cancer patients, survivors and caregivers

Screening can prevent colorectal cancer through the detection and removal of precancerous growths (polyps), as well as detect cancer at an early stage, when treatment is usually less intensive and more successful.

People living in rural areas are much less likely to undergo screening due to a number of barriers, but some rural clinics have achieved high colorectal cancer screening rates despite such constraints.

Dr. Jennifer Weiss of the University of Wisconsin-Madison joins the podcast to talk about how these clinics have been successful in “developing relevant, impactful, and sustainable approaches to increasing colorectal cancer screening in rural communities.”

The American Cancer Society recommends regular colorectal cancer screening for people at average risk starting at age 45: https://www.cancer.org/healthy/find-cancer-early/american-cancer-society-guidelines-for-the-early-detection-of-cancer.html.

4:45 – Jennifer Weiss, MD, MS is Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She’s a two-time American Cancer Society grantee.

5:21 – Why she has described colorectal cancer as the “most preventable, but least prevented cancer”

8:15 – The American Cancer Society recommends regular colorectal cancer screening for people at average risk starting at age 45

13:19 – On why where you live can impact access to colorectal cancer screening

16:23 – Some rural clinics are doing better than others in terms of colorectal cancer screening and outcomes…

20:11 – …why is that? What are they doing right?

22:58 – A great real-life example of a rural clinic boosting screening rates

29:05 – Gaps that she hopes her research will fill

30:23 – What she’s most excited about

33:18 – A message she’d like to share with cancer patients, survivors and caregivers