TheoryLab

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

Dr. Nicole Steinmetz is well on her way in her mission to “push new frontiers in medicine and bio-nanotechnology through the design, development and testing of materials and biologics derived from plant viruses.”

Plant viruses? Plant viruses.

They’re non-infectious to humans. When injected into a tumor the immune system is alerted to their presence; finding no threat from the plant virus the immune cells fight the tumor instead.

Dr. Steinmetz talks us through the technology she’s developed, explains how it can advance immunotherapy, and gives us a glimpse of how she and her team are applying this platform toward COVID-19 vaccine development.

1:52 – Nicole Steinmetz, PhD, Professor of NanoEngineering and Director of the Center for Nano-ImmunoEngineering at the University of California, San Diego

2:34 – What are nanoparticles? Why are they useful in medicine?

7:11 – The Ballad of the Ferrari and the Geo Storm

9:25 - How nanoparticles are useful in cancer diagnostic and therapeutic approaches

14:36 – Using plant viruses as nanotechnology (“They’re also naturally expert at the delivery of cargo” such as cancer therapeutics.)

20:40 – How her lab is using plant virus-based nanotechnologies to improve immunotherapy delivery

27:08 – How plant viruses nicely synergize with checkpoint therapies

31:04 – How nanotechnology has been applied to COVID-19 vaccine development

33:04 – The role her lab has played in developing COVID-19 vaccine candidates using plant viruses “that we could ship at room temperature around the world to people’s homes…You don’t even need to see a doctor; you can apply it like a bandage to get the vaccine.”

35:05 – On how this is a platform technology that could be used against the next strain, the next mutant, the next virus

36:28 – How support from the American Cancer Society has impacted her research

38:06 – Her message for cancer patients, survivors and their caregivers

Stick around until the end for a few bonus questions on Baldeneysee, surfing, whales, and her favorite teacher growing up

Dr. Nicole Steinmetz is well on her way in her mission to “push new frontiers in medicine and bio-nanotechnology through the design, development and testing of materials and biologics derived from plant viruses.”

Plant viruses? Plant viruses.

They’re non-infectious to humans. When injected into a tumor the immune system is alerted to their presence; finding no threat from the plant virus the immune cells fight the tumor instead.

Dr. Steinmetz talks us through the technology she’s developed, explains how it can advance immunotherapy, and gives us a glimpse of how she and her team are applying this platform toward COVID-19 vaccine development.

1:52 – Nicole Steinmetz, PhD, Professor of NanoEngineering and Director of the Center for Nano-ImmunoEngineering at the University of California, San Diego

2:34 – What are nanoparticles? Why are they useful in medicine?

7:11 – The Ballad of the Ferrari and the Geo Storm

9:25 - How nanoparticles are useful in cancer diagnostic and therapeutic approaches

14:36 – Using plant viruses as nanotechnology (“They’re also naturally expert at the delivery of cargo” such as cancer therapeutics.)

20:40 – How her lab is using plant virus-based nanotechnologies to improve immunotherapy delivery

27:08 – How plant viruses nicely synergize with checkpoint therapies

31:04 – How nanotechnology has been applied to COVID-19 vaccine development

33:04 – The role her lab has played in developing COVID-19 vaccine candidates using plant viruses “that we could ship at room temperature around the world to people’s homes…You don’t even need to see a doctor; you can apply it like a bandage to get the vaccine.”

35:05 – On how this is a platform technology that could be used against the next strain, the next mutant, the next virus

36:28 – How support from the American Cancer Society has impacted her research

38:06 – Her message for cancer patients, survivors and their caregivers

Stick around until the end for a few bonus questions on Baldeneysee, surfing, whales, and her favorite teacher growing up

When it comes to how diet affects colorectal cancer risk, it’s not just a question of whether you eat your fruits and vegetables. Are you eating the right combinations of foods? How do your dietary patterns influence your metabolism? How does genetics play a role?

Dr. Fred Tabung just received an American Cancer Society research grant to explore these questions. He talked about how his study will identify specific groups for which certain dietary patterns might play a significant role in increasing or decreasing colorectal cancer risk.

Fred Tabung, PhD, MSPH, is Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at The Ohio State University and the Division of Medical Oncology at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center.

5:30 – Why the nutritional epidemiology of cancer is important

7:05 – On some current trends in colorectal cancer diagnosis and mortality

8:48 – Why he thinks the impact of our habitual dietary patterns on our metabolism and gut microbiome could impact colorectal cancer risk

11:53 – Why insulin could be important in the development of colorectal cancer

14:40 – Why it's important to look at food combinations

18:02 – On his new ACS-funded study that includes more than 700,00 men and women across four continents…

20:00 – …and how it could lead to exciting new opportunities to impact risk for colorectal cancer through changes to dietary patterns

24:07 – Some helpful advice about specific healthy food combinations

25:45 – A message he’d like to share with the donors who made his ACS research grant a reality

When it comes to how diet affects colorectal cancer risk, it’s not just a question of whether you eat your fruits and vegetables. Are you eating the right combinations of foods? How do your dietary patterns influence your metabolism? How does genetics play a role?

Dr. Fred Tabung just received an American Cancer Society research grant to explore these questions. He talked about how his study will identify specific groups for which certain dietary patterns might play a significant role in increasing or decreasing colorectal cancer risk.

Fred Tabung, PhD, MSPH, is Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at The Ohio State University and the Division of Medical Oncology at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center.

5:30 – Why the nutritional epidemiology of cancer is important

7:05 – On some current trends in colorectal cancer diagnosis and mortality

8:48 – Why he thinks the impact of our habitual dietary patterns on our metabolism and gut microbiome could impact colorectal cancer risk

11:53 – Why insulin could be important in the development of colorectal cancer

14:40 – Why it's important to look at food combinations

18:02 – On his new ACS-funded study that includes more than 700,00 men and women across four continents…

20:00 – …and how it could lead to exciting new opportunities to impact risk for colorectal cancer through changes to dietary patterns

24:07 – Some helpful advice about specific healthy food combinations

25:45 – A message he’d like to share with the donors who made his ACS research grant a reality

While working as program directors at Georgia Institute of Technology’s VentureLab—Georgia Tech’s incubator for technology startups—Melissa Heffner and Sara Henderson saw an opportunity to create a program for female entrepreneurs.

Female Founders is “a four-week virtual cohort experience where participants gain a foundational knowledge of lean startup methodology and customer discovery while tackling topics associated with the specific journey of female-led startups:" https://www.icorpssouth.com/female-founders-initiative.

Ms. Heffner joined the TheoryLab podcast along with three participants in the program to share advice for evidence-based entrepreneurship and talk about the exciting technology that is behind their respective start-ups.

Melissa Heffner is a program director with Georgia Institute of Technology’s VentureLab and the co-creator of Female Founders.

Ana Luz Quiroga Campano, PhD, is a postdoctoral fellow in the Biological Systems Engineering Laboratory at Emory University and Georgia Tech. She’s also the CEO of SANICKA.

Allyson Jennings McKinney is a PhD candidate in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Kacie Kaile is a PhD candidate in Biomedical Engineering at Florida International University.

5:03 – On the purpose and goals of the Female Founders program

5:49 – Why they saw a clear need for a program specifically for female entrepreneurs

9:54 – Some of the ways they’re helping to set female entrepreneurs up for success

11:08 – Allyson Jennings McKinney on what attracted her to Female Founders

12:44 – On Solopulse—an exciting new technology she’s developed that utilizes a single pulse of a wave to create images of the surrounding environment—and its potential clinical impact

16:10 – Dr. Ana Luz Quiroga Campano on how the Female Founders program has met her needs as a postdoctoral fellow

18:21 – On the precision chemo-immunotherapy software tool developed by her company, SANICKA

21:45 – Kacie Kaile on how Female Founders has changed her entrepreneurial approach

23:37 – On a product she’s developed that provides a diagnostic assessment of tissue oxygenation using a smartphone with an add-on tool

28:43 – Dr. Quiroga on why scientists shouldn’t feel hesitant about becoming an entrepreneur when they have an idea

30:04 – Ms. McKinney with good advice on getting started as an entrepreneur

31:41 – Ms. Kaile on the benefits of starting a company with support from an academic institution

33:37 – Ms. Heffner with advice for cancer researchers thinking of starting a company in the oncology space

While working as program directors at Georgia Institute of Technology’s VentureLab—Georgia Tech’s incubator for technology startups—Melissa Heffner and Sara Henderson saw an opportunity to create a program for female entrepreneurs.

Female Founders is “a four-week virtual cohort experience where participants gain a foundational knowledge of lean startup methodology and customer discovery while tackling topics associated with the specific journey of female-led startups:" https://www.icorpssouth.com/female-founders-initiative.

Ms. Heffner joined the TheoryLab podcast along with three participants in the program to share advice for evidence-based entrepreneurship and talk about the exciting technology that is behind their respective start-ups.

Melissa Heffner is a program director with Georgia Institute of Technology’s VentureLab and the co-creator of Female Founders.

Ana Luz Quiroga Campano, PhD, is a postdoctoral fellow in the Biological Systems Engineering Laboratory at Emory University and Georgia Tech. She’s also the CEO of SANICKA.

Allyson Jennings McKinney is a PhD candidate in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Kacie Kaile is a PhD candidate in Biomedical Engineering at Florida International University.

5:03 – On the purpose and goals of the Female Founders program

5:49 – Why they saw a clear need for a program specifically for female entrepreneurs

9:54 – Some of the ways they’re helping to set female entrepreneurs up for success

11:08 – Allyson Jennings McKinney on what attracted her to Female Founders

12:44 – On Solopulse—an exciting new technology she’s developed that utilizes a single pulse of a wave to create images of the surrounding environment—and its potential clinical impact

16:10 – Dr. Ana Luz Quiroga Campano on how the Female Founders program has met her needs as a postdoctoral fellow

18:21 – On the precision chemo-immunotherapy software tool developed by her company, SANICKA

21:45 – Kacie Kaile on how Female Founders has changed her entrepreneurial approach

23:37 – On a product she’s developed that provides a diagnostic assessment of tissue oxygenation using a smartphone with an add-on tool

28:43 – Dr. Quiroga on why scientists shouldn’t feel hesitant about becoming an entrepreneur when they have an idea

30:04 – Ms. McKinney with good advice on getting started as an entrepreneur

31:41 – Ms. Kaile on the benefits of starting a company with support from an academic institution

33:37 – Ms. Heffner with advice for cancer researchers thinking of starting a company in the oncology space

The troubling increase of early-onset colorectal cancer incidence and mortality has led to a shift in the age at which the American Cancer Society recommends beginning colorectal cancer screening, from age 50 to age 45.

What are some of the biological and environmental factors that might be behind this rise in early-onset colorectal cancer? How can we prevent it?

And what is behind the troubling racial and ethnic disparities we see in colorectal cancer incidence and mortality?

Joining us to take us through these issues is one of the leading researchers in this space. Peter Campbell, PhD, is Scientific Director, Epidemiology Research, in the Population Science Department of the American Cancer Society.

4:05 – The main areas of focus in his research program

7:26 – The differing incidence and mortality rates for colorectal cancer in younger and older Americans

10:57 – On racial/ethnic colorectal cancer disparities

13:26 – Digging into the “why” behind some of these trends

19:36 – How the American Cancer Society is trying to reduce disparities and reverse the rise of early-onset colorectal cancer

23:04 – On the Colorectal Cancer Pooling Project

26:18 – Where his team hopes this work could lead in 5 years

28:37 – Thoughts on tumor heterogeneity

(One of the challenges of colorectal cancer is that not only are tumors different from patient to patient, but they differ within individual patients as time progresses. Could these molecular differences in tumors could be associated with lifestyle? How could we find out?)

31:58 – On what it might mean for colorectal cancer survival if there are associations between how we live and colorectal cancer heterogeneity

The troubling increase of early-onset colorectal cancer incidence and mortality has led to a shift in the age at which the American Cancer Society recommends beginning colorectal cancer screening, from age 50 to age 45.

What are some of the biological and environmental factors that might be behind this rise in early-onset colorectal cancer? How can we prevent it?

And what is behind the troubling racial and ethnic disparities we see in colorectal cancer incidence and mortality?

Joining us to take us through these issues is one of the leading researchers in this space. Peter Campbell, PhD, is Scientific Director, Epidemiology Research, in the Population Science Department of the American Cancer Society.

4:05 – The main areas of focus in his research program

7:26 – The differing incidence and mortality rates for colorectal cancer in younger and older Americans

10:57 – On racial/ethnic colorectal cancer disparities

13:26 – Digging into the “why” behind some of these trends

19:36 – How the American Cancer Society is trying to reduce disparities and reverse the rise of early-onset colorectal cancer

23:04 – On the Colorectal Cancer Pooling Project

26:18 – Where his team hopes this work could lead in 5 years

28:37 – Thoughts on tumor heterogeneity

(One of the challenges of colorectal cancer is that not only are tumors different from patient to patient, but they differ within individual patients as time progresses. Could these molecular differences in tumors could be associated with lifestyle? How could we find out?)

31:58 – On what it might mean for colorectal cancer survival if there are associations between how we live and colorectal cancer heterogeneity

The collaboration between Claudia Benavente, PhD, and Michael Emanuele, PhD, is a perfect example of how cancer researchers with overlapping interests but very different expertise can come together to find a new path forward in cancer research.

They found each other through the American Cancer Society’s online community for current and former cancer research grantees.

The Benavente Lab had previously identified a new protein with exciting therapeutic potential that is critical for tumor metastasis. Independently, the Emanuele Lab found that this protein is tightly controlled by a cellular machinery that functions to eliminate proteins within the cell.

Together, they are collaborating on an ACS-funded research project to determine how this protein is made, how it functions, and how it’s eliminated, with the goal of creating novel target therapeutics for patients with triple-negative breast cancer.

2:55 – Claudia Benavente, PhD, is Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of California, Irvine. Michael Emanuele, PhD, is Associate Professor in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the UNC Cancer Center.

4:04 – What is triple-negative breast cancer? What does ‘triple negative’ mean?

7:48 – On a protein called UHRF1 that has therapeutic potential in other cancers with similarities to triple-negative breast cancer. What does UHRF1 do in normal cells?

10:50 – Why is it important in cancer cells?

13:45 – How Dr. Emanuele and Dr. Benavente struck up a collaboration through TheoryLab, the American Cancer Society’s online community for current and former research grantees

17:35 – “…maybe we could take advantage of the cell’s innate ability to get rid of UHRF1 and sort of trick it into shutting it off itself—not just shut it off, but get rid of it altogether…”

21:47 – How their complementary skill sets and expertise will help them figure out the best approach to target how UHRF1 is made, how it functions, and how it’s eliminated, with the goal of creating novel target therapeutics for patients with triple-negative breast cancer

25:41 – Steps they will take to determine the potential of therapeutically regulating UHRF1 removal in triple-negative breast cancer

28:54 – What most excites them about this project

32:46 – Keys to a productive scientific collaboration

34:56 – On the impact of ACS funding on their research

37:33 – A message they’d like to share with cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers