Show Notes
Before the conversations begin, meet the voice behind Cancer Connections.
In this trailer episode, host Parker Moss shares the personal and professional journey that led him into cancer innovation. From a career in technology and venture capital to a deeply personal experience with childhood cancer, Parker reflects on the experiences that shaped his commitment to improving outcomes for patients with cancer.
He discusses the breakthroughs in cancer research that have him most excited, why collaboration across science, medicine, industry and investment is crucial to turning discoveries into patient benefit, and what he hopes to uncover through conversations with members of the Cancer Research Horizons Expert Network.
Because, as Parker says, “it really takes a village to bring a cancer drug to market.”
More from Cancer Connections
Can we finally treat one of the deadliest forms of cancer? Parker Moss sits down with Steve Pollard, Professor of Stem Cell and Cancer Biology at the University of Edinburgh and CSO of Trogenix, to explore why glioblastoma has remained one of medicine’s toughest challenges. Steve explains why brain cancer has resisted decades of drug development, from its remarkable ability to evolve and evade treatment to the barriers posed by the brain itself. Drawing on a career that began in development biology, he reflects on why understanding these failures is essential to finding the next breakthrough. Together, Parker and Steve discuss the science behind Trogenix’s first-in-human gene therapy trial, a bold new approach that aims not only to eliminate the tumour but also to establish long-term immune memory that could prevent recurrence, and what it takes to translate an academic discovery into a clinical-stage company.
Could a simple blood test revolutionise lung cancer care? Parker Moss sits down with Professor Sanjay Popat, Consultant Medical Oncologist and Chief Medical Officer at The Royal Marsden and Professor of Thoracic Oncology at The Institute of Cancer Research, to explore the breakthroughs transforming lung cancer care. Sanjay discusses how precision medicine, targeted therapies and liquid biopsies are reshaping the patient journey, highlighting the role of the NHS as the first national health service to diagnose lung cancer using liquid biopsies. He also explores the promise of circulating tumour DNA and the future of blood-based cancer detection, and how early diagnosis remains one of the biggest opportunities in cancer care. Together, Parker and Sanjay discuss how research, innovation and collaboration have driven progress in lung cancer, and what the next generation of technologies, from personalised cancer vaccines to T-cell engagers, could mean for patients.
Have cancer vaccines finally had their breakthrough moment?
What if we could stop cancer before it starts?
How does a preclinical UK biotech get acquired for up to $1.5 billion by one of pharma’s giants?