Show Notes
What if we could stop cancer before it starts?
Parker Moss sits down with Sarah Blagden, Professor of Experimental Oncology at the University of Oxford, to explore a new approach to cancer prevention.
Sarah began her career at the bedside treating patients with ovarian cancer. Realising that the breakthrough she hoped for was not coming, she took matters into her own hands, embarking on a journey through basic biology, clinical trials, and entrepreneurship. Along the way, she became convinced that the next frontier in oncology is preventing cancer, not curing it.
Parker and Sarah delve into the science behind precision prevention, from the hidden biology of pre-cancer to the immune mechanisms that keep early cancers in check. Bringing that science into practice, Sarah shares the challenges of building a biotech focused on prevention, the search for the cancer equivalent of LDL cholesterol, and how vaccines could one day train our immune system to eliminate precancerous cells before they develop into cancer.
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.
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