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Monday, August 15, 2011

Targeting the Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase (PI3K) Pathway in Breast Cancer

This podcast reviews current data related to the phosphoinositide-3 kinase (PI3K) pathway, its role in breast cancer, the frequently with which PI3K is aberrant in breast cancer, and the potential clinical implications of using agents that target the PI3K pathway. Jose Baselga is the Chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology and Associate Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center in Boston where he is also Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. His research interests are in clinical breast cancer and in translational and early clinical research. He conducted the initial clinical trials with the monoclonal antibodies cetuximab and trastuzumab and is leading the clinical development of several new agents including pertuzumab and PI3K inhibitors. His main focus in the laboratory and in the clinic is in the area of novel anti-HER2 agents, in the identification of mechanisms of resistance to anti-HER2 agents and therapeutic approaches to target the PI3K pathway. He is also leading a number of neo-adjuvant trials in breast cancer and has been at the forefront of developing biomarker-based early and translational clinical trials.



Sunday, August 14, 2011

Personalized Medicine and Cancer Research

Dr. Sonali Smith discusses personalized medicine and how it is helping shape current and future cancer research. Sonali Smith, MD is Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago Medical Center.







Saturday, August 13, 2011

Traditional Therapies to Modern Medicine

Vikas Sukhatme, M.D., Ph.D., presented this lecture as part of the Stephen E. Straus Distinguished Lecture in the Science of Complementary and Alternative Medicine series. Dr. Sukhatme talks about the availability of existing scientifically promising, affordable, and immediately available medical treatments. Traditional medicines have a long history of use and efficacy and offer viable options in addressing other conditions, including cancer. Among these traditions is lifestyle manipulation, specifically dietary adjustments and stress reduction/control, both of which show promise in treating certain forms of cancer. Though more research is needed, Dr. Sukhatme realizes the importance and benefits of studying existing therapies for application to other medical conditions     Dr. Sukhatme's research has spanned numerous basic science and clinical arenas, including the discovery of a family of mammalian transcription factors induced by extracellular growth and differentiation cues, and studies on the function of several genes important in kidney cancer and in polycystic kidney disease. His major current interest is in tumor metabolism and tumor immunology and on "outside-the-box" approaches to therapies for advanced cancer.  Dr. Sukhatme is the Victor J. Aresty Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Chief Academic Officer and Harvard Faculty Dean for Academic Programs, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.


Saturday, July 30, 2011

Your First Mammogram: What to Expect

In this MD Anderson video the mammogram is explained, a mammogram is one of the most effective screening tools available to detect and diagnose breast cancer. Learn what to expect during this important cancer screening test.



Discussion about robotics in surgery and cancer therapy

Host Harry Kreisler welcomes artist and engineer Ken Goldberg from Berkeley. Goldberg discusses robotics in surgery and cancer therapy, and their application in disasters and on the battlefield. Describing several of his recent art projects, Goldberg then discusses complementarities with his engineering research and reflects on the philosophical implications of 'telepresence.' 







Sunday, July 10, 2011

On the verge of creating synthetic life

"Can we create new life out of our digital universe?" asks Craig Venter. And his answer is, yes, and pretty soon. He walks the TED2008 audience through his latest research into "fourth-generation fuels" -- biologically created fuels with CO2 as their feedstock. His talk covers the details of creating brand-new chromosomes using digital technology, the reasons why we would want to do this, and the bioethics of synthetic life



Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Lung Cardiac and Colon Screening with CT

CT scanning, also called CAT scanning, is a noninvasive medical test that helps physicians diagnose and treat medical conditions. Drs. Fergus Coakley, Brett Elicker, and Judy Yee, UCSF Department of Radiology, explore the risks and benefits of lung, heart and colon screenings with CT. 



Thursday, June 16, 2011

Multilevel Interventions in Health Care Conference

Multilevel Interventions in Health Care: Building the Foundation for Future Research Goals, with his background as an oncologist, researcher and administrator, Dr. Otis Brawley (American Cancer Society) brings his unique perspective on multilevel interventions in clinical practice and consider how health care changes and multilevel interventions. Dr. Brawley currently serves as professor of hematology, oncology, medicine and epidemiology at Emory University. From April of 2001 to November of 2007, he was medical director of the Georgia Cancer Center for Excellence at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, and deputy director for cancer control at Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University. He has also previously served as a member of the Society’s Prostate Cancer Committee, co-chaired the U.S. Surgeon General’s Task Force on Cancer Health Disparities, and filled a variety of capacities at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), most recently serving as assistant director.


Monday, June 6, 2011

The Evolution of the p53 Family of Genes: Somatic Cell & Germ Cell Fidelity

Arnold J. Levine, The Simons Center for Systems Biology, Institute for Advanced Study. Arnold Levine is a widely acclaimed leader in cancer research. In 1979, Levine and others discovered the p53 tumor suppressor protein, a molecule that inhibits tumor development. He established and heads the Simons Center for Systems Biology at the Institute, which concentrates on research at the interface of molecular biology and the physical sciences: on genetics and genomics, polymorphisms and molecular aspects of evolution, signal transduction pathways and networks, stress responses, and pharmacogenomics in cancer biology.