Scientists have long known that farm chemicals can be harmful to human health. Many lawn and garden products used by consumers carry warnings, so that users can protect themselves when applying herbicides in their own yards. But which chemicals are the most dangerous? And how much exposure is too much to be considered safe? A new study from TGEN an…

On this month’s TGen Talks, our host sits down with Leigh Nicholson, Ph.D., who was recently named a research assistant professor in TGen’s Early Detection and Prevention Division. Nicholson studies neurological diseases of all kinds — from the rarest to the very common — including a childhood disorder called Okur-Chung neurodevelopmental syndrome,…

Every September, the scientific community recognizes postdoctoral researchers during Postdoc Appreciation Week. Postdocs bring new ideas and deep expertise as they tackle complex questions and expand knowledge through experiments. In this month’s episode of TGen Talks, Aya Kamzina, Ph.D., one of TGen’s 11 postdoctoral researchers, shares her journe…

Scientists at TGen have released the results of a more than decade-long study into multiple myeloma. Looking at more than 1100 patients from four different countries, scientists identified new genetic subtypes of the disease, providing insights that could transform how we approach treatment (see related story above).Listen as Jonathan Keats, Ph.D.,…

Aging. It’s something we’d all like to do better. Americans spend an estimated $5 Billion on anti-aging products every year. But at TGen and City of Hope, scientists like TGen distinguished professor Nicholas Schork, Ph.D., are working to unlock the secrets to not just better ‘aging,’ but disease prevention alongside longevity, and are making promi…

On this month’s TGen Talks, David Engelthaler, Ph.D., professor and director of TGen’s Pathogen and Microbiome Division, discusses the recent surge of bird flu, also known as H5N1.H5N1 has been in the news a lot lately, but what does it all mean? Engelthaler breaks down the science and talks about the effects this particular strain might have on hu…

This month, TGen Talks explores polygenic risk scores with Dr. David Duggan, an associate professor in the Quantitative Medicine and Systems Biology Division at TGen. A polygenic risk score is a number that indicates the combined effect of many genetic variants on a person's risk of developing a certain trait or disease. Each genetic variant adds a…

Glioblastoma. It’s the most aggressive and least treatable type of brain cancer. Research into treatment has been slow, mostly because of the difficulty in accessing and treating a tumor that exists behind the blood-brain barrier. A new two year fellowship into Glioblastoma Multiforme, or GBM, aims to better drug therapies to fight the cancer while…

In this episode of TGen Talks, we explore the overlooked yet vital world of skin cancer prevention and treatment. Our skin, the body's largest organ, often takes a back seat in discussions about cancer. Join us as we delve into this crucial topic with our guest, Dr. Aleksandar Sekulic. Dr. Sekulic wears two hats: that of a clinician and a researche…

Cancer continues to be the second most common cause of death in the United States, with a total of nearly 2 million diagnoses every year. In this episode of TGen Talks, recorded in front of a live studio audience, we take a look at how genomic information is leading to better and earlier diagnoses and treatments for all kinds of cancer and how the …

Alzheimer’s disease affects an estimated six million Americans. Diagnosing and treating the disease is challenging, and for families taking care of a loved one with Alzheimer’s, it’s even more difficult. Detecting and addressing the disease early on is crucial due to its progressive nature. However, Alzheimer’s symptoms can resemble those of other …

Paul J. Luna, president and CEO of Helios Education Foundation, sits down with TGen Talks to discuss the transformational power of education, in particular, how internships help prepare students for future success. Helios Education Foundation supports postsecondary attainment for all students, especially low-income and underrepresented communities,…

More than three years after the beginning of the pandemic, humans still spread COVID to one another every day, though with less severe symptoms in most cases. Scientists also know that we can spread COVID to our pets as well, because of the close relationships many of us have with our four-legged friends. While dogs CAN get COVID from humans, they …

Today, the world of biomedical science is changing how we think about disease and, certainly, how we treat it ... but did you ever wonder how discovery happens? What does a lab look like? What type of equipment do they use? Who exactly is working inside? How many scientists and staff? And on what projects? On this episode of TGen Talks, Kristen Kau…

For a patient diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, there are more treatment options than ever and traditional chemotherapies that cause debilitating side effects have been all but completely replaced by immunotherapies, treatments that help a patient's own immune system better fight the disease. But in many patients, a chosen im…

The phrase "gut health" has become quite a buzzword in recent years, and researchers like this month's guest will tell you quite candidly that we have a lot to learn about the community of microorganisms that live INSIDE the human body. But one thing seems to be clear. The human being with a "healthy gut" is far better able to fight a cancer diagno…

Most of us had a summer job when we were in high school or college, and if we were lucky, we had one that helped us make meaningful decisions about college or a career. At TGen, summer interns in the Helios Scholars at TGen program work alongside researchers on projects that are much more than “just” eight weeks of full-time hours inside a lab. Man…

What if you could take a simple test to find out just how susceptible you are to Covid19, the Flu, or any other virus? What if you could test your exposure and immunity to EVERY virus known to mankind using a single drop of blood? The technology is here, now. And at TGen, researchers are using it to understand the human immune response and predict …

This month, our host Karie Dozer sits down for a personal conversation with Maria Fundora, who is neither a scientist nor a clinician. She's a businesswoman from Alpharetta, Georgia, a restauranteur and founder of Purple Pansies, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness and funds for pancreatic cancer research. And like most nonprofi…

Understanding how infectious diseases spread in the past is important to understanding how they affect populations today. The difficulty lie in piecing together information given that so little is known about how microbes spread historically. Applying academic rigor with scientific assessment, two microbiologists teamed with an archaeologist to loo…

When treating cancer patients, physicians are often faced with tough choices. Treatment options like radiation can often come with unpleasant, for some, unbearable side-effects. Doctors walk a fine line between stopping the growth of cancer cells and giving cancer cells the very thing they need to grow and spread. City of Hope and TGen physician-sc…

In part two of TGen Talks Live, we continue our conversation on precision aging with Drs. Matthew Huentelman and Nicholas Schork.Aging encompasses a variety aspects—both physical and mental—a fact made evident by the topics covered and the research presented. Where Huentelman’s work covers the brain and the more cognitive aspects of aging, Schork’s…

TGen offers listeners a deeper dive into a particular biomedical-related topic or program through its monthly podcast TGen Talks. Each free-flowing episode allows a TGen scientist to connect with a broader audience by explaining the finer details involved in their research at a listener-friendly level.December’s episode escapes the sound booth for …

Humans have been searching for the fountain of youth (a mythical endless supply of waters that purport to keep us young forever) for thousands of years—but there’s no such thing in the world of science. At TGen, scientists are working toward a virtual fountain of youth, and they call it precision aging. On this month’s TGen Talks, Matthew Huentelma…

Cancer is the number one worry of pet parents, and it's no wonder. More than half of all dogs older than 10 will be diagnosed with cancer. Cancer is hard to treat in many dogs, and is often diagnosed when it's too late to treat. Americans spent more than $120 billion on their pets just last year. One TGen subsidiary is putting its science to work f…

With COVID infections and deaths on the decline worldwide, many researchers are turning their attention back to a familiar foe. Tuberculosis (TB) was the number one infectious disease killer before the emergence of COVID-19, and it is number one again today. Although most Americans are not at risk of contracting TB, it continues to be a danger worl…

For Crystal Hepp, PhD, the newest member of the TGen North team, understanding how different pathogens move over time and space and through different populations is all in a day’s work. Recently, that work has centered heavily on RNA viruses, and given that the translational aspects of her work aligned seamlessly with the TGen North team and its mi…

This episode of TGen Talks takes the listener along I-17 from Phoenix to Flagstaff, where our host, Karie Dozer, sits down with David Engelthaler, Ph.D., professor and director of TGen’s Pathogen and Microbiome Division, more commonly known as TGen North. Whereas TGen uses genomics to solve complex problems such as cancer and Alzheimer's disease, t…

Dr. Johanna DiStefano joins TGen Talks to discuss nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, or NAFLD, a condition that causes excess amount of fat in one’s liver cells. As evidenced by its name (which could use an update, according to our guest) NAFLD covers a wide-range of liver conditions with the “alcohol” portion somewhat misleading, as it’s not always…

This year marks the 20th anniversary of TGen's founding on what at the time was a relatively unknown idea outside the circles of academia and scientific research, precision medicine. The concept of using a person's own genome to diagnose and treat disease at an individual level, to move beyond the one-size-fits-all treatment plans that had dominate…

Applied mathematics dramatically advanced the field of finance in the 1970’s, where its application allowed for the modeling of financial markets by mathematicians highly skilled in quantitative analytics. Today, these highly sought-after mathematicians are making a name for themselves in the field of applied science as their skills are increasingl…

TGen’s Scientific Technology Assessment Research Team (START) supports the research faculty by bringing new technology into the labs to help answer today’s most pressing research questions. When the current tools for measuring DNA or proteins or cellular structure aren't sufficient, START scouts the technology landscape for companies that are devel…

Episode 45 - Dr. Michael Berens by TGenAv TGen

For our final episode of TGen Talks in 2021, our host, Karie Dozer, sat down with TGen North Director, Dr. David Engelthaler, who has led TGen’s research into COVID since day one. Dr. Engelthaler shares his thoughts on Omicron … what we know, what’s left to learn, and why it’s spreading so fast. While it may be a bit early to predict how Omicron wi…

Genomic analysis of a cancer tumor is fairly common these days. Researchers sequence and compare a patient’s non-cancerous DNA with their tumor DNA to identify changes that may allow a patient to receive medicine that specifically targets those changes. But what happens when the tumor comes back? Has the tumor changed? And if so, how? These were qu…

At the Center for Rare Childhood Disorders, it's all about the kids. Center staff dedicate themselves to finding a diagnosis and possible treatments for disorders so rare that many may not even have a name. In episode 42 of TGen Talks, we go inside the Center with Clinical Director Keri Ramsey, who talks about the parents and kids who come to the C…

For TGen’s Dr. Matt Huentelman, leveraging today’s technology to rewrite the playbook on research recruiting and reimagine the scientific landscape involves attracting people to genomic studies in a whole new way. Leaning on a riff from the Doobie Brothers, Huentelman wants to take it to the streets. The Internet — in one form or another — has been…

The range of emotions a Helios Scholar at TGen experiences — from application through the program’s end — shifts dramatically as the summer unfolds. The end result, however, is one of accomplishment. 2021 marked the 15th year of TGen’s flagship internship program that has seen nearly 600 alumni gain often career-defining exposure to biomedical rese…

The range of emotions a Helios Scholar at TGen experiences — from application through the program’s end — shifts dramatically as the summer unfolds. The end result, however, is one of accomplishment. 2021 marked the 15th year of TGen’s flagship internship program that has seen nearly 600 alumni gain often career-defining exposure to biomedical rese…

Science has come a remarkably long way, especially since sequencing the human genome, but has it come far enough for everyone? A focus of TGen research has always been finding a path to the clinic and ensuring the work is relevant to all ethnicities, ages and genders. But that’s not always easy. "Right now, precision medicine is not precise for eve…

With the Delta variant of COVID-19 garnering worldwide attention, it begs the question: When will the pandemic end? This month, on Episode 38, we circle back with David Englethaler, Ph.D., Director of TGen's Pathogen and Microbiome Division, more commonly known as TGen North, for an update on all things COVID-19 related. How much longer will we be …

Hearing the words you have cancer comes as a shock. Hearing that your child has cancer is almost unimaginable. And when you learn that it is a rare form of brainstem cancer known as diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma or DIPG — a central nervous system cancer that forms from glial cells, the supportive tissue of the brain and spinal cord that affects …

At TGen, scientists have studied naturally occurring cancer in canines for over a decade. This expertise led to the formation of a company aimed specifically at partnering with veterinarians to identify treatment options for our four-legged friends and bring greater peace of mind to pet parents. Vidium Animal Health was launched in September of 202…

At TGen's Center for Rare Childhood Disorders, we are committed to developing, refining, and applying the latest tools of genomic medicine to help diagnose and direct treatment for children with rare diseases and disorders.Did you know that there are over 7,000 rare diseases that affect over 25 million Americans? Many of these patients endure a dia…

It took under a year to develop, test and begin to deploy vaccines against COVID-19. And despite a few hiccups upon arrival, the rollout is underway... and that's great news for a world that's nearing 100 million cases and over 2 million deaths. Joining TGen Talks to discuss his take on COVID-19 vaccines is Dr. David Engelthaler, Director of TGen N…

Internships provide students an opportunity to learn more about potential career choices and equally important, following the experience, gauge whether that career is right for them. Joining TGen Talks is Josh Niska, MD — a 2007 Helios Scholar at TGen — who explains the value of his Helios internship experience, how it helped shape his career, and …

For 45 students, Summer 2021 could be life-changing … an opportunity to look into the future of biomedical science and see where their own careers could lead them. It’s possible thanks to The Helios Education Foundation and TGen. For 14 years, these forward-thinking organizations have offered gifted students the opportunity to work on real-life pro…

Recent events and social protests have prompted increased dialog, and rightly so, on the topic of diversity, equity, and inclusion in America. It's a big topic that covers multiple segments of society. But this edition of TGen Talks will focus on how diversity relates to the fields of science and medicine. Our guest this month on TGen Talks is Dr. …

275 days ago, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission in China reported a cluster of cases of pneumonia … a novel coronavirus was eventually identified and labeled COVID-19. Since that time, over 200,000 Americans have died and over 7.1 million have tested positive for the disease. Globally, the number of deaths has reached 1 million with more than 3…

Immune cells, also known as white blood cells, help the body fight infection and disease. Now, scientists and clinicians at TGen and City of Hope are using immune cells in combination with chemotherapy drugs to tailor personalized treatments for cancer patients. Specifically, they're using a mathematical formula to predict who might respond best to…