TGen Talks

For many Arizona students, the path into science begins with a single summer that reshapes their confidence and their future. Since 2007, the Helios Scholars Program at TGen has been that turning point. Each year, Helios Scholars spend eight weeks working directly with TGen researchers exploring cancer biology, neurological and infectious disease, diabetes, and the fast‑growing world of computatio...

May is Brain Tumor Awareness Month. In this episode, meet two new TGen researchers whose shared love of science—and math—first brought them together in the lab and later in life. Drs. Simona Migliozzi and Luciano Garofano are married to each other and to their work. They discuss their education in Italy, their research journeys across institutions in the U.S., and the path that ultimately led them...

It’s well known that smoking is the number one factor that significantly increases your risk of developing cancer over a lifetime. But obesity also poses an increased risk. While the relationship is well known, the reasons behind the link between body weight and cancer were not … until now. In this episode of TGen Talks, Dr. Cristian Tomasetti, senior author on a recent study in Cancer Research, h...

March is Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month. In this episode, we speak with TGen Associate Professor Jonathan Keats, Ph. D. Dr. Keats’ revisits the COMPASS study from the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundationm a 12-year research project that examined the different forms of this blood cancer and revealed why some patients respond well to treatment while others face more aggressive disease. His work on...

Why do some people stay mentally sharp well into their seventies and eighties, while others begin to struggle with memory much earlier in life? MindCrowd, an ambitious online brain study created at TGen, set out to explore that question more than a decade ago. Instead of bringing small groups of volunteers into a lab, Matt Huentelman, Ph. D., and his team did something almost unheard of at the tim...

Episode 87 of TGen Talks features Dr. Haiyong Han, who dives into his latest work on one of the deadliest of cancers: pancreatic cancer. He breaks down why this disease is so hard to catch early, how it can grow silently for years before symptoms appear, and why identifying true positives in the general population is such a big challenge. Dr. Han also shares promising progress toward a new non-inv...

In this episode of TGen Talks, we sit down with three researchers who are working to make cancer care safer and more precise for some of the most vulnerable patients—children with rare brain tumors. Dr. Floris Barthel, Dr. Shea Gallus, and graduate student Sharvari Mankame are part of a team at TGen and Phoenix Children’s Hospital exploring liquid biopsies—a method that uses small samples of blood...

What connects a fashion show to biomedical research? More than you'd expect—especially in the fight against women’s cancers and the local support for TGen and City of Hope. 

TGen’s 5th annual Runway for Research takes place on Friday, October 17, in partnership with Neiman Marcus, Scottsdale Fashion Square, and City of Hope Phoenix. 
Runway for Research blends fashion and purpose, supporting adva...

What if medicine worked to get you healthier overall—not just people like you or for one or another symptom? In the latest episode of TGen Talks, host Karie Dozer sits down with Nicholas Schork, Ph. D., and Laura Goetz, M.D., co-authors of a recent commentary published in Nature Communications, From Precision Interventions to Precision Health, to explore the promise—and complexity—of truly persona...

Summers at TGen offer a unique opportunity for students to dive into the world of biomedical research. The Helios Scholars Program at TGen actively engages student interns in real-world science and administrative functions, as they gain practical experience and contribute to ongoing projects.
Join host Karie Dozer as Helios Scholar Audra Welch shares her unfiltered experience in the intensive eigh...

In this episode of TGen Talks, we spotlight the Ivy Neurological Sciences Internship Program at TGen. This year-long program bridges the gap between undergraduate studies and medical school, providing aspiring physicians with direct laboratory experience. Interns actively participate in ongoing research, often leading independent projects. Joining our podcast is Ivy Intern, Megan Locklear, who’s c...

This month on TGen Talks, we get an insider’s perspective on how today’s biomedical research translates into tomorrow's treatments. We sit down with Stephanie Pond, Ph. D., Vice President of Emerging Opportunities at TGen. We’ll Learn about the crucial role of TGen’s START and EDP programs – the Scientific Technology Assessment Research Team and Enterprise Directed Programs – in accelerating this...

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 patients in need. But that’s not always easy. Jeffrey Trent Ph. D., F.A.C.M.G., TGen's Founding President and Research Director, on episode 39 of TGen Talks, discusse...

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 look at different types of evidence — genetics, anthr...

Pulmonary Fibrosis. A debilitating disease that restricts a person’s lung capacity, controllable with drug therapies, but it’s only “cure” is a double lung transplant. Researchers at TGen have released the results of a study that investigated the disease on a cellular level. Using advanced spatial transcriptomics, they identified hidden disease markers in seemingly healthy lung tissue—offering hop...

In this episode of TGen Talks, which celebrates Women’s History Month (March), we’ll explore how women in science have shaped the world around us, and how their stories continue to inspire future generations of young women to become researchers, leaders, and trailblazers who continue to break barriers. Joining the podcast this month is Bethany Davis, Ph. D., an enrolled member of the Turtle Mounta...

What if the cure for diseases like Alzheimer’s or cancer lay hidden inside the immune systems of llamas, cows, or even sharks? 
    On this episode of TGen Talks, TGen’s newest faculty member, Dr. John Fryer, introduces us to the world of nanotherapeutics—a new class of biologics derived from the unique immune systems of animals like camels and sharks. These ultra-small molecules, known as “nanobo...

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 and Arizona State University is shedding light on...

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, or OCNDS for short, and Alzheimer’s disease, whi...

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 journey to becoming a postdoc and her experiences a...

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., the study's senior author discusses the finding...

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 promising progress toward medications and methods that...

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 humans. He also explains what constitutes an outb...

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 small amount to the overall risk. When these smal...

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 developing better tests to determine which drugs...