Finding Genius Podcast

“There may not be a cure for cancer, but there may be a strategy, a set of principles that can lead to the eradication of cancer,” says Dr. Robert A Gatenby of the Moffitt Cancer Center. He is working on a novel approach to the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer that could one day prove effective for many other types of cancers as well. Press play to discover: What the evolutionary dynamics of Anthropocene extinction can tell us about the potential eradication of cancer How mathematical models can be used to better understand cancer as a complex, nonlinear system, and predict the success of certain therapies How to avoid selecting for chemo-resistant cancer cells with the use of chemotherapy Dr. Gatenby’s background in physics led him to a key insight: cancer is a complex dynamic system with nonlinear interactions, and to understand such systems, mathematical models are necessary. This insight underlies his most recent work, which involves a novel approach to the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer. Unintuitively, this approach requires that chemotherapy be used to knock down the number of cancer cells a bit, but not with the goal of wiping all of them out completely. The tumor is then allowed to grow back within certain biomarker parameters before another cycle of therapy is delivered. This is continued indefinitely, driving the cancer system into a near steady state that is oscillating. In other words, the tumor is still there, but it doesn’t change significantly over the course of months or even years. Why not just try to kill all of the cancer cells using massive doses of chemotherapy? Dr. Gatenby explains that this approach is only recommended when chemotherapy has a high likelihood of being curative, which is rarely the case when it comes to metastatic cancer. When treating metastatic cancer, the “try to kill as many cancer cells as possible” approach only leads to greater toxicity, higher costs, and lower quality of life for the patient. Perhaps even more importantly, this approach actually selects for chemo-resistant cells, allowing them to proliferate rapidly with no constraints, leading to a worsening state of metastasis. Among many compelling topics, Dr. Gatenby explains the use of mathematical models and principles of evolutionary biology in taking this approach to the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer, extinction therapy,  induction therapy for pediatric leukemia, how and when to integrate immunotherapy in the treatment of cancer, and more.   Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK

What can wildlife research teach us about the nature of life, death, and disease? Carolyn Hogg, Senior Research Manager for the Australasian Wildlife Genomics Group, explains the importance of wildlife conservation and the preservation of our natural world for future generations. Tune in to discover: The ecological importance of wildlife Why Australia has the fastest extinction rate in the world The secret venomous nature of the Platypus The Australasian Wildlife Genomics Group researches Koala, Tasmanian Devil, and other Australian animal genes to find ways to fight back against the endangerment and extinction of these unique creatures. Due to the effects of climate change, invasive species, human habitat destruction, and disease, the populations of many of Australia’s most loved and well-known wildlife animals are rapidly dwindling. When animal populations shrink down to a certain size, the risk of inbreeding depression becomes a reality and a threat to the species. This lack of genetic diversity results in an increasingly biologically unfit population. Carolyn and the Australasian Wildlife Genomics Group work closely with other conservation groups to move and integrate groups of animals, resulting in an expansion of genetic variants and higher levels of biological fitness. Native Australian animals like the Koala are facing serious issues, including the Koala Retrovirus, an AIDS-like immunodeficiency disorder. Tasmanian Devils are being plagued by a contagious facial cancer. Invasive feral cats kill billions of indigenous animals each and every year. The importance of wildlife research and conservation cannot be overstated at this point in history. These animals need help and Carolyn is committed to saving them. To learn more about the Australasian Wildlife Genomics Group visit https://www.sydney.edu.au/science/our-research/research-areas/life-and-environmental-sciences/wildlife-genomics-group.html For more information on the Threatened Species Initiative, visit https://threatenedspeciesinitiative.com/ Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK

Can recurring skin infections in dogs be effectively treated without the use of antibiotics? Stephanie Lynch, Ph.D. Researcher at La Trobe University in Melbourne, is working on a potentially groundbreaking treatment for canine pyoderma known as bacteriophage therapy. Listen to learn more about: The most common skin infections types seen in dogs by veterinarians The types of skin infections that can potentially be treated with bacteriophage therapy How this emerging skin infections treatment could change the veterinary landscape  Canine pyoderma is one of the most common skin diseases in dogs. Unfortunately, it can also be one of the most persistent. The standard treatment for pyoderma is a month-long course of systematic antibiotics, with or without the addition of routine bathing with a medicated shampoo. Unfortunately, some strains of the bacteria that cause pyoderma have become antibiotic resistant over the years, creating a big, red, itchy problem for some unlucky dogs and their owners. Bacteriophages are viruses that can infect bacteria cells. Once they have infected their bacterial host, they take over those cells and prompt the bacteria to begin to produce viral components rather than bacterial components. The bacteriophages are then capable of forcing their way out of the bacterium, in a process known as lysis, through which they may retain some of the host’s DNA information.  Stephanie hopes to find an answer to the difficult question of how to treat dogs with antibiotic resistant skin infections somewhere in the bacteriophages life cycle. Her research on isolating bacteriophages could pave the way to treating more uncommon bacterial skin infections in dogs, other animals, and even humans without relying upon antibiotics. For more information follow Stephanie on Twitter at https://twitter.com/stephh_lynch 

The link between a keto diet and weight loss is very well known, but can this approach to nutrition really be used to heal chronic disease? Dr. David Jockers believes it can. David is functional nutrition counselor, popular guest on The Dr. Oz Show, and the author of Keto Metabolic Breakthrough and The Fasting Transformation. His natural health website receives over a million views per month from people curious about keto and natural health. Tune in to discover: How David used a keto diet plan and intermittent fasting to reverse his own cancer The importance of herbal medicine and other natural health tips How women can use functional nutrition training to work with their natural hormone cycles After suffering from severe irritable bowel syndrome to the point of becoming quite underweight for his height, David began to experiment with adhering to a ketogenic diet. After receiving a skin cancer diagnosis, he got even more serious about tackling the issue of nutrition. The results of these personal experiments not only changed his life; they continue to change the lives of the people he educates every day. What do inexpensive cooking oils, pesticides, and factory farmed meat have in common? They all cause inflammation and inflammation causes chronic diseases, like cancer. According to Dr. Jockers, cancer cells thrive when they are feeding on glucose. When we eat carbohydrates, those carbs are converted into glucose, which feeds cancer cells. Removing carbohydrates and feeding our healthy cells with ketones means starvation for cancer. Cancer is not the only ailment that may need to look out for the keto approach to nutrition. Stress is at an all-time high throughout the world today and it can take a major toll on a person’s digestive health. A ketogenic diet in combination with a healthy exercise routine and natural herbal supplementation can promote bile flow and a healthy environment within the stomach, without using commonly prescribed acid bocking medications.   For more information visit https://drjockers.com/ 

Why is there anything but cancer? If we are nothing but a collection of individual cells, and if individual cells are perfectly competent at fulfilling their own morphological, behavioral, and physiological needs, then how is it that multicellular organisms—and healthy, functioning ones at that—even exist? Michael Levin explores these questions and more, including: Is cancer a form of swarm intelligence, or the breakdown of it? Are cancer cells particularly “selfish,” as many scientists believe, or are they just as selfish as any other biological system? How does the regeneration of amphibian legs stop at just the right point, and what does this tell us about collective cell decision-making? In the absence of broken hardware (e.g. mutated proteins), how and why does cancer begin? Is there a common language amongst many different cell types in the body? Michael Levin is a Distinguished Professor, Principal Investigator of the Levin Lab, and Director of the Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University, where he investigates how biological and non-biological systems underlie decision-making processes. How does memory storage, decision-making capabilities, and coherent, system-level behaviors emerge from biological and artificial artifacts? According to Michael Levin, the answer lies in the cooperative behavior of individual cells—a type of swarm intelligence. Just like the individual ants in an ant colony behave collectively to reach a larger goal, so too do individual cells in the “colony” of an organism, like a human being. In order to repair and build a human body, individual cells must be connected to and behave in accordance with the collective, rather than operate at the individual level.  But it goes so much deeper than that. Consider, for instance, the regeneration of a salamander limb. Following amputation, a normal limb indistinguishable from the original is developed over the course of a few weeks. How does this regeneration stop precisely where it should? Why doesn’t the salamander end up with a limb that never stops getting longer? Levin says that the stopping point of regeneration requires that the cellular collective compare the current anatomy of the organism to the layout of a correct salamander forelimb, and stop when the error rate is zero (or close to). In other words, the cellular collective can ascertain whether and when the anatomy is correct, and cease growth when appropriate.  Mechanisms of cellular communication are many, and it is this communication—this connectedness between individual cells—that allows for a cellular collective to have goal-directedness, which in turn, leads to salamanders with perfectly regenerated limbs (as just one of many examples). Levin and his group are investigating what happens when an individual cell is unable to perceive the communication signals that normally keep it tightly harnessed to the greater system, like an entire human body. The ‘self’ of the cell shrinks from the level of an organ or organism to the level of a single cell, deaf to the sounds of its neighbors. In this place, the isolated cell does what it knows: proliferates as much as it can and exploits the resources as much as possible. …And what do you get? Metastatic cancer. Levin believes that when a cell loses its ability to communicate electrically with its neighbors, it converts to this state where its behavior leads to metastatic cancer. This is supported by the fact that when ion channel drugs are used to temporarily block cells from proper electrical connection to their neighbors, they convert to metastatic melanoma, even in the absence of mutation and carcinogens. This understanding could one day lead to a commercial application that serves as an effective anti-cancer therapy. Levin discusses the details of all this and so much more. It’s not one to miss—tune in now, and visit https://ase.tufts.edu/biology/labs/levin/ to learn more. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK

Is it possible to synchronize the biological clocks of immune cells and tumor cells to bypass cancer’s ability to avoid the human body’s defense system? Maria Casanova Acebes, Postdoctoral fellow at Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine, believes that it absolutely is. Tune in to discover: Differences between the innate and adaptive immune systems The connection between circadian rhythms, macrophages, and cancer cells A new immunotherapy approach for treating lung carcinoma and other common cancers A circadian rhythm is an internal process that triggers behavioral changes in relation to light and dark cycles on a 24-hour schedule. Every living being, whether nocturnal or diurnal, is affected by these changes. Maria’s research group, the Cancer Immunity Group, studies the connection between circadian rhythms, the immune system, and the development of cancer cells and tumors. So far, studies have shown that animals whose circadian rhythms are disrupted become more susceptible to diseases, including viruses and cancers. The innate immune system, which is the immune system humans are born with, features signaling cells known as neutrophils, monocytes, and macrophages. These cells are heavily influenced by circadian rhythms. Maria hypothesizes that cancer cells have their own internal clocks that are able to tune into and mimic the circadian rhythms of the tissues they infect. Is this how they evade the human immune system? By synchronizing the internal clocks of both cancer cells and immune system cells, can we teach our immune systems to eliminate cancer? The Cancer Immunity Group’s approach to immunotherapy could lead to major breakthroughs in a number of the most common areas of cancer treatment and diagnosis, including lung adenocarcinoma pathology and lung adenocarcinoma staging, and management of more treatment resistant cancers such as esophagus cancer. For more information visit https://www.cnio.es/en/ Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK

Can bee stings really treat common human medical ailments like pain, inflammation, or even cancer? Dr. Janos Zsolt Kormendy Racz, President of the Hungarian Apitherapy Association, explains the naturopathic practices of apitherapy and beekeeping. Tune in to learn more about: Bees impact on humans from a health perspective The dramatic effects of apitherapy products on a wide variety of patients Apitherapy benefits versus risks Apitherapy is the practice of applying bee farming products to humans for their health benefits. Honey, for instance, has been well-documented throughout recorded human history as a natural topical antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and antibiotic. Its components are now even being researched as a possible COVID-19 treatment due to its anti-inflammatory and immune response enhancing properties. Honey is far from the only bee therapy products that has been shown to have a dramatic effect on human health. Royal jelly, the sole food of queen bees, is so nutrient dense that it is considered an appropriate alternative to a multivitamin. Propolis can be used as an oral rinse to treat gingivitis and canker sores. The inhalation of beehive air is being prescribed in Germany as a treatment for immune disorders and allergies. Natural healers have been using bee stings as therapies for thousands of years. Today, bee venom is being officially researched for its potential to treat major diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Alzeimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and rheumatoid arthritis. Bee venom therapy, of course, is not without its fair share of possible side effects. Allergic reactions, including anaphylactic shock, can occur and associations have been made between bee sting therapy, Lupus, and liver toxicity. Are the risks worth the reward? In the cases of many patients who have been living with chronic pain, inflammation, or other illnesses, the answer is a resounding yes. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK

Are Type 1 Diabetes symptoms the same as Type 2 Diabetes symptoms? Can Type 1 Diabetes treatments be applied successfully to Type 2 Diabetes? Dr. Jody Stanislaw, whose Tedx Talk entitled Sugar is Not a Treat has surpassed one million views, breaks down the differences between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes. Tune in to discover: The connection between dietary fat and insulin resistance Nutrition and fitness facts to help with effective Diabetes management The ideal Type 1 Diabetes diet Jody is a naturopathic doctor and a Certified Diabetes Educator, who specializes in training Type 1 Diabetes patients to properly adjust and administer their insulin without fear or guesswork. She also suffers from the disease herself and has since her early childhood. Unlike Type 2 Diabetes, Type 1 is an irreversible auto-immune disorder. There is currently no Type 1 Diabetes cure. Managing Type 1 Diabetes is much more complex than simply monitoring sugar intake. Hormone levels, genetics, body mass index, activity levels, and dozens of other factors actively contribute to a person’s blood sugar range each day. Contrary to popular belief, obesity is not associated with Type 1 Diabetes causes. In fact, no specific causes have been identified to date. Jody embraces a mostly plant based food diet and educates her patients on plant-based diet benefits as well. She also acknowledges that most people will not be capable of realistically adhering to a very strict diet 100% of the time. She offers specific advice to her patients and on her website for how a Type 1 Diabetes patient can adjust their insulin and blood sugar testing in order to indulge safely for special occasions. To learn more about Jody’s personal Diabetes journey, sign up for her classes, or try out her one-on-one services visit https://www.drjodynd.com/ Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK

The biggest challenge in breeding honey bees? Keeping the right balance of desirable traits in colonies, from mite biting to pollinating behaviors, requires a complex process. Krispn Given discusses some of the subtleties and important considerations in apiculture. Listen and learn Why the varroa mite is like a dirty hypodermic needle invading honey bee colonies, jeopardizing bee health and productivity; How these mites are obligate parasites, even breeding within the beehive cells, What traits are especially important for a beekeeper to consider, from mite biting to grooming and honey production, and Why breeding research will transition to marker-assisted selection rather than phenotypic traits. Krispn Given is an apiculture specialist at Purdue University and focuses on selecting for behavioral traits to reduce the impact of varroa mites and the bee diseases they cause. He gives listeners an appreciation for the complexities of beekeeping while keeping the fascinating aspects of the activity front and center. For example, researchers like Given are actually able to select for mite-biting behavior, which is a recessive, heritable trait. He explains how they examine mites for evidence of chewing marks, selecting and breeding bees that were able to effectively chew the mites enough to kill them. But there’s a catch: they can’t forget about other desirable traits like honey production and effective pollinating. He talks about the efforts to maintain a healthy mix for a balanced colony. He also gives listeners a glimpse into the future of his research, such as crossing some of these mite-biting bees to make them available for the commercial industry. In addition, they plan on incorporating MAS, or marker-assisted selection. In the past, they’ve focused on phenotypic traits but technology has enabled them to start genotyping their colonies. Of course, these behaviors take place at epigenetic and genetic levels and Given addresses this additional balance, explaining how they tease out various traits through the the years. Listen in for some terrific honey bee research stories. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK

“We’re wired to change the world,” remarks Dr. Topher Fox as he discusses best practices for reversing and preventing type 2 diabetes. Like many doctors who work in endocrinology and diabetes care, considering his patients’ daily routines and habits is significant to their outcomes. He includes more than just traditional medical frameworks, adding in research-based behavior-changing measures. Listen and learn His thoughts on hypothyroidism medication, such as a T4 or a combined T3 and T4 approach; Why he thinks prediabetics and type 2 diabetic patients are underserved and what he’s doing about it, and Examples of effective methods for coaching endocrinology diabetes patients through behaviors conducive to healthy results. Christopher (Topher) R. Fox is an endocrinologist, diabetes and obesity specialist practicing in Superior, Colorado, at the Alpine Center. He spends the whole of his practice as a clinician with an extremely patient-focused approach, which is clear as he discusses traditional medicine’s faults and successes as it addresses the human endocrine system.  He mentions some of the toughest issues in thyroid treatments, especially the subset of patients who get their numbers in line yet still struggle with unexplained symptoms. He reviews his reasoning for trying medicinal combinations, such as a T3-T4 combination, or why he might turn to further tests to find an alternate cause. He also directs the conversation where he’s put a lot of his energy: it struck him how often patients answer that they “don’t eat as well or exercise as much as they should.” Instead of ignoring this, he’s brought his full attention to motivational issues as an endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism impact factor. “In general, willpower always falls short,” he says. He’s done something about this in his practice and developed coaching programs and a closely-monitored twelve-week approach for patients. These methods integrate activities like their “be a hero” framework and “intention setting,” which are proven practices to increase certain behaviors. Listen in for more about these methods, researchers he suggests reviewing, and successful stories of past patients. For more about his practice, see thealpinecenter.com and drtopherfox.com. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK