Christian Rolfo, MD, PhD, of Mount Sinai Medical Center (now at Ohio State as Chief of Oncology), explores the science and clinical applications of liquid biopsies, including circulating tumor DNA. On this special Healthcare Unfiltered episode, he explains how this cutting-edge approach compares to traditional tissue samples in terms of concordance, sensitivity, and specificity, and expands on the methods used to distinguish signal from noise in liquid biopsy results.
Dr. Rolfo discusses which thoracic patients should receive liquid biopsies and the optimal timing within their care journey. He also covers the clinical decisions informed by liquid biopsy data, such as advising on adjuvant therapy, and debates the potential role of liquid biopsies in screening and early detection for healthy individuals.
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Dr. Simrit Parmar, founder of Cellenkos, joins the show to discuss her journey from the lab to the biotech startup world, detailing the inspiration behind launching her company, the challenges of securing funding, and the resilience required to overcome rejections. She shares insights into Cellenkos’ lead product, its progress toward market approval, and the rigorous
Carol Rausch—a healthcare professional, cancer researcher, and former patient with lymphoma—shares how her journey from researcher to patient transformed her understanding of medical language. She discusses the impact of word choice on patients, why certain battle and war metaphors can be harmful, and how language used in clinical settings differs from what resonates with those
Drs. David Braun and Toni Choueiri join to discuss a groundbreaking Nature study on a personalized neoantigen vaccine for adjuvant renal cell carcinoma. They explore the inspiration behind the trial, how the vaccine was developed and administered, and its safety profile. The conversation also covers patient outcomes after 3-4 years, including immune responses and disease
