Laura Lee, JD, a lawyer by training and journalist in North Carolina, brings her unique perspective to the show to discuss how language used on social media to describe the outcomes of clinical trials and the tolerance of therapies in a patient population can be damaging to patients on an individual level. She expresses some of her larger concerns in the way medical information is displayed and discussed online, including the tone that is used, how quality of life measures fall short in providing value for individual patients, and the lack of compassionate language used in studies that are poorly conducted.
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
