TGen Talks
Episodes
Episode 90: Study Links Obesity and Cancer
26 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
It’s well known that smoking is the number one factor that significantly increases your risk of developing cancer over a lifetime. But obesity...
Episode 89 Dr. Jonathan Keats
24 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
March is Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month. In this episode, we speak with TGen Associate Professor Jonathan Keats, Ph.D. Dr. Keats’ revisits the CO...
Episdoe 88: Closing in on One Million
01 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Why do some people stay mentally sharp well into their seventies and eighties, while others begin to struggle with memory much earlier in life? MindCr...
Episode 87: From Deadly to Detectable?
30 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 d...
Liquid Biopsy TGT September
30 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 vuln...
Episode 85: Runway for Research
26 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Episode 84 Precision Medicine
29 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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, ho...
Episode 83: Discovering a Future in Science — The Helios Scholars at TGen Program
23 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Summers at TGen offer a unique opportunity for students to dive into the world of biomedical research. The Helios Scholars Program at TGen actively en...
Episode 82: The Ivy Neurological Sciences Internship Program at TGen
28 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of TGen Talks, we spotlight the Ivy Neurological Sciences Internship Program at TGen. This year-long program bridges the gap between u...
Episode 81: Accelerating Discovery to Market
30 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 wi...
Episode 58: Tracing Ancient History with Modern Science
28 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Understanding how infectious diseases spread in the past is important to understanding how they affect populations today. The difficulty lie in piecin...
Episode 39: A TGen Overview
28 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 resea...
Episode 80: A Spatial Map of Pulmonary Fibrosis
26 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Pulmonary Fibrosis. A debilitating disease that restricts a person’s lung capacity, controllable with drug therapies, but it’s only “cure” is ...
Episode 79: Breaking Barriers — How Women in Science Help Shape the Future
25 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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,...
The Power of Nanotherapeutics
28 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
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 e...
Glyphosate’s Long-Lasting Effects on Brain Health
04 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Scientists have long known that farm chemicals can be harmful to human health. Many lawn and garden products used by consumers carry warnings, so tha...
Episode 76: Leigh Nicholson, Ph.D., Researcher and Ambassador
30 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
A Postdoc’s Perspective: Dr. Aya Kamzina’s Path to Research
26 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Every September, the scientific community recognizes postdoctoral researchers during Postdoc Appreciation Week. Postdocs bring new ideas and deep expe...
Episode 74: Breaking Down Multiple Myeloma’s New Subtypes and Their Impact
28 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 diff...
Episode 73: The Science of Longevity
30 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 Cit...
Episode 72: Fowl Play: Viewing the New Strain of Bird Flu Through a Genomic Lens
27 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On this month’s TGen Talks, David Engelthaler, Ph.D., professor and director of TGen’s Pathogen and Microbiome Division, discusses the recent surg...
Episode 71: Understanding Your Risk with a PRS
28 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This month, TGen Talks explores polygenic risk scores with Dr. David Duggan, an associate professor in the Quantitative Medicine and Systems Biology D...
Episode 70: United Against Brain Cancer
29 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Glioblastoma. It’s the most aggressive and least treatable type of brain cancer. Research into treatment has been slow, mostly because of the diffi...
Episode 69 – Beyond the Surface: Inside the Science of Skin Cancer
29 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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, ...
TGen Talks Live
28 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 67: Tiny particles offer big clues toward predicting Alzheimer’s decades in advance
30 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Alzheimer’s disease affects an estimated six million Americans. Diagnosing and treating the disease is challenging, and for families taking care of ...
Episode 66: The Transformational Power of Education
20 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Paul J. Luna, president and CEO of Helios Education Foundation, sits down with TGen Talks to discuss the transformational power of education, in part...
Episode 65 Of TGen Talks
28 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 mos...
Episode 64: An Insider’s View of TGen
27 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 discover...
Episode 63: Unlocking the Secrets of T Cell Therapy Resistance
30 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For a patient diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, there are more treatment options than ever and traditional chemotherapies that ...
Episode 62: QIIME in if You’ve Heard This One Before
27 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Episode 61: Beyond a Summer of Science
21 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 c...
Episode 60: Tracking Infection and Immunity Over Time
24 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 ex...
Episode 59: The Resilience of Maria Fundora and Purple Pansies
27 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
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 busines...
Episode 57: Yun Rose Li, M.D., Ph.D.
23 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When treating cancer patients, physicians are often faced with tough choices. Treatment options like radiation can often come with unpleasant, for s...
Episode 56: TGen Talks Live, Part II
25 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In part two of TGen Talks Live, we continue our conversation on precision aging with Drs. Matthew Huentelman and Nicholas Schork. Aging encompasses a...
TGen Talks Live (part 1)
20 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
TGen offers listeners a deeper dive into a particular biomedical-related topic or program through its monthly podcast TGen Talks. Each free-flowing ep...
Episode 54: Precision Aging
22 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 year...
Episode 53: Vidium: A Dog’s Best Friend
25 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Episode 52: Number One Worldwide
29 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
With COVID infections and deaths on the decline worldwide, many researchers are turning their attention back to a familiar foe. Tuberculosis (TB) was ...
Episode 51: In Search of Outbreaks
24 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
For Crystal Hepp, PhD, the newest member of the TGen North team, understanding how different pathogens move over time and space and through different ...
Episode 50: The World of Pathogens
19 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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, P...
Episode 49: Nonalcoholic Liver Disease
21 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Episode 48: Celebrating 20 Years of Precision Medicine
24 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
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 scientif...
Episode 47: Math Meets Cancer
30 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Applied mathematics dramatically advanced the field of finance in the 1970’s, where its application allowed for the modeling of financial markets by...
Episode 36: New Tech STARTS Here
23 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
TGen’s Scientific Technology Assessment Research Team (START) supports the research faculty by bringing new technology into the labs to help answer ...
Episode 45 - Dr. Michael Berens
26 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 45 - Dr. Michael Berens by TGen
Episode 44: Are We There Yet? COVID, Omicron and the Year Ahead
15 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 r...
Episode 43: The Genomics of Brain Tumors
23 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Episode 42: An Inside Look at the World of Rare Disease Research
26 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
At the Center for Rare Childhood Disorders, it's all about the kids. Center staff dedicate themselves to finding a diagnosis and possible treatments f...
Episode 41: Takin' it to the Streets- Reimagining Research
28 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For TGen’s Dr. Matt Huentelman, leveraging today’s technology to rewrite the playbook on research recruiting and reimagine the scientific landscap...
Episode 40: Helios Scholars at TGen
25 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The range of emotions a Helios Scholar at TGen experiences — from application through the program’s end — shifts dramatically as the summer unfo...
Episode 40, Helios Scholars at TGen
25 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The range of emotions a Helios Scholar at TGen experiences — from application through the program’s end — shifts dramatically as the summer unfo...
Episode 38: COVID-19: Mother Nature’s Work or Something Else?
29 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 cir...
Episode 37: TGen Advances in DIPG Research and the Story of Most Best Days
27 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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 fo...
Episode 36: Precision Medicine for Pets
30 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
At TGen, scientists have studied naturally occurring cancer in canines for over a decade. This expertise led to the formation of a company aimed speci...
Episode 35: Diagnosing Rare Disorders
23 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
At TGen's Center for Rare Childhood Disorders, we are committed to developing, refining, and applying the latest tools of genomic medicine to help dia...
Episode 34: The Vaccine Edition
26 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
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.....
Episode 33: Helios Scholar Shares All
16 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Internships provide students an opportunity to learn more about potential career choices and equally important, following the experience, gauge whethe...
Episode 32: Side-By-Side With Experts
19 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 c...
Episode 31: Make It Personal
20 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Episode 30: Are We There Yet?
23 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
275 days ago, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission in China reported a cluster of cases of pneumonia … a novel coronavirus was eventually identifie...
Episode 29: Expressions of Interest
28 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
Episode 28: A Fresh look at COVID-19
25 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Following the lifting of social restrictions and individuals returning to work, the medical profession has seen a recent spike in COVID-19 cases. This...
Episode 27: Lessons Learned, COVID-19
26 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
For nearly 6 months, COVID-19 has raised numerous questions and concerns, as well as having led to global disruption. In addition to testing, TGen was...
Episode 26: COVID-19 Immunity
24 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What can a few drops of blood tell scientists about how one’s immune system reacted to COVID-19? If you’re TGen North’s Dr. John Altin, you hope...
Episode 25: Investigating COVID-19
17 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The COVID-19 coronavirus continues to affect lives on a daily basis. Businesses, churches, schools, and other public facilities are closing. Sporting ...
Episode 24: Reading the Story of Tumors
18 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Our DNA tells the story of who we are genetically. But when we develop cancer, our tumor DNA tells a different version of that story. At Ashion Ana...
Episode 23: Tracking Glioblastoma Cell by Cell
28 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The human body contains trillions of individual cells, and inside each resides a unique genetic code. Single-cell RNA sequencing enables researchers t...
Episode 22: Clinical Trials, Drug Development & The Future of Precision Medicine
19 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Over the past decade, cancer treatment has gone from a one-size-fits-all approach to a targeted and personal approach known widely as Precision Medici...
Episode 21: Why We Care About Fatty Liver
20 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Experts aren’t sure why some people accumulate fat in the liver while others do not, but they all agree it’s a serious health issue. One type, kn...
Episode 20: Turns Out, Rare Isn't So Rare
24 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Don't let the word rare fool you. Roughly 1-in-10 individuals in the world are affected by a rare disease, and our Center for Rare Childhood Disorde...
Episode 19: Breathing Life Into Research
19 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The offer of help to a family friend created a serendipitous chain of events that led Dr. Nick Banovich to study Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). ...
Episode 18: Stirring Up A Whole Lot of Science Around Valley Fever
20 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
TGen North's Dr. David Engelthaler discusses Valley Fever. We learn why Arizona - with nearly 65% of all Valley Fever cases in the U.S.- is the perf...
Episode 17: A Deeper Look at Proteomics
19 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Patrick Pirrotte, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of the Cancer and Cell Biology Division and the Director of TGen's Collaborative Center for Translational...
Episode 16: Comparative Oncology Provides Deeper Insight into Cancer
20 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
TGen Assistant Professor, Dr. Will Hendricks, discusses comparative oncology, a field of study that in recent years has gained in popularity, as it se...
Episode 15: MindCrowd—A Study on how the Healthy Brain Works
29 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
MindCrowd, launched seven years ago by Dr. Matthew Huentelman, studies the healthy brain. At its core, MindCrowd offers a new way approach scientific ...
Tiny Microbes A Big Deal for Dr. Sarah Highlander
16 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Microbes out-number the genes in your DNA by more than 1,000 to 1 and together they make up what is known as your microbiome. TGen’s Dr. Sarah K. Hi...
Episode 13: AI and Big Data with Dr. Glen Otero
20 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Glen Otero, a 20 year veteran of life science industry and an expert in high-performance computing, discusses artificial intelligence, or A.I., an...
Episode 12: TGen Talks — Tracking Neurodegenerative Disorders With Biomarkers
29 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In medicine, a biomarker is anything used to determine the presence or development of a particular disease or biological state. They can be used to de...
Episode 11: Outside Influence: Stimuli, Epigenomics, and Changing Cell Behavior
13 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Nature vs. nurture? How about nature and nature? Dr. Candace Lewis, a postdoctoral fellow in the Huentelman lab at TGen, walks us through a biological...
Episode 10: TGen Talks Takeover - Your Best Advice
25 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Helios Scholar Mario Mosqueda asked 10 TGen scientists for their best career advice in an insightful discussion on charting a path in science.
Did You Know? Postdocs Are People Too
17 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Did You Know? There are fellows - and ladies - that work in the lab to learn how to lead a lab. They're called 'postdocs.'
Episode 9: Meet Steve, Pancreatic Cancer Survivor
11 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Steve, a four-year pancreatic cancer, survivor shares his story of hope.
Episode 8: Students Takeover TGen Talks - Discovery Ensues!
26 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Students from the inaugural TGen Bioscience Leadership Academy took over the TGen Talks podcast to discuss what they learned during their two-week, im...
Did You Know? Single-Cell Sequencing
14 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Single-Cell Sequencing promises to bring more precision to 'precision medicine.' Learn how this new technique could revolutionize diagnosis and treatm...
Episode 7: Computing Horsepower with James Lowey
01 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
James Lowey, TGen's Chief Information Officer, discusses how high-performance computing has revolutionized genomics and how our partnership with Dell ...
Episode 6: Mom-To-Be Makes Ovarian Cancer Discovery
17 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Jessica Lang, a mother-to-be, discusses a new treatment discovery for ovarian cancer, the deadliest reproductive cancer.
Episode 5: Understanding Multiple Myeloma
22 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Jonathan Keats discusses how multiple myeloma can be multiple cancers from a genetic standpoint. Through his work with the Multiple Myeloma Resear...
Did You Know? Computer Science vs Lab Science
20 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Did You Know? Bioscience is as much about computer science as it is about laboratory science! Make yourself smarter in 2 minutes with our latest TGen ...
Episode 4: What Is CAR T Therapy?
22 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. John Altin explains how a patient's own immune cells can be transformed into cancer-killers through CAR T therapy — and what this means for the ...
Episode 3: The Diagnostic Odyssey
22 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
TGen's Center for Rare Childhood Disorders provides genetic testing to give hope and answers to rare disease patients. As part of their summer project...
Did You Know? Arsenic vs Glioblastoma
09 Jan 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Arsenic is a poison, commonly associated with murder mysteries, but did you know that it can be an effective cancer-killer? Learn more from disease de...
Episode 2: Dr. Michael Berens Talks Glioblastoma
18 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Glioblastoma is the deadliest cancer. It has been in the news lately because of the recent diagnosis of Senator John McCain and former Vice President ...
Episode 1: What is TGen? Interview with Dr. Jeffrey Trent
05 Dec 2017
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to TGen Talks! Dr. Jeffrey Trent, former Research Director for the Human Genome Project, and current President of the Translational Genomics R...