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In this episode of Health in Hyperdrive, Dominic James is joined by Hakim Yadi PhD OBE, a biotech entrepreneur and industry leader, to explore one of the biggest shifts in modern healthcare: precision medicine. They look at how data, genomics, AI and smarter drug development are helping us move beyond standardised treatment.

Precision medicine has the potential to change how we treat people, not just conditions. By combining real-world data with pharmacology, it helps move care away from generic averages and towards what actually works for each individual. That means fewer side effects, better results, and a stronger chance patients stay on treatment. It is not just good medicine, it is smarter, fairer, and more sustainable for health systems like the NHS. In fact, adverse drug reactions cost the NHS an estimated £2 billion a year, and precision approaches could help bring that number down significantly.

Together, Dominic and Hakim explore how this approach can improve outcomes, reduce health inequalities, and make treatment more tolerable. They also dive into GLP-1 therapies, the push for better women’s health, and the business model challenges that still slow innovation. Along the way, they ask what it would take to make personalised care the standard, not the exception.

Key Topics Covered

• Why most drug dosages are still based on outdated trial data
• The rise of GLP-1 therapies and what they mean for patient experience
• The dangers of self-dosing advice on Reddit, TikTok and Instagram
• The business model challenge behind scaling innovation
• Why personalised care benefits patients and health systems
• What it means to “nibble” a medicine in 2025
• How health data saves lives and why we should all donate data
• The North–South health divide in England and its link to 1 million premature deaths
• In 2035, our Children today will view medicine today as draconian

About Hakim

Hakim Yadi PhD OBE is a biotech entrepreneur and Partner at Baringa, focused on global health innovation.

He co-founded Closed Loop Medicine, delivering personalised care through drug and digital integration.

With a PhD in immunology and an OBE awarded for services to healthcare technology and the economy, Hakim bridges clinical innovation with system transformation.

Links

• Hakim’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hakimyadi/
• Baringa website - https://www.baringa.com/en/people/experts/hakim-yadi/
• Closed Loop Medicine website - https://closedloopmedicine.com/
• Data saves lives website - https://datasaveslives.eu/
• Dominic’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominicjames
• Health in Hyperdrive website - https://www.healthinhyperdrive.com
• Socials TikTok / X / Insta / YouTube - @DomJamesHiH
• Produced by Explosive Brands - https://www.explosivebrands.com/

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In this episode of Health in Hyperdrive, Dominic James is joined by Lauren Redfern, medical anthropologist and founder of Hormonally, for a candid conversation about the taboos that still shape our health. From periods and menopause to mental health and obesity, Lauren explains how silence and stigma can stop people getting the care they deserve. Together, they explore how better language, education and technology can help dismantle taboos and give people the confidence to take charge of their wellbeing.

For decades, women’s hormonal health has been overlooked and underfunded. From menstruation to menopause, millions have faced misdiagnosis and silence. In the UK, one in ten women live with conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), which can cause irregular periods, fertility challenges and symptoms like acne or excess hair. Lauren’s PhD research into perimenopause and menopause shows how misdiagnosis often happens when people lack the language to explain their experiences, and when the textbooks used to train clinicians contain errors. She also shares the story behind Hormonally, a nonprofit platform offering evidence based resources, and explains how tools like the Vulva Map are helping to normalise conversations about anatomy and care.

It is a timely and engaging look at how anthropology, technology and community can come together to challenge stigma, improve communication and make a real difference to health outcomes.

Key Topics Covered

• Health in Hyperdrive on tour in Barcelona: bringing taboo‑breaking conversations to a global stage
• What anthropology, technology and community can achieve when they converge to challenge stigma
• How medical textbooks are wrong, and the impact of outdated or inaccurate anatomy teaching
• Testosterone treatment for both men and women, and why it remains misunderstood
• The Vulva Map: the most “vulvas and vaginas in any podcast” and why bold tools spark real change
• Why women’s hormonal health has been overlooked, stigmatised and underfunded for decades
• Envisioning a future where talking openly about health is the norm, not the taboo

About Lauren

Executive Director, Hormonally

Lauren Redfern is a medical anthropologist and the founder of Hormonally.org, a platform dedicated to transforming how we understand and support hormonal health.

She earned her PhD in Medical Anthropology from the University of Exeter and combines academic insight with digital innovation to challenge stigma, improve education, and build inclusive systems of care. Through storytelling, research, and advocacy, Lauren’s work bridges culture, technology, and public health.

Links

• Lauren’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-redfern-04052213b
• Hormonally website - https://hormonally.org/
• UK parliament report on medical misogyny -https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/328/women-and-equalities-committee/news/204316/medical-misogyny-is-leaving-women-in-unnecessary-pain-and-undiagnosed-for-years/
• Dominic’s LinkedIn
• @DomJamesHiH socials - TikTok / X / Insta / YouTube
• Produced by Explosive Brands

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In this episode of Health in Hyperdrive, host Dominic James is joined by Dr Lennard Lee to explore one of the most exciting shifts in modern medicine: how data, genomics, artificial intelligence and vaccines are coming together to transform the way we understand and treat cancer. With half the global population expected to face a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime, the need for bold, innovative solutions has never been more urgent. Dr Lee explains why cancer is still one of the most difficult diseases to treat, and how research, technology and smart policy are starting to make a real difference.

Over the past decade, cancer care has made remarkable progress. In the UK, five-year survival rates have risen to 56 percent, thanks to advances in immunotherapy, earlier detection through blood-based screening and AI-powered diagnostics. National programmes like the NHS Galleri trial and the Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad are helping to bring these breakthroughs into everyday clinical care, offering patients more personalised and effective treatment options.

Dr Lee explains how four powerful forces of data, genomics, artificial intelligence and vaccines are converging to create a new era of cancer medicine. Together, he and Dominic look ahead to a future where cancer care is more proactive, precise and accessible, and where a diagnosis no longer carries the fear it once did.

Topics discussed in this episode:

• 1 in 2 people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lives

• Why cancer remains one of the hardest diseases to treat

• The importance of research and policy in driving progress

• The Galleri trial: a single blood test for 50 types of cancer

• The rise of personalised cancer vaccines and how they work

• What it takes for national leadership in new treatment paradigms

• How AI supercomputing is accelerating cancer vaccine discovery

• The convergence of data, genomics, AI and vaccines

• Envisioning 2035: a future where the fear of cancer is gone

About Lennard

Dr. Lennard Lee, Associate Professor, University of Oxford; Chief Medical Officer, Ellison Institute of Technology, Oxford, UK and a national leader in cancer innovation.

He co-founded the NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad and led the record-breaking Galleri trial. With over 50 peer-reviewed publications and multiple national awards, Lennard’s work bridges research, policy, and patient care.

Links

Lennard’s LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lennardlee

Ellison Institute of Technology - https://www.eit.org/

AI Supercomputer for cancer vaccines - https://www.ndm.ox.ac.uk/news/researchers-granted-ai-supercomputing-award-to-accelerate-cancer-vaccine-work

WHO Cancer facts - https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cancer

BBC report on the Galleri test for 50 types of cancer - https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c205g21n1zzo.amp

Health in Hyperdrive website - https://www.future-centric.com/health-in-hyperdrive

@DomJamesHiH socials - TikTok / X / Insta / YouTube

Produced by Explosive Brands - https://www.e