Arthritis affects millions of people, but the underlying causes are still not fully understood. What makes the immune system that normally protects us suddenly attack our joints? And why do arthritis flares seem to arrive without warning?

In this episode, we explore how certain immune cells or signals might be responsible for switching inflammation on.

We hear from Garvan's Dr Etienne Masle-Farquhar, who is mapping these processes in both rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, with the goal of predicting flares earlier and guiding more effective treatment.

Support Garvan research: https://www.garvan.org.au/support-us/give-now

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For decades, the fight against cancer has focused on killing the tumour cell. We treated cancer like an isolated entity that needed to be destroyed – but what if we’ve been looking at the wrong target?

In this episode, we delve into the critical insight that cancer is not just a rogue cell – it’s an entire ecosystem – and that ecosystem is the key to unlocking a new class of cures.

We hear from Garvan's Dr Ankur Sharma, who is using precision technology to dissect how the environment around liver cancers allows them to grow unchecked. The ultimate goal for this research is to develop better diagnostics and treatments for this deadly cancer.

Support Garvan research: https://www.garvan.org.au/support-us/give-now

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Therapies and drugs have evolved enormously in the last 30 years. For example, in cancer, where previously our options were limited to surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, we’re now hearing terms like cancer immunotherapy, targeted therapies and even cancer vaccines. Many of these are biologics.

In this episode you’ll hear from Dr Rachel Galimidi who is at the forefront of biologics drug development and is working to make new and better treatments for a range of diseases.

Support Garvan research: https://www.garvan.org.au/support-us/give-now

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.