EP99: Exploring the frontiers of cancer research with Dr. Harold E Varmus

Join us for EP99 of The Genetics Podcast as Patrick dives into the extraordinary career and work of Dr. Harold E Varmus, a Nobel laureate scientist, former director of the National Institutes of Health, president of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre, and director of the National Cancer Institute.

Join Patrick and Harold as they navigate the complex landscape of cancer, from advancements that have revolutionized the field to diversity in cancer research and the Polyethnic-1000 Genome Project. This compelling episode is punctuated by Harold’s personal reflections, and invaluable learnings from his career.

1:27 Why a Beowulf quote made its way into Harold’s Nobel Prize acceptance speech

2:28 How it feels to hear you have won a Nobel Prize

4:04 How did fulfilling a national responsibility during the Vietnam War lead to a Nobel Prize

7:54 Areas of cancer research that are moving forward, and areas that are more stubborn

9:44 The formidable hurdle of metastasis

11:00 The educational power of COVID

12:33 Cancer and evolution: why is cancer so difficult?

14:50 Introducing the Polyethnic-1000 Genome Project

19:35 Working with WHO to ensure genomic technologies are accessible to all

23:03 What are the biggest blockers to the widespread adoption of genomics?

26:00 Context switching: From ‘deep’ science to stepping into the role of director

28:50 Learnings on how science is funded and coordinated

33:05 Discussing the allocation of funding: small grants Vs. large, coordinated efforts

36:16 Co-founding PLoS and PubMed Central

39:49 Accelerating the shift towards more open science

44:44 Just how close are we to curing cancer?

48:00 Studying cancer rates in mammalian species