50 min
Exclusive Episode: Working Together to Break Through Inside Cancer Careers
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- Science
In this exclusive episode of Inside Cancer Careers, we hear from Dr. Tyler Jacks, Founding Director of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, David H. Koch Professor of Biology, and President of Break Through Cancer. Dr. Jacks shares his insights on the state of cancer research, the work being done at Break Through Cancer, and more.
Tyler Jacks, Ph.D.
KOCH Institute
The Jacks Lab
Break Through Cancer
National Cancer Plan
Cancer Moonshot
Ad: NanCI by NCI mobile app
Your Turn Recommendations:
Dr. Yinzhi Lin (Listener) The Sound of Waves by Yukio Mishima
TRANSCRIPT
Oliver Bogler
Hello and welcome to Inside Cancer Careers, a podcast from the National Cancer Institute. I'm your host, Oliver Bogler. I work at the NCI in the Center for Cancer Training. On Inside Cancer Careers, we explore all the different ways that people join the fight against disease and hear their stories. Today, we're talking to Dr. Tyler Jacks, founding director of MIT's Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Koch Professor of Biology at MIT, Co-Director of the Ludwig Center for Molecular Oncology, and President of Break Through Cancer. Listen through to the end of the show to hear our guest make an interesting recommendation and where we invite you to take your turn.
It's a pleasure to welcome you, Dr. Jacks, to the pod.
Tyler Jacks
Thanks very much. It's a pleasure to be here. Looking forward to the conversation.
Oliver Bogler
Dr. Jacks has many accomplishments to his name, stemming from his research, his leadership, and his engagement across the cancer research community. He has been recognized with many prizes and honors. He's a member of the National Academy of Sciences and of Medicine and the AACR Academy. He serves on boards of biotechs, including some he founded, and co-chaired the Blue Ribbon Panel for then Vice President Joe Biden's Cancer Moonshot Initiative. He was also chair of the National Cancer Advisory Board for the National Cancer Institute during the Obama administration. We will link Dr. Jacks' LinkedIn page in the show notes so you can see all the things that I missed.
Dr. Jacks, with such a broad series of engagements and experiences, I'd like to start with asking you where we are in cancer research in 2023.
Tyler Jacks
Well, we're in a very exciting point, I would say. As perhaps we'll discuss a bit later in our discussion, I've been doing this for a very long time. And I've never been more excited than I am today about what's happening in terms of the advancements of our understanding of the disease at the molecular level, our understanding of the disease in many other dimensions and then how that's led to improved ability to both diagnose the disease and intervene at earlier stages, but importantly also to bring new treatments based on those insights. I mean, I think we're in a revolution in terms of how we treat cancer today, with respect to immune targeting drugs and precision medicines. It's incredibly exciting to see the impact of the science in the clinic.
Oliver Bogler
So in terms of our ability to meet, for example, the goals of the National Cancer Plan, which was recently unveiled, and also President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden's reignited Cancer Moonshots, the plans call for reducing cancer mortality by at least 50% over the next 25 years, and improve the experiences of people living with and surviving cancers, their families and their caregivers. How do you feel about those goals, that or that particular goal?
Tyler Jacks
Yeah, I think those are actually achievable goals. They're lofty goals to be sure. I think if we are successful in bringing about that level of change, it will be impressive. But I think it is achievable.
And I think it relates to some of the things that I just mentioned. The tools that we have now for treating cancer more effectively are in place and in use for certain cancers and
In this exclusive episode of Inside Cancer Careers, we hear from Dr. Tyler Jacks, Founding Director of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, David H. Koch Professor of Biology, and President of Break Through Cancer. Dr. Jacks shares his insights on the state of cancer research, the work being done at Break Through Cancer, and more.
Tyler Jacks, Ph.D.
KOCH Institute
The Jacks Lab
Break Through Cancer
National Cancer Plan
Cancer Moonshot
Ad: NanCI by NCI mobile app
Your Turn Recommendations:
Dr. Yinzhi Lin (Listener) The Sound of Waves by Yukio Mishima
TRANSCRIPT
Oliver Bogler
Hello and welcome to Inside Cancer Careers, a podcast from the National Cancer Institute. I'm your host, Oliver Bogler. I work at the NCI in the Center for Cancer Training. On Inside Cancer Careers, we explore all the different ways that people join the fight against disease and hear their stories. Today, we're talking to Dr. Tyler Jacks, founding director of MIT's Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Koch Professor of Biology at MIT, Co-Director of the Ludwig Center for Molecular Oncology, and President of Break Through Cancer. Listen through to the end of the show to hear our guest make an interesting recommendation and where we invite you to take your turn.
It's a pleasure to welcome you, Dr. Jacks, to the pod.
Tyler Jacks
Thanks very much. It's a pleasure to be here. Looking forward to the conversation.
Oliver Bogler
Dr. Jacks has many accomplishments to his name, stemming from his research, his leadership, and his engagement across the cancer research community. He has been recognized with many prizes and honors. He's a member of the National Academy of Sciences and of Medicine and the AACR Academy. He serves on boards of biotechs, including some he founded, and co-chaired the Blue Ribbon Panel for then Vice President Joe Biden's Cancer Moonshot Initiative. He was also chair of the National Cancer Advisory Board for the National Cancer Institute during the Obama administration. We will link Dr. Jacks' LinkedIn page in the show notes so you can see all the things that I missed.
Dr. Jacks, with such a broad series of engagements and experiences, I'd like to start with asking you where we are in cancer research in 2023.
Tyler Jacks
Well, we're in a very exciting point, I would say. As perhaps we'll discuss a bit later in our discussion, I've been doing this for a very long time. And I've never been more excited than I am today about what's happening in terms of the advancements of our understanding of the disease at the molecular level, our understanding of the disease in many other dimensions and then how that's led to improved ability to both diagnose the disease and intervene at earlier stages, but importantly also to bring new treatments based on those insights. I mean, I think we're in a revolution in terms of how we treat cancer today, with respect to immune targeting drugs and precision medicines. It's incredibly exciting to see the impact of the science in the clinic.
Oliver Bogler
So in terms of our ability to meet, for example, the goals of the National Cancer Plan, which was recently unveiled, and also President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden's reignited Cancer Moonshots, the plans call for reducing cancer mortality by at least 50% over the next 25 years, and improve the experiences of people living with and surviving cancers, their families and their caregivers. How do you feel about those goals, that or that particular goal?
Tyler Jacks
Yeah, I think those are actually achievable goals. They're lofty goals to be sure. I think if we are successful in bringing about that level of change, it will be impressive. But I think it is achievable.
And I think it relates to some of the things that I just mentioned. The tools that we have now for treating cancer more effectively are in place and in use for certain cancers and
50 min