For Whom the Cell Tolls: Cancer Biology

Latest Episodes:

028 AI is a Tumor - 12 Hallmarks Until Midnight Jul 22, 2026

Show notes

Controversy! The snappy title isn’t an insult either. It’s respect, paired with a call to action to recognize our new AI (LLM) passengers.

Nothing more powerful exists within Biology than tumors, but that’s just me the cancer scientist. Tumor cells are faster, consume like crazy, terraform, and represent more fecund and inventive versions of our healthy ones. Worse, they avoid (orcorrupt) immune regulation, disrupt communication/trust via inflammation, and refuse to die, all thanks to their creative (and evolved) applications of the collective genome/information they stole.

Sound like anything familiar?

In any case, this was a fun run through of 12 cancer hallmarks and the comparisons. Across sabbatical, I’ve been working on a project called Midnight. Consider this episode of For Whom the Cell Tolls a guide of the story’s metaphorical spine – characters and plot. What if a mirrored version of yourself existedthat had those tumor elements?

The captions went a bit wild, the video kind of chops, and the dogs interrupt me twice (naughty), but this was a fun episode to make.

So, if you’re interested in preserving humanity and all that jazz, enjoy the show!

027 Cancer Surges Among Young Patients - Time Bombs over “Turbo” Jul 15, 2025

Show notes

Welcome to our most CONTROVERSIAL episode yet! We address “Turbo cancer” (idk what’s specifically meant by this still but I outline the likely/historical geneses behind these cases), inflammation issues, central dogma basics, mRNA vaccine tech, the rise of the microbiome and its importance for health, and the likely (yet boring) underlying sources of the rising cancer diagnoses among Millennials and younger Gen X patients. We’ll cover what stages and “bombs” were set decades ago. I wish that I had more time to keep going, so maybe we’ll do a part 2 since this is a big, complicated story worth telling, even if the statistically likely ending is sadder and less exciting than most accounts.

We’ll break down the shifts in Biology, social media’s ability to spread stories and fear, and the best steps to remain healthy (mostly common sense).

I totally forgot to mention microplastics (and nanoplastics) by name in the end of the episode. Consider them some of the most villainous contaminants!

Sung 2024: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS2468-2667(24)00156-7/fulltext

My other links: https://profkeenanhartert.weebly.com/

Check out my new show where I interview my MSU students about their stories and successes in “Degrees Between Us”! It’s a video show, so the YouTube link might be easiest: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnwMyklYPGa-Q7rn4W73K_f5jk_szGFRf&si=h_9PWi1jwHGm4mo2

026 Tumors to Textbooks - My Cancer Biology Students Discuss the Science and Future Dec 08, 2024

Show notes

Welcome to a special episode where I'm joined by 11 of my Minnesota State students as we close out our Cancer Biology lecture! We weave through discussions surrounding generational causes of cancer, potential next-generation hallmarks, treatment & financial ethics, and what the future hold for this disease as a whole.

All said, this one is super fun because there are contributions from pre-med, pre-dental, and pre-STEM students in the room. These 11 wanted to be here, and their enthusiasm shows. I'm grateful for this group and the opportunity to teach.

025 Do CAR-T Cells Cause/Become Tumors? Sep 22, 2024

Show notes

The basic answer is no. When faced with R-CHOP resistance, DLBCL patients now have the option to utilize genetically modified Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cells (CAR-T) designed to hunt tumors. This episode investigates the recent controversy into if these super-cells can transition into a villainous tumor themselves. We cover a paper by Garcia et. al. that showcases how much power we are adding to CAR-T, even activating oncogenes to do it. Next, we transition to a large analysis from Stanford where 724 patients are examined, with 1 developing a T-cell tumor. Sequencing this case reveals that no synthetic vector DNA integrations or activity is within the tumor. It ends up revealing a great surprise about shared evolutionary pathways between B & T-cell progenitor stem cells. Enjoy the episode!

Follow me on YouTube or Instagram for more fun cancer/teaching content :)

Hamilton Paper (TCL After CAR-T): https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2401361

Garcia Paper (CARD11 in CAR-T): https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07018-7

024 Resistance: How Healthy B-cells Fight Back Against Your Tumor Jan 03, 2024

Show notes

Hello! I’m recently returned from my annual ASH meeting where I see all of the latest advances in blood cancers. This specific facet was my favorite: small, insurgent populations of healthy B-cells portend better survival because they prime your T-cells to keep fighting. Super cool! I also have some mother grey stories from the meeting to share that I’m hopeful to get out on another episode. Thank you as always for listening!

023 Depleted: How we are Beginning to Visualize the Tumor Microenvironment Feb 28, 2023

Show notes

Welcome back! It's been a while. I'm excited to get going again with an episode on the emerging science of "ecotyping" the cells around tumors - the microenvironment. Ecology and Evolution of lymphoma tumors is only half the story. We needed to know more about the state of cells around the tumor. How do they affect the surrounding immune cells? Do they support the tumor? We examine the worst possible scenario: when very little remains except for tumor and support cells. What are the consequences for immune-specific therapies like CAR-T cells? Hopefully this episode provides a good intro to our new tools to measure the TME and how it can further advance precision cancer medicine. I hope that you enjoy!

Steen: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34597589/

Katlov: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33541860/

022 What if we DNA Sequenced Everybody? Oct 10, 2021

Show notes

What do you think? Would the immensely powerful amount of data be a game-changer for medicine? Or does DNA sequencing miss too much of the picture to be worth the cost? This question is an example why we need leaders that understand Biology as genomics becomes hyper-accessible. I do my best to discuss the primary Pros and Cons of each side, along with possible modifications to the proposal. Enjoy!

021 Can DNA Predict Who We Love? Part II Apr 25, 2021

Show notes

Can your genome match you with a soulmate? Sort of, but we’d need more than just mammal genomes to know... I hope you enjoy, and collect your thoughts on the proposal at the end of the episode if you’re interested!

020 Can DNA Predict Who We Love? Part I Mar 24, 2021

Show notes

The Netflix series The One is based on a book with a similar premise: via genome sequencing, we can match you with your best possible partner. The show is a great watch, and the science is not too far outside the possible. In fact, it’s far closer than the Sci-fi elements suggest, although this comes with some caveat changes. This is Part I of a set of episodes related to mass sequencing and how this could relate to medicine, cancer, the inner workings of the genome, and where the human mind falls within that. I hope you enjoy!

019 Viral Gene Therapy: Augment Your DNA Jun 16, 2020

Show notes

This episode covers how gene therapy may emerge as a critical tool for medicine as we seek to treat the previously untreatable. Can we ADD genes to specific cells to help humans overcome fated genetic ailments? Why has this process challenged us in the past? And lastly, who is going to pay for all these expensive viral delivery systems? Join to take a first look at how medicine and genetics can change the future.

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