logo
episode-header-image
Jun 19
18m 22s

Hunting hidden cells

Garvan Institute of Medical Research
About this episode

Our immune system is like a well-trained security network, constantly scanning the body for threats. So, how is it that some harmful cells manage to slip by unnoticed?

In this episode, we speak to computational biologist, Dr Clare Puttick, about how cancer cells can evade detection by disrupting the molecular “flags” that would normally mark them for attack.

Her research is uncovering new ways to expose these hidden cells and could offer fresh insights into diseases where the immune system doesn’t behave as expected, including endometriosis.

 

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Apr 17
The missing piece of the puzzle
What if the missing piece in diagnosing, and even treating, a rare disease was hiding in plain sight? For one such condition, mevalonate kinase deficiency, which affects at least one in a million people globally, that piece may now have been uncovered. In this episode, Garvan's P ... Show More
22m 56s
Mar 2026
Calling killer cells to action
Immunotherapy has revolutionised the treatment of many blood cancers, harnessing the immune system so our bodies can fight back. But for solid tumours, like pancreatic cancer with a survival rate of just 13%, that breakthrough has remained frustratingly out of reach. In this epis ... Show More
28m 35s
Dec 2025
Arthritis: uncovering pathways to better treatment
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 i ... Show More
28m 41s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2020
Immunotherapy: Transforming How Cancers Are Treated
In this episode, Dr. Diane Reidy-Lagunes talks to medical oncologist and scientist Dr. Jedd Wolchok and cancer survivor Grace Dunn. Together, they help decode the emerging new defense against cancer: immunology. For more information or to ask a question, please visit MSKCC.org/po ... Show More
23m 44s
Apr 2024
What if a simple blood test could detect cancer? | Hani Goodarzi
Catching cancer at its earliest stages saves lives. But in a body made up of trillions of cells, how do you spot a small group of rogue cancer cells? Biomedical researcher Hani Goodarzi discusses his lab's discovery of a new class of RNAs that, when paired with emerging AI tools, ... Show More
9m 6s
Apr 2024
Women in Cancer: Meet Three Trailblazers at MSK
In this episode, Dr. Diane Reidy-Lagunes speaks with 3 women breaking new ground in the field of cancer research: Dr. Karuna Ganesh studies metastasis and how cancer spreads, Dr. Chrysothemis Brown is unlocking secrets of our immune system to fight cancer, and Marie-Josée Kravis ... Show More
24m 43s
Nov 2021
Strategy& Insider Episode 15 - Transforming the way we deal with cancer
Cancer is still one of the most common diseases worldwide, and one of the top causes of death – also because there is no known cure yet. As this makes prevention all the more crucial for patients, we spoke to renowned researcher for biomedicine and scientific author Bernd Bodenmi ... Show More
46m 28s
Jul 2020
Immune System 101
CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta hands things over to immunologist and CNN contributor Erin Bromage to talk about how our bodies respond to, fight off and succumb to Covid-19.   To learn more about how CNN protects listener privacy, visit cnn.com/privacy Learn mor ... Show More
9m 8s
Jul 2024
Can light emitting bandages treat cancer?
A special episode from this year’s annual Royal Society Summer Exhibition in London, with Claudia Hammond joined by BBC health and science correspondent, James Gallagher, to take a look at a range of new health research. The exhibitions include a look at how special forms of UV l ... Show More
26m 29s
May 2025
Listening to your body's signals
Claudia is joined by Caroline Williams to learn about the cutting-edge science of interoception – that’s how the brain interprets signals that come from inside our body. We find out how honing this skill can sometimes be helpful and why at other times it can have a negative impac ... Show More
26m 28s
Jul 2024
The world's rarest diseases — and how they impact everyone | Anna Greka
Physician-scientist Anna Greka investigates the world's rarest genetic diseases, decoding the secrets of our cells through "molecular detective work." This week we're revisiting her talk which explains how her team is using new, advanced technology to solve decades-old medical my ... Show More
13m 59s