Two Scientists Walk Into a Bar S2E01: Connective Tissue: The Hidden Metropolis

Two Scientists

A revolution in cancer care is happening right now. In our debut episode, Jane Grogan sits down with Ira Mellman, one of the world’s foremost experts in the field of cancer immunotherapy, about the “a-ha” moments that could mean the next breakthrough, from checkpoint inhibitors to cancer vaccines. Plus Ira waxes poetic about transitioning from a life of music to a life of science.

S1E01: Cancer and Your Immune System

Pain is actually good for us. Until it’s not. Discovering how to fight chronic pain, while leaving acute pain intact, is no easy venture. Join Morgan Sheng as he takes us on a tour of the different pain systems in our body, and how a family of Pakistani street performers helped scientists identify a novel target for treatment.

S1E02: Ouch! Our Bodies and Pain

Communication is the key to good relationships. That’s true not only for people, but for our cells as well. If cellular communication goes wrong, your brain may stop processing information, or your organs might form tumors. So how do cells talk to each other? This week Jane Grogan sits down with Shiva Malek, whose work focuses on “eavesdropping” on the chatter between cells to understand what they’re saying and what goes wrong in a diseased state like cancer. We’re sure the cells don’t mind.

S1E03: How Your Cells Talk to Each Other (Hint: Not by Cell Phones)

In 1848 an explosion launched an iron rod through Phineas Gage’s brain. He miraculously survived, but wasn’t the same person, giving scientists the first clues into how neurodegeneration can affect what it means to be human. In our latest episode, we sit down with Geoff Kerchner to learn about the latest ways scientists are trying to halt the neurodegeneration seen in diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and ALS. As both a practicing neurologist and research scientist, Geoff gives us an inside peek at how his findings from the clinic can help unravel some of the most fundamental mysteries about the brain.

S1E04: The Degenerating Brain

Bacteria are remarkably fast shape-shifters. As soon as we develop new antibiotics against them, they mutate, leading to drug-resistant strains the world has never seen before. This could mean that one day we end up weaponless against an army of drug-resistant superbugs. But a new generation of “super antibiotics” could hold the key to overcoming this problem. Learn how as we sit down with Rick Brown, Vice President of Immunology and Infectious Diseases at Genentech, in our latest podcast.

S1E05: The Search for Super Antibiotics

If your body was a city, then connective tissue would be the infrastructure tying everything together. It’s a hidden universe that helps many types of cells talk to each other and helps us fight diseases like rheumatoid arthritis or cancer. That’s why Shannon Turley has dedicated her research to uncovering the complexities of connective tissue, from her days as a graduate student shuttling ice boxes of live cells on the train to Principal Scientist of Cancer Immunology at Genentech. Hear more from Shannon on our debut episode of Season 2!

S2E01: Connective Tissue: The Hidden Metropolis

From research on cancer vaccines to why we feel pain, scientists are tackling some of the biggest challenges in human biology. Want to find out what they’re working on? Pull up a stool for "Two Scientists Walk Into a Bar." Subscribe below to catch each episode as it goes live.