WHAT DID THE HUMAN GENOME PROJECT EVER DO FOR US? Genetics of Lung Cancer Made Simple

Hosts: Hildy Grossman with Jordan Rich co-host Guests: Jane Wilkinson and Francisco J. Sánchez-Rivera, Ph.D. In this podcast, we do our utmost to help make a complicated topic something we can all understand. Many of us have heard about the Human Genome Project (HGP), but few of us could explain it to someone else. There are terms that are basic to the project, such as “genes”, “genome”, “DNA” “Sequencing” and – no! Wait a minute! Don’t be frightened! Jane Wilkinson, Executive Director of MIT’s Koch Institute for Cancer Research shares her experience of being a part of the original team unraveling the human genome. She clarifies some of the basic ideas behind the HGP, and describes her specific role. Her exciting explanation of the development and significance of this amazing project directly impacts the research of our other guest, professor of biology at MIT, Francisco Sanchez- Rivera, PhD. He explains, in a very understandable way, how his laboratory is investigating the origins of cancer and how the knowledge of the human genome has resulted in finding and targeting treatment of lung, and other cancers. This project is a perfect compliment to our other podcasts looking at biomarker testing. Don’t miss this thoroughly enjoyable and informative discussion.