Onc Now | Episode 12
In this episode of the Onc Now Podcast, host Jonathan Sackier is joined by Heather McArthur, Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at University of Texas, UT Southwestern Medical Center, USA. They discuss recent advancements in breast cancer immunotherapy, and the future of personalised care.
Spotify | Apple | Amazon Music | Download MP3 (41 mins)
Heather McArthur is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Texas, UT Southwestern Medical Center. Heather began her academic career with Physiology at the University of British Columbia, before obtaining her medical degree from the University of Toronto, USA. Following her internal medicine residency, she completed a fellowship in medical oncology at the British Columbia Cancer Agency and then pursued advanced clinical research in breast cancer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, earning a master’s in Public Health in Clinical Effectiveness from Harvard University in 2008.
Her groundbreaking research focuses on developing innovative immunotherapies and precision treatments for breast cancer, supported by prestigious grants from organisations such as the Department of Defense, ASCO, and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
00:00 – Introduction
01:20 – Transformative breakthroughs in immunotherapy
03:51 – Communicating new research to the public
05:48 – Racial disparities in cancer screenings
07:22 – Unmet needs in treating triple-negative breast cancer
11:48 – Genomic profiling and molecular pathways
13:30 – Barriers to personalised treatment plans
15:09 – Designing and conducting large-scale, international trials
19:16 – Optoacoustic imaging in cancer
22:52 – The ‘first’ cell and the heterogeneity of breast tumours
25:21 – Heather’s three wishes for healthcare
