Health And Medicine (audio)

UCSF stroke neurologist Dr. Anirudh Sreekrishnan and UCSF vascular neurosurgeon Dr. Luis Savastano describe Moyamoya disease, a rare condition where arteries at the base of the brain become narrowed or blocked, reducing blood flow. The name “moyamoya” means “puff of smoke” in Japanese, describing the tiny vessels that form to compensate. These fragile vessels can cause strokes or bleeding. Treatment often involves surgical procedures, such as direct or indirect revascularization, to restore blood flow and reduce stroke risk. Series: "UC San Francisco News" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41036]

Sean Morrison, Ph.D., from the Children’s Medical Center Research Institute at UT Southwestern, investigates how stem cells function, regenerate, and interact with their surrounding environment in the bone marrow. His research reveals how leptin receptor-positive cells—key components of the bone marrow niche—regulate hematopoietic stem cell maintenance and regeneration, influence platelet production, and respond to physiological stress like pregnancy. Morrison uncovers a reciprocal relationship between these niche cells and peripheral nerves, showing that disrupting nerve signals impairs bone marrow recovery after chemotherapy or radiation. His work also links retrotransposon activation during pregnancy to increased red blood cell production, with implications for maternal health and transplant medicine. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 40449]

Deepak Srivastava, MD, explores how cellular reprogramming offers new hope for treating heart disease. He highlights innovative strategies to regenerate damaged heart tissue by stimulating adult cardiomyocytes to divide and converting fibroblasts into heart-like cells. His team develops a nonviral delivery system using lipid nanoparticles and investigates the role of specific gene regulators in restoring heart function in animal models. Srivastava also discusses a potential oral therapy for aortic valve disease, driven by insights into cellular fate changes caused by NOTCH1 mutations and telomere shortening. Additionally, he reveals how trisomy 21 may trigger congenital heart defects by altering the identity of specialized heart cells. Through pioneering research in genetics and regenerative medicine, Srivastava demonstrates how understanding developmental biology can lead to transformative clinical advances. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 40447]

Kimberly Peters, a stage four uterine cancer patient at UC San Diego Health, urges government leaders not to cut science funding. She warns that reduced federal support risks delaying vital research and life-saving cures. [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 41071]

Experts from UCSF outline the latest treatments and research for advanced prostate cancer, highlighting improved outcomes and promising therapies. Dr. Kelly Fitzgerald reviews intensified androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and the evolving role of imaging, triplet therapy, and local treatments. Dr. Ivan de Kouchkovsky shares how radioligand therapies like Lutetium-177 PSMA target cancer with precision and are now approved earlier in care. Dr. David Oh explains immunotherapy strategies, including cancer vaccines and checkpoint inhibitors, and explores new options like bispecific T-cell engagers. Dr. Terry Friedlander discusses bone health and the impact of hormone therapy, offering strategies to reduce fracture risk and improve quality of life. Series: "Prostate Cancer Patient Conference" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40868]

On his very first day at San Francisco General Hospital, Dr. Paul Volberding met his first AIDS patient – a moment that shaped his career and left an indelible mark on the fight against an epidemic. Now, more than 40 years later, Volberding reflects on the creation of Ward 86, the nation’s first HIV clinics, and how UCSF’s compassionate, community-first approach redefined HIV/AIDS care worldwide. The work of Volberding and UCSF’s dedicated clinicians and scientists laid the foundation for advancements that continue to save lives today. [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40986]

As part of the 2025 Developmental Disabilities Conference, Dr. Elysa Marco talks about various biological approaches to therapy. Series: "Developmental Disabilities Update" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40623]

As part of the 2025 Developmental Disabilities Conference, Emily Hill talks about how sibling support can be a catalyst for family empowerment. Series: "Developmental Disabilities Update" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40622]

As part of the 2025 Developmental Disabilities Conference, Judy Mark, Vivian Do, Miguel Lugo, all from Disability Voices United, talk about supported decision-making in healthcare. Series: "Developmental Disabilities Update" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40611]

Urologic oncologist Dr. Peter Carroll presents the latest research on active surveillance as a preferred approach for managing low-risk prostate cancer and selected cases of intermediate-risk disease. Drawing from two decades of UCSF data, he explains how long-term outcomes support the safety and effectiveness of delaying treatment for carefully monitored patients. Carroll emphasizes that surveillance decisions should be guided by MRI imaging, PSA density, cancer volume, histologic subtype, and genomic testing. He notes that while many men experience gradual changes over time, only a small percentage require immediate treatment. Carroll also discusses innovations such as AI-assisted pathology and risk profiling to reduce unnecessary procedures. His data-driven approach offers patients a personalized path that preserves quality of life without compromising outcomes. Series: "Prostate Cancer Patient Conference" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40801]

Hear about cutting-edge advances in regenerative medicine, from lab breakthroughs to patient impact. Catriona Jamieson, MD, PhD, introduces efforts at the Sanford Stem Cell Institute to develop therapies that enhance the body’s ability to heal itself. Dan Kaufman, MD, PhD, shares progress in cancer immunotherapy using engineered natural killer cells derived from pluripotent stem cells. Karen Christman, PhD, explains how her team creates injectable hydrogels from pig heart tissue to support heart repair and regeneration after a heart attack. Tiffani Manolis highlights industry support for making cell and gene therapies more accessible. Patient advocate Justin Graves describes his life-changing experience receiving a stem cell-based therapy for epilepsy, underscoring the real-world promise of these innovations. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 40705]

UCSF experts present four major approaches to managing prostate cancer, each tailored to disease risk and patient needs. Dr. Peter Carroll explains how active surveillance uses MRI, PSA, and genomic testing to safely delay treatment in low-risk cases while preserving quality of life. Dr. Samuel Washington details prostatectomy, highlighting robotic-assisted surgery’s precision and its impact on recovery, fertility, and sexual function. Dr. Julian Hong outlines radiation therapy options like SBRT and brachytherapy, emphasizing targeted delivery to limit side effects and the importance of ongoing follow-up. Dr. Hao Nguyen introduces focal therapy, which treats only the tumor using techniques like cryotherapy or high-intensity ultrasound, helping patients avoid surgery or radiation while maintaining function and quality of life. Series: "Prostate Cancer Patient Conference" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40866]

Prostate cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer and second leading cause of cancer death among men in the U.S., with evolving screening and treatment practices reshaping care in 2025. Dr. Cornelia Ding explains how to read and understand a prostate cancer pathology report by breaking down its five key sections. Dr. Rahul Aggarwal explores how clinical trials improve prostate cancer care by advancing personalized treatment, increasing access, and correcting misconceptions about placebos. Dr. Jonathan Chou highlights the expanding role of precision medicine and how genetic insights guide individualized treatment based on each tumor’s molecular makeup. Dr. Eric Small explains how androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) targets the cancer’s dependence on testosterone and how newer therapies and combinations are improving outcomes, while also emphasizing the need to balance effectiveness with side effects through shared decision-making. Series: "Prostate Cancer Patient Conference" [Health and Medicine] [Show

Ina Stelzer, Ph.D., explores how the maternal immune system adapts to support a healthy pregnancy and how disruptions can lead to complications like preterm birth. Her lab identifies early immune changes linked to spontaneous preterm birth and investigates the role of the maternal brain in regulating immune responses. Stelzer uses advanced technologies like mass cytometry and spatial proteomics to map immune and molecular changes in pregnancy, integrating these data with transcriptomics and mouse models. Her team studies how antidepressants affect immune signaling during pregnancy and examines the impact of social and behavioral factors. These insights may reveal biomarkers and therapeutic targets for improving maternal and fetal health. Series: "Motherhood Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40773]

Amanda Lewis, Ph.D. investigates how glycan-degrading enzymes contribute to bacterial vaginosis (BV), a common condition linked to infertility, preterm birth, pelvic inflammatory disease, and increased cancer risk. Her research shows that BV-associated bacteria strip protective sugar coatings—glycans—from vaginal epithelial cells, disrupting normal function and increasing vulnerability to infection. Lewis and her team study specific enzymes, such as sialidases, that remove sialic acid from glycoproteins and mucins. Using clinical samples and imaging techniques, they identify how these changes in glycan composition correlate with disease severity. Their work reveals how glycan degradation contributes to persistent or recurrent BV and opens new pathways for understanding the microbiome's role in women’s health. Series: "Motherhood Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40678]

Michael J. Wilkinson, M.D., F.A.C.C., F.N.L.A., explores the science and clinical evidence behind intermittent fasting and its role in promoting cardiometabolic health. He explains how aligning eating patterns with the body’s natural circadian rhythms can improve weight, blood pressure, glucose regulation, and other risk factors, especially in individuals with metabolic syndrome or type 2 diabetes. Wilkinson highlights promising results from time-restricted eating studies conducted in collaboration with UC San Diego and the Salk Institute, where narrowing the daily eating window led to improved metabolic markers and potential benefits beyond weight loss. He also outlines practical tips for safely adopting this lifestyle approach and stresses the importance of ongoing research. Series: "Stein Institute for Research on Aging" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40319]

Immunotherapy expert Dr. David Oh explains how the immune system can be trained to recognize and fight prostate cancer. He outlines key immune players—dendritic cells and T cells—and describes how immunotherapies target different stages of their interaction with tumors. Oh highlights FDA-approved treatments such as Provenge, a vaccine made from a patient’s own cells, and PD-1 checkpoint inhibitors for patients with specific genetic mutations like microsatellite instability. He also discusses potential autoimmune side effects and emphasizes the importance of genetic testing. Looking ahead, he introduces bispecific T-cell engagers, experimental therapies that physically link T cells to tumors, triggering an immune attack. These promising treatments offer new hope, especially for men with advanced, treatment-resistant prostate cancer. Series: "Prostate Cancer Patient Conference" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40811]

AI and genetic medicine are converging to transform how we diagnose, treat, and prevent disease. Gene Yeo, Ph.D., unites RNA biology with artificial intelligence to speed the path from genome sequencing to personalized RNA therapeutics. Advances in sequencing have reduced costs dramatically, making interpretation and translation into treatments the real challenge. Using deep learning and large datasets of RNA-binding proteins, Yeo predicts disease vulnerabilities and identifies therapeutic targets, including in neurodegeneration and muscular diseases. Alexis Komor, Ph.D., focuses on DNA, explaining human genetic variation—particularly single-nucleotide variants—and how genome editing technologies like CRISPR can target them. She highlights strategies to correct harmful mutations and explores precise, programmable interventions. Together, their research drives discovery and enables more effective, personalized therapies. Series: "Stem Cell Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Science] [Show ID: 40459]

Rebecca Rakow Penner, M.D., Ph.D., is a body and breast imaging radiologist and MRI physicist advancing how pelvic pain and gynecologic cancers are diagnosed through imaging. She highlights how MRI is improving the detection of endometriosis, pelvic adhesions, venous disorders, and pelvic floor dysfunction with enhanced resolution and motion-sensitive techniques. Rakow Penner also works on new MRI-based protocols that may reduce the need for contrast agents in evaluating breast and ovarian cancer. Through innovative modeling techniques like restriction spectrum imaging, she explores how to differentiate cancerous tissue from post-treatment effects, aiming to improve treatment assessment for cervical and ovarian cancer. Her collaborations span clinical, engineering, and pathology teams. Series: "Motherhood Channel" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40673]

Radiation oncologist Dr. Julian Hong explains how radiation therapy works and its central role in treating prostate cancer, both when the disease is localized and when it has spread to limited areas. He outlines major radiation options, including external beam radiation, stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), and brachytherapy, and describes how treatment plans are carefully tailored using imaging, planning scans, and computer modeling to maximize precision and minimize side effects. Hong highlights advances in targeting and beam modulation, which allow for safer, more effective treatment. He also discusses typical timelines for treatment, short- and long-term side effects, and the importance of ongoing follow-up to manage late effects of therapy. Series: "Prostate Cancer Patient Conference" [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 40803]