In this very special episode of the Bench to Bedside podcast, Dr. Roy Jensen hosts Dr. William Jewell, longtime surgeon and early leader of The University of Kansas Cancer Center, to recount how the center evolved from an uncertain idea into a nationally recognized program. Jewell describes early efforts after the 1971 Cancer Act, leadership transitions, and the challenges of aligning departments around a shared mission. Drawing on his NCI Subcommittee A experience and site visits, Jewell highlights that successful centers must show growth, collaboration, and an upward research trajectory.

00:00 Podcast Intro and Mission

00:18 Origin Story Setup

00:55 Meet Dr. William Jewell

02:11 Early War on Cancer Era

03:35 Leadership Changes

05:11 Building the Outpatient Center

06:25 NCI Pushback and Site Visit Experience

08:02 Internal Resistance and KU Lawrence Partnership

09:25 Recruiting Roy Jensen

12:04 Biggest Advances in Cancer Therapy

14:01 What Makes NCI Centers Succeed

16:17 Pride and the Role of Leadership

17:16 Masonic Support and Community Screenings

18:36 Closing Thanks and Looking Ahead

To ensure you get our latest updates, follow us on the social media channel of your choice by searching for KU Cancer Center.

In this episode of the Bench to Bedside podcast, Dr. Roy Jensen, vice chancellor and director of The University of Kansas Cancer Center, talks with Dr. Lauren Nye, medical oncologist and breast cancer prevention specialist, about cancer prevention clinical trials and how they differ from treatment trials by aiming to lower cancer risk or detect cancer earlier in healthy, high-risk individuals. Dr. Nye explains who may qualify based on family history, genetics, prior precancerous biopsies, or lifestyle factors, and highlights prevention successes, such as tamoxifen and the HPV vaccine. They discuss current research exploring well-tolerated, affordable options including GLP-1 receptor agonist, the heightened safety expectations for prevention studies, and why multi-agent approaches can be limited by toxicity. Dr. Nye also shares how she communicates risk—especially absolute versus relative risk—and encourages listeners to ask their doctor about risk assessment, genetic counseling, and high-risk clinics at KU Cancer Center.

00:00 Prevention Trials Intro

01:17 What Prevention Trials Are

02:08 Who Is High Risk

03:03 Why Prevention Matters

03:55 New Prevention Strategies

04:39 Drug Development Challenges

06:19 Patient Concerns and Safety

08:12 Why Not Combine Agents

10:10 Future of Prevention Research

11:53 Talking About Risk

13:24 Relative vs Absolute Risk

15:08 Next Steps and Wrap Up

Links from this Episode:

· Learn about cancer prevention and risk reduction options at KU Cancer Center

· See open cancer prevention clinical trials at KU Cancer Center

· Learn about Dr. Lauren Nye

· Read about breast cancer genetic counseling and testing at KU Cancer Center

To ensure you get our latest updates, follow us on the social media channel of your choice by searching for KU Cancer Center.

In this episode of the Bench to Bedside podcast, Dr. Roy Jensen is joined by Dr. Tara Lin, principal investigator for the myeloMatch clinical trial at The University of Kansas Cancer Center, and Dr. Jesus Gonzalez Lugo, recently recognized with a National Career Development Award. They revisit the NCI-sponsored, first-of-its-kind national precision medicine trial for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and share progress since its 2024 launch, including growth to five enrolling treatment protocols with seven more awaiting activation, more than 1,000 patients screened nationwide, and participation across 200+ U.S. sites. Dr. Lin explains how the master screening protocol returns comprehensive diagnostic results in 72 hours, improving treatment matching and access across KU Cancer Center's main campus, community satellites, and network sites. Dr. Lugo discusses outreach efforts to reduce barriers to trial participation, including education for physicians and patients, community partnerships, and Spanish-language media engagement, and both guests reflect on how myeloMatch could help guide use of the many new AML therapies now available.

00:00 Welcome Back to myeloMatch

01:09 Trial Growth and Milestones

02:58 How Precision Matching Works

04:57 Expanding Access Across Regions

06:15 Dr Lugo Award and Outreach

09:04 Future of AML Treatment

11:21 Closing and Resources

Links from this Episode:

· Listen to our first myeloMATCH episode, "MyeloMATCH: The New Front in the Battle Against Leukemia"

· Learn more about myeloMATCH

· Learn more about Dr. Tara Lin

· Learn more about Dr. Jesus Gonzalez Lugo

· Learn more about the Winn Career Development Award

To ensure you get our latest updates, follow us on the social media channel of your choice by searching for KU Cancer Center.