Avoiding, Treating & Curing Cancer With the Immune System | Dr. Alex Marson

Huberman Lab

Scicomm Media

Science, Life Sciences, Health & Fitness

4.8 • 30.3K Ratings

🗓️ 9 March 2026

⏱️ 147 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Dr. Alex Marson, MD, PhD, is a Senior Investigator at the Gladstone Institutes and a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. We discuss the biology of the immune system and cancer, and everyday choices that can increase or decrease your cancer risk, several of which are surprising but all of which are actionable. We also discuss immunotherapy, including how engineered T-cells can be used to defeat childhood and adult cancers. Dr. Marson explains CRISPR and gene editing to cure diseases, and we address the ethical questions surrounding gene editing in embryos, children and adults. This discussion is for anyone interested in avoiding cancer and/or seeking to understand the science and practical applications of immune- or gene-therapy. Read the show notes at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/huberman Helix Sleep: https://helixsleep.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman Function: https://functionhealth.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Alex Marson (00:02:21) Diseases & Current Biological Landscape; AI & Computational Tools (00:05:56) Immune System, Innate vs Adaptive Immune System (00:10:55) Thymus, T Cell Selection; B Cells & Antibodies (00:13:23) Sponsors: BetterHelp & Helix Sleep (00:16:11) Immune System Health, Sleep, Diet; Genes (00:20:56) Childhood Exposure & Allergy Prevention; Autoimmune Reactions (00:25:27) Whole Body Immune Response, Cytokines & Fever; Antibiotics (00:30:51) Cancer; Mutations & Cell Regulation; Smoking, BRCA Mutations, Sunlight (00:38:27) BRAC Mutations, Mutagens, Pesticides (00:42:33) Sponsor: AG1 (00:43:57) X-Rays & Airport Scanners, Carcinogen vs Mutagen, Charred Meat, Food Dye (00:49:34) Immune-Based Cancer Treatment, Checkpoint Inhibitors, CAR T-Cell Therapy (00:59:04) CRISPR, Immunotherapies (01:02:52) Age & Cancer Risk; CAR T-Cells, Targets & Side Effects; Ketogenic Diet (01:08:27) CRISPR Discovery & Mechanism (01:17:06) CRISPR Precision, Risk & Benefit; CRISPR Technology Evolution (01:20:57) Sponsor: LMNT (01:22:17) CRISPR Cell Delivery, Clinical Trials; Treating Early Cancers & Prevention (01:33:47) Liposomes, Engineered Viruses, Lipid Nanoparticles (LNPs), Vaccines (01:39:57) COVID Pandemic & Trust in Science, mRNA Vaccine (01:47:51) Sponsor: Function (01:49:39) Drug Delivery to Cancer, Immunotoxins, T-Cell Engagers; AI Protein Targets (01:55:45) CRISPR Embryo Modification, Ethics; Heritable Gene Editing, Diversity (02:05:42) Deep Sequencing Embryos, Diversity; Overcoming Adversity & Resilience (02:10:44) Upcoming Therapeutics, Autoimmunity & CAR T-Cells, CRISPR & Gene Function (02:17:55) Banking T Cells or iPSCs?, Future of Cell Programming (02:24:41) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow, Reviews & Feedback, Sponsors, Protocols Book, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	We're living in this amazing moment of biology where we can put a gene that encodes something on the
0:04.7	surface of T cells that will make them programmed to search and destroy for cancer cells.
0:11.5	Now, this is largely known as CAR T cells, chimeric antigen receptor.
0:16.8	This is a receptor that was designed in a lab does not exist in nature.
0:20.8	When those T cells get re-infused into a patient the way that you get like a blood transfusion,
0:26.1	those cars are directed to go against cancers.
0:28.9	Welcome to the Huberman Lab podcast, where we discuss science and science-based tools for everyday life.
0:37.6	I'm Andrew Huberman, and I'm a professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford
0:42.8	School of Medicine.
0:44.0	My guest today is Dr. Alex Marston.
0:46.4	Dr. Alex Marston is a medical doctor and scientist at the University of California, San Francisco.
0:51.5	He is developing new ways to reprogram the immune system to cure cancers.
0:56.2	Today we discuss how your immune system works, how autoimmunity works, and how gene
1:00.8	editing and other new technologies can be successfully leveraged to defeat childhood and
1:05.8	adult cancers.
1:07.6	Dr. Marsen is truly one of a kind in his understanding of the clinical aspects of cancer
1:12.0	treatment, the science of the immune system, and, as you'll soon hear, in explaining the things
1:17.3	that genuinely increase your cancer risk, many of which are surprising, and the actionable
1:22.0	steps that we can all take to reduce our probability of getting cancer. In addition to the usual factors, smoking, UV light, and environmental toxins such as pesticides,
1:32.1	we discuss the actual cancer risks that come from things like eating charred meats,
1:36.7	airport scanners, and food additives, and how to gauge your individual level of risk.
1:41.1	We also explore gene editing for reversing diseases, which until recently
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