Ep 46: Dr. Azra Raza on Mouse Model Misconceptions & Other Ways We Can Improve Cancer Research

Adam Ruins Everything

MaximumFun.org

Comedy

4.6 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 22 February 2018

⏱️ 70 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

When we think of conducting science experiments on subjects, we immediately think of mice models. But today's guest, Dr. Azra Raza, who appeared on Adam Ruins Science, says there's a more effective way. On the TV show Dr. Raza discussed how the mouse model scientists use for their research is actually ineffective; even though a medicine might work well on a rodent, the results don't translate as well as we thought to humans - especially when it comes to cancer research which is what Dr. Raza studies. Even though humans and mice share over 90 percent of their DNA with one another, our bodies still differ in numerous ways; we metabolize food and medicine differently and humans are significantly bigger than mice in size. This wastes money from the limited amount of funding that already exists and encourages clinical trials that ultimately go nowhere. On the podcast, Dr. Raza proposes a different research method that she has used herself, to much success. Dr. Raza is a Professor of Medicine and Director of the MDS Center at Columbia University in New York. Previously she conducted her research at Rush University, Chicago, Illinois in 1992, where she was the Charles Arthur Weaver Professor in Oncology and Director, Division of Myeloid Diseases. Adam is on Twitter @AdamConover and you can find past episodes and bonus content from the TruTV show at AdamRuinsEverything.com. Produced by Shara Morris for MaximumFun.org.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello and Everything, the podcast, I am your host Adam Conover, and this podcast you might know is a
0:15.9	spin-off of the TV show of the very same name, and you can find clips and full episodes
0:20.9	of that show at True TV.com slash Adam Ruins Everything and the and We are coming back with six brand new animated episodes.
0:34.7	It's a little mini series we're doing called Adam Ruins Everything presents reanimated history.
0:39.6	I in my animated self bust into a boring stuffy old historical documentary and tell you
0:46.0	about how all of the stories you've heard throughout history are wrong or at least
0:50.3	just you know didn't go exactly the way you thought they did.
0:53.4	It's really cool though start March 20th every Tuesday at 10 on True TV.
0:58.1	But let's talk about the podcast you're listening to right now.
1:00.6	On this show I talk to researchers, academics, journalists, scientists,
1:05.2	and experts from all around the world of human knowledge about the work that they
1:08.8	do and why it is so gosh darn mind-blowing.
1:12.8	Today's guest is Dr. Azra Raza,
1:15.0	who appeared on our television episode,
1:16.6	Adam Ruined Science, when she told us about why
1:18.9	the traditional mouse model of scientific testing.
1:21.4	And you know how scientists or are testing stuff on mice?
1:24.2	Well, those results don't extrapolate to humans quite as well as we all like to think,
1:29.6	especially when it comes to cancer research, which is Dr. Raza's specialty.
1:34.7	Even though 90% of the DNA humans of my share are the same,
1:38.6	our bodies differ in huge ways that cause those results to not port as well as we would all hope they did,
1:44.7	and that is extracting a real cost in wasted funding and in clinical trials that just don't go anywhere.
	...

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