In this episode, lung cancer researcher John J. Turchi joins Richard Carpenter to explore how tumors respond to DNA-damaging treatments like cisplatin and radiation. Dr. Turchi explains why some cancers become resistant, how his team targets DNA repair and DNA damage response pathways, and what it means to develop truly “drug-like” molecules for future patients with lung and other hard-to-treat cancers.
John J. Turchi, PhD, is the executive director of the Tom and Julie Wood Center for Lung Cancer Research and the Tom and Julie Wood Family Foundation Professor of Lung Cancer Research at the Indiana University School of Medicine. He also serves as chair of the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Pharmacology. Dr. Turchi’s research focuses on DNA repair and DNA damage response pathways, developing novel therapies that target vulnerabilities in lung cancer and other difficult-to-treat tumors.
Dr. Richard Carpenter is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Indiana University School of Medicine–Bloomington. His research focuses on molecular signaling and the cellular mechanisms that drive cancer development and progression. He brings both scientific expertise and an accessible, conversational style to the series, guiding listeners through how research moves from bench to bedside.
