Cancer as an ecosystem | Leslie Crews, PhD | TEDxSanDiegoSalon

Cancer may be better understood as a disrupted ecosystem rather than only a collection of tumor cells to destroy. Dr. Leslie Crews, an assistant professor at UC San Diego, draws on ecology, stem cell biology and cancer research, using the example of endangered birds in New Zealand as a starting point. The talk covers blood cancer research, immune aging and next-generation therapies, and how rebuilding cellular ecosystems could shape future cancer treatment. This TEDxSanDiegoSalon talk was independently organized under the TED conference format.

• Cancer viewed as a disrupted ecosystem that may be restored
• Insights from ecology, stem cell biology and blood cancer research
• Immune aging and next-generation therapy approaches
• Speaker: Dr. Leslie Crews, UC San Diego

What can endangered birds in New Zealand teach us about cancer? Drawing on insights from ecology, stem cell biology, and cancer research, Dr. Leslie Crews explores a new way of thinking about cancer: not simply as tumor cells to destroy, but as a disrupted ecosystem that may be restored. Through discoveries in blood cancer research, immune aging, and next-generation therapies, she shares how rebuilding cellular ecosystems could help shape the future of cancer treatment. www.crews-lab.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesliecrewsphd/ #bloodcancer #cancerecosystem #myeloma #TEDxSanDiego #TEDx #MooresCancerCenter #UCSD Dr. Leslie Crews is an Assistant Professor at UC San Diego and Co-Leader of the Hematologic Malignancies Research Program at the Moores Cancer Center. A third-generation native San Diegan, her first foray into scientific research was as a summer high school intern tasked with studying the behavior of fruit flies in a laboratory at the Salk Institute in La Jolla. She then trained at UCLA and UC San Diego in diverse biomedical research fields spanning neuroscience, eye disease, blood stem cell biology, geroscience, and cancer. Now her laboratory aims to uncover unifying biological circuitries that drive blood cancer regeneration and drug resistance. By targeting entire tumor ecosystems, her team is advancing new therapeutic strategies designed to reduce cancer burden while sparing healthy cells. Dr. Crews’ research is currently supported by an NCI R37 MERIT Award, a Blood Cancer United Scholar Award, and an American Society of Hematology Bridge Grant, among other national honors. www.crews-lab.com This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx