Optimize Cancer Therapy Using Evolution | Michael Levin & Robert Gatenby

25 Sep 2025 • 64 min • EN
64 min
00:00
01:04:17
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“We can use the rule of evolution to optimize cancer therapy. The standard practice is that any therapy is given at maximum tolerated dose continuously until progression. It's almost a mantra that they have. Evolutionarily, you could hardly do it worse.” The current treatments on cancer do not account for how evolution works. Dr. Robert Gatenby has been studying evolutionary and game theory dynamics in the progression of cancer. He established the first cancer biology and evolutionary program in the U.S. We can leverage this evolutionary information to provide more effective cancer treatment, which he discusses in this episode. Dr. Michael Levin is my co-host.Episode Show Notes: https://livelongerworld.com/p/rgatenbyFind me: https://x.com/aasthajs My longevity products: https://www.livelongerworld.com/p/2024TIMESTAMPS:0:00 – Cancer as Tissue Damage, Not Just Mutations8:48 – How Evolution Supercharges Cancer Cell Fitness11:04 – Debunking the “Primitive Cell” Myth12:06 – The Herd Mentality of Cancer Cells14:57 – Why Cancer Dynamics Go Beyond the Genome22:27 – Networks and Information Flow Inside Cells26:56 – Shared Goals: The Secret to Cellular Cooperation29:55 – Genome = Hardware, Information = Software36:26 – Healthy vs. Cancer Cells: Competing Information Systems39:05 – Evolution Turns Harsh After Reproduction41:03 – How Cancer Rewrites Its Own Information Playbook43:07 – Adaptive Therapy: A Patient’s Guide50:45 – The Limits of Adaptive Therapy53:12 – Hunting for Better Cancer Biomarkers55:11 – The Tumor Microenvironment’s Hidden Role59:42 – Why We Must Look Beyond Genetic DataAASTHA, LIVE LONGER WORLD:X: https://x.com/aasthajs Newsletter: https://livelongerworld.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aasthajs/LINKS:Michael Levin: https://x.com/drmichaellevinRobert Gatenby: https://www.moffitt.org/inspiring-stories/dr.-gatenbys-storyEpisode Show Notes: https://livelongerworld.com/p/rgatenbyALSO WATCH:The First Cancer Cell: A Revolution in Early Detection | Michael Levin & Azra Raza: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7yW6ZVVdQkboWpldUZyenD?si=obYEC22NSsSyy7j09JBf7QKeto & Metabolic Therapy for Cancer | Dr. Thomas Seyfried: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7tYdjcJ3G4tqbAx9Z6Bix2?si=Yz9CQ-wNQ3WdcwjKw3lXGwWhy Viruses Could Be the Cause of Chronic Disease | Dr. Paul Ewald: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2OdYInlzTy2zG3Mi6TgADY?si=BtishVk_R-28K2KypODIog

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