The Awkward Mistake That Sparked a 25-Year Cancer Research Partnership

<p><strong>From a graduate student who couldn&#39;t reliably spell &quot;genetics&quot; to the scientist who provided the first experimental evidence for the class of gene now called &quot;tumor suppressors&quot; — Dr. Webster &quot;Web&quot; Cavenee&#39;s career changed how we understand and treat cancer.</strong></p><p>In this episode, Dr. Cavenee sits down with NFCR President &amp; CEO Dr. Sujuan Ba to trace a friendship and scientific partnership that&#39;s spanned more than 25 years — starting with a name Cavenee accidentally botched at a conference podium. From there, the conversation moves through his landmark discovery of the first tumor suppressor gene, the family who inspired it, and a moment in a Stockholm operating room that changed the direction of his entire career.</p><p>They also dig into the origin story of GBM AGILE — the adaptive clinical trial model that took over a decade, $100 million, and no shortage of skeptics to get off the ground, and is now running in more than 100 institutions across the U.S., Europe, Australia, and Canada.</p><p>A conversation about risk, collaboration, and what it actually takes to move cancer research from the lab to the patient.</p>