At tonight’s table talk we discussed immunotherapy. The most common way to fight cancer is chemotherapy, but this is very primitive since it kills all cells that divide quickly, evidently leading to the loss of our hair. GRF Shiv is doing research in a form of immunotherapy. He told us about how he created a lymph node outside of the body that speeds of the process of antibodies marking “bad” cells. The body naturally produces them over the course of 14 days, but with Shiv’s method it only takes 4! These antibodies can then be used in vaccines to fight cancer and other diseases. “Science and cooking are so similar. You look for the right recipe and right ingredients, but instead of taste being the outcome its human life.” This was my favorite quote of the talk because it makes it seem so much more relatable and understandable. I think Shiv’s research is so interesting and innovative and it makes me wonder why it is not a more common treatment for cancer. If we could cut down the time it takes to fight these invader cells by 10 days why aren’t we?! Thank you Shiv for an informative and enjoyable chat filled with laughs and a new perspective on science. Your laugh made me laugh too!