Dear Julia,

This week’s table talk was entitled: Immunotherapy: Training the Body to Fight Cancer. As you know, I don’t know mitochondria from macaroni so this was about as far out of my wheelhouse as one could get before circling back around to the other side again. GRF Shiv talked about a lot of very interesting cancer research, but I was barely hanging on through most of it. For instance, at one point we were talking about CAR-T therapy and I just couldn’t stop thinking, “‘CAR-T?’ Why not just say ‘cart’ at that point?” But generally it was indeed very interesting, if hopelessly beyond my grasp. What it did get me thinking about though–something I really should follow up with GRF Shiv on more thoroughly–is what place researchers who develop new and life-saving drugs and treatments ultimately have within the context Big Pharma. I know the exploits of the pharmaceutical industry are a topic that you yourself are highly passionate about, so naturally my mind went straight there during this table talk. Usually when you and I talk about Big Pharma, we talk more about the shadiness of the FDA and DEA, drug classifications, direct to consumer advertising, etc. I wonder what perspective the folks who research and develop the drugs that drug companies manufacture and distribute have about the industry and any implicit socio-political implications thereof.

Love,

Robert