Made in Dubai with Spencer Lodge #387: Are We Finally Winning Against Cancer? Dr. Patrick on IL-15, NK Cells & The Pandemic of Cancer
Cancer is not a foreign invader. It is a failure of defense.
In this episode, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, surgeon, scientist, inventor and one of the most influential figures in modern medicine, lays out a radical idea: your body already knows how to defeat cancer. The question is whether we are activating it… or suppressing it.
Born in apartheid South Africa and driven by what he calls a duty to fight for the underdog, Dr. Soon-Shiong went from performing complex surgeries in Los Angeles to inventing Abraxane, a breakthrough nanoparticle chemotherapy now used worldwide. But he believes chemotherapy was only chapter one, Chapter two is immunity.
He breaks down the role of the 450 million year old Natural Killer cell and why it may be the missing piece in cancer prevention, then dives into IL-15, once ranked the most promising molecule to cure cancer and now approved in 33 countries, with new ground in lung cancer treatment in Saudi Arabia.
Dr. Soon-Shiong also shares his warning of a coming "pandemic of cancer," the controversy around COVID vaccine development, the overlooked $10 blood test hidden inside routine labs that predicts mortality risk, and how camel nanobodies, AI and robotics may democratize treatments that once cost $1 million.
If you care about longevity, cancer prevention, or the future of medicine, this episode matters.
Timestamps:
00:00 – First impressions of the Middle East and the crisis of trust
08:17 – What cancer really is and the role of the Natural Killer cell
14:08 – The warning: a possible pandemic of cancer in young people
16:47 – The T-cell COVID vaccine controversy
24:40 – IL-15: ranked the #1 molecule to cure cancer
29:07 – Breaking news: approvals in 33 countries and Saudi Arabia
31:06 – Immunity, aging, and the link to longevity
37:53 – The $10 blood test hidden in plain sight for 30 years
39:28 – Why camels and sharks don't get cancer
44:32 – From apartheid South Africa to billionaire inventor
48:13 – Turning $1 million CAR-T therapy into a $25,000 robotic solution
50:33 – Why the Middle East could lead the next biotech revolution
Follow Spencer Lodge on Social Media:
https://www.instagram.com/madeindubaipodcast/?hl=en
https://www.instagram.com/spencer.lodge/?hl=en
https://www.tiktok.com/@spencer.lodge
https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerlodge/
https://www.youtube.com/c/SpencerLodgeTV
https://www.facebook.com/spencerlodgeofficial/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61586194260076
Follow Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong on Social Media: