Episode 8: The Tumor Hacker: How Data & AI Are Rewriting the Future of Oncology

Home breadcrumb-arrow Podcasts breadcrumb-arrow Episode 8: The Tumor Hacker: How Data & AI Are Rewriting the Future of Oncology

What happens when you apply the laws of physics to the fight against cancer?

In this episode of Decoded, Dr. Jurgi Camblong speaks with Professor Olivier Michielin, a pioneer who believes that to beat cancer, we have to engineer the solution, not just hope for it.

Starting his career in physics and training under Nobel Prize winner Martin Karplus, Olivier realized early on that he "would not be happy just talking to electrons". He pivoted to medicine to bring a data-driven, engineering mindset to oncology. Today, he is rewriting the rules of how we treat melanoma and other complex cancers by combining immunotherapy with advanced algorithms.

You’ll hear about:

  • Why he transitioned from physics to medicine to solve "the human element"
  • How immunotherapy actually works: releasing the "brakes" on the immune system
  • The future of "Tumor Hacking": using AI to crack the code of cancer cells
  • Why multimodality (combining images, genomics, and clinical data) is the next frontier
  • How mRNA technology can be leveraged beyond vaccines to treat tumors
  • The shift from an "art" of medicine to a precise, data-driven science

This episode is a masterclass in precision oncology. It explores how we are moving away from trial-and-error medicine toward a future where every patient’s treatment is calculated, simulated, and personalized.

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Meet the Minds
Dr. Jurgi Camblong
Founder and CEO, SOPHiA GENETICS
A visionary entrepreneur and molecular biologist, Dr. Camblong is leading the global shift toward data-driven medicine. With a PhD in Life Sciences from the University of Geneva, an EMBA from EPFL/HEC Lausanne, and publications in Cell, Science, and Nature, he drives innovation that empowers clinicians to improve outcomes worldwide, for millions of patients.
Prof. Olivier Michielin
Head of the Oncology Department, Geneva University Hospital; Professor at EPFL
Professor Olivier Michielin is a physicist turned clinical oncologist and a world-renowned expert in melanoma and immunotherapy. Described by the Swiss National Science Foundation as a "Tumor Hacker," he has dedicated his career to decoding the complex biology of cancer. By combining the laws of thermodynamics with clinical medicine, he pioneered new approaches to simulating molecular structures to build better drugs. Today, as the Head of Oncology at Geneva University Hospital, he is leading the charge to integrate high-performance computing, AI, and genomics into standard patient care.
Full transcript
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Duis congue dui eu diam facilisis tincidunt. Curabitur fringilla eros id luctus pretium. Suspendisse sagittis ut velit ac cursus. Aliquam in magna ac mauris interdum bibendum. Donec vitae quam interdum orci vulputate volutpat. Nulla tempor sollicitudin leo ut vehicula. Proin dictum risus vitae enim ullamcorper hendrerit. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia curae;

Curabitur malesuada posuere magna a consequat. Aenean hendrerit dolor ut risus rutrum, sit amet euismod eros tempus. Donec a elementum risus. Cras in sodales ligula, id pharetra quam. Curabitur porttitor nisi non tellus posuere rhoncus. Integer venenatis viverra nisl eget lacinia. Aliquam elementum enim a ante maximus pharetra. Integer sit amet lacus ullamcorper, aliquam lectus non, luctus turpis. Cras tristique orci sem, ac pretium tellus congue eu.

Phasellus gravida, ante eget consequat bibendum, erat libero porttitor arcu, eget ultricies leo felis id dui. Maecenas quis aliquam urna. Fusce at erat id ex dignissim rhoncus. Duis pharetra auctor nulla at pretium. Sed at congue urna. Curabitur sagittis commodo euismod. Aliquam nisl mauris, ultrices ut fermentum sed, dignissim quis nunc. Donec luctus, ipsum non viverra pellentesque, risus neque tempus ex, ut ullamcorper turpis est eget orci. Sed tempor egestas erat at vehicula. Nunc nunc massa, viverra vel viverra in, convallis non justo. Nulla nec nunc sed odio vulputate tincidunt. Suspendisse dapibus lorem et leo malesuada tempor. Duis consectetur tortor id magna convallis, dapibus rhoncus tellus laoreet. Aliquam vitae odio facilisis tortor tristique iaculis a nec massa. Praesent pulvinar ultrices nulla, tempor vulputate arcu suscipit ut. Pellentesque sed mattis augue.

Sed volutpat velit a mi luctus pellentesque. Curabitur a diam leo. Aenean ipsum enim, posuere ut erat in, consectetur ultrices metus. Quisque et mauris arcu. Nam feugiat sed magna quis euismod. Praesent non mattis mi. Nunc sollicitudin sed ipsum sed fermentum. Proin ut pulvinar enim. Sed ut justo turpis. Pellentesque auctor metus in elementum mollis. Aenean at tempus erat, id elementum nunc. Vestibulum et felis id sem pellentesque convallis. Duis mattis consequat erat vitae molestie. Nullam id gravida erat. Nulla volutpat id nibh sed consequat. Curabitur aliquet sapien porta erat lacinia, quis blandit elit interdum.
Show notes
[1] Donec luctus, ipsum non viverra pellentesque, risus neque tempus ex
[2] Ut ullamcorper turpis est eget orci. Sed tempor egestas erat at vehicula
[3] Nunc nunc massa, viverra vel viverra in, convallis non justo
[4] Nulla nec nunc sed odio vulputate tincidunt. Suspendisse dapibus lorem et leo malesuada tempor
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