Bio: Hello, my name is Dae-Kyung Kim. I am a junior at the University of Arizona majoring in Physiology, Molecular and Cellular Biology, and Philosophy. In Dr. Padi’s Lab at the Departmentof Molecular and Cellular Biology, I study the immune evading mechanisms behind Merkel Cell Carcinoma (MCC)—a rare, aggressive neuroendocrine cancer for which current forms of treatment are not very effective. I combined computational and wet lab experiments in hope of discovering complementary therapies that enhance immunotherapy’s effectiveness. Our immune system is our best natural defense against cancer; therefore, my focus is on better equipping our bodies against threats. Research became interesting to me once I found out that it is the foundational basis for science and medicine. Cancer humbles all of medicine, and I believe my position in the research field can help me contribute to its understanding. At the end of my journey, I hope I can open medicine to all patients of all their individual illness.
Transcript:
0:00: From KXCI Community Radio, this is Research Matters.
0:03: My name is Bridgitte Thum.
0:04: We’re joined in the studio right now with Dae-Kyung Kim.
0:08: Dae is studying immunotherapies in relation to Merkel Cell Carcinoma at the University of Arizona.
0:15: Thank you for joining us today.
0:17: Thank you.
0:18: Can you tell us about the immunotherapies and what does that mean?
0:21: Immunotherapy is the way to boost and support our framework of immune systems.
0:27: And the way that we boost immunotherapies is to find a specific target that is shutting down or attacking our current immune system.
0:37: And shutting those down so that immune system can do the job of attacking these cancer cells.
0:42: You’re analyzing a bunch of data.
0:44: Yes, when we think about what this research is pouring itself into, it’s ultimate to the people and I think a lot of these biomedical research is helpful for patients who experience these actual symptoms and actual diseases and illnesses.
1:01: And when I, when I think about that, I think it’s very sad, but it’s also very motivating because we have patients who go through these struggles and it’s not just numbers at that point, it’s the people and if we think about what this research might ultimately lead to, that gives me hope and motivation into continuing this research and motivating other people to do this research as well.
1:23: How does that tie in with your philosophy major?
1:30: I think the main question that I have constantly is, what does presence mean to providers and patients?
1:37: We go to hospitals as patients.
1:40: And experience these symptoms and illnesses that affect our daily lives and when we go to the hospital, I think that we should be treated with care, empathy and presence.
1:51: We are all humans and we all experience illness, injuries.
1:57: And disease that will ultimately affect us.
2:00: Medicine without research is just presence, and what we need to focus on is both the presence and the research part.
2:07: Just the fluorescent lighting alone is enough to freak people out.
2:11: People don’t talk about the importance of just like bringing more humanity into the healing world.
2:17: You know, yeah, and I think a lot of people associate medicine with prescriptions and surgeries, but the truth is the medicine doesn’t come from prescriptions or surgeries.
2:25: It comes from the way that you give care.
2:28: One thing that I’ve been reading recently is illness versus disease.
2:32: Disease is just the foreign body, the bad substance in your body, but illness is each individual patient’s journey through that disease and I think it’s really.
2:42: Important to treat not just the disease, but the patient’s illness as well.
2:48: Imagine when you come to a provider and they have no answers for you, it’s not just the illness that they’re not treating, but it’s also the disease itself.
we should be treating these diseases and cancers all the same because it happens to all the people and happens randomly.
3:13: We don’t want our patients to leave the hospital with no answers.
3:18: And with no hopes, essentially.
3:20: Yeah, we call it medicalization when we try to translate these numbers into people in the research world.
3:27: In the actual medical system, we translate people into numbers.
3:32: I think that kind of logic and that thinking system is flawed, and the main way we can fix it there is to first fix the education system and teach future providers.
3:47: seeing the big picture and being present, yes, I love that so much.
3:53: We’ve been speaking with Dae-Kyung Kim.
3:55: Dae is researching immunotherapy in Merkel Cell Carcinoma, and I really appreciate your time today.
4:01: Thank you so much.
4:02: Thank you.
