Acs Research - Theorylab

Radiation has long been a common treatment for cancer patients, but in recent years, notes Dr. Charlie Benson of Georgia State University, it has been understood that, “besides the direct ability of radiation to kill cancer cells, it also has the ability to actually prime the immune system to recognize things that are different about cancer cells and to better attack and kill these cancer cells.” In this conversation, Dr. Benson talks about how radiation makes cancer cells better targets for the immune system (7:00). She also explains, given that low-dose radiation can enhance the effectiveness of immunotherapy, what research needs to happen for it to become the standard of care for patients (9:45). Finally, she talks movingly about being an African American female scientist; what it was like to grow up without seeing examples of minority females in science; and why she visits communities “to give people the image and the idea that there’s no particular way you have to look to be a successful scientist (17