ReGEN Podcast
ReGEN Podcast
Podcast Description
The Sanford Stem Cell Institute (SSCI) ReGen Podcast features engaging and innovative discussions with a focus on the following topics: stem cell science; regenerative medicine; clinical trials; research outcomes; and, space and low Earth orbit-based research. Guests include UC San Diego Sanford SSCI experts and team members, academic luminaries, Nobel laureates, and industry and government leaders in the field. The ReGen Podcast is based in San Diego, CA, and is hosted by SSCI team member Bobby Gordon.
About the Sanford Stem Cell Institute
The UC San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Institute (SSCI) is a global leader in regenerative medicine and a hub for stem cell science and innovation in space, representing six (6) research Centers, the CIRM Alpha Stem Cell Clinic, and a Brain Tumor & Neuro-Restoration Program. SSCI aims to catalyze critical basic research discoveries, translational advances, and clinical progress — terrestrially and in space — to develop and deliver novel therapeutics to patients.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast delves into themes such as stem cell science, regenerative medicine, clinical trials, and research outcomes, with episodes covering discussions on low Earth orbit-based research and its implications for future therapeutics, as well as breakthroughs presented by keynote speakers at conferences.

The Sanford Stem Cell Institute (SSCI) ReGen Podcast features engaging and innovative discussions with a focus on the following topics: stem cell science; regenerative medicine; clinical trials; research outcomes; and, space and low Earth orbit-based research. Guests include UC San Diego Sanford SSCI experts and team members, academic luminaries, Nobel laureates, and industry and government leaders in the field. The ReGen Podcast is based in San Diego, CA, and is hosted by SSCI team member Bobby Gordon.
About the Sanford Stem Cell Institute
The UC San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Institute (SSCI) is a global leader in regenerative medicine and a hub for stem cell science and innovation in space, representing six (6) research Centers, the CIRM Alpha Stem Cell Clinic, and a Brain Tumor & Neuro-Restoration Program. SSCI aims to catalyze critical basic research discoveries, translational advances, and clinical progress — terrestrially and in space — to develop and deliver novel therapeutics to patients.
Our conversation with Tannishtha Reya, PhD, reviews her work and publications on understanding the mechanisms that drive cancer initiation, progression, and therapy resistance. Her research also includes developing high resolution in vivo imaging approaches to map normal stem cell behavior and interactions within a living organism, to define how these change during cancer formation.
Tannishtha is the associate director for Translational Research and director of the Irving Drug Discovery Program at Columbia’s Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center. She is also a former professor with the UC San Diego School of Medicine. An expert in how stem cells fuel cancer growth, she is known for co-authoring a publication in Nature in 2001 that coined the term ‘cancer stem cell’ to describe how some cancer cells can mirror the properties of stem cells in normal tissues. Reya’s laboratory has uncovered critical pathways and therapeutic targets in leukemia and pancreatic cancer, contributing to clinical trials and approvals for new therapies. She has been recognized for her contributions to the field with many prestigious awards, including an NIH Director’s Pioneer Award and an NCI Outstanding Investigator Award.
Hosted by Bobby Gordon, MA, MBA
This episode was recorded on Oct. 16, 2025, and information is current as of the time of this recording.
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