In this episode of TGen Talks, we sit down with three researchers who are working to make cancer care safer and more precise for some of the most vulnerable patients—children with rare brain tumors.

Dr. Floris Barthel, Dr. Shea Gallus, and graduate student Sharvari Mankame are part of a team at TGen and Phoenix Children’s Hospital exploring liquid biopsies—a method that uses small samples of blood or spinal fluid to detect and monitor brain cancer. This approach could reduce the need for invasive surgeries, which are especially hard on young patients.

Our guests explain how liquid biopsies work, what they’re learning from genetic markers called K-mers, and how artificial intelligence is helping them analyze tumor DNA in ways that weren’t possible before. Their goal is to find a better way to track cancer in real time—giving doctors more information while easing the burden on patients and families.

While this science is still developing, it’s already showing real potential to shift how we approach diagnosis and treatment—not just in pediatrics, but across cancer care.

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