#5 IN THE SERIES “BRINGING PRECISION MEDICINE TO EVERYONE”
Liquid Biopsy for Precision Medicine: What’s Actionable Now and What’s Next
Advances in molecular diagnostics are reshaping how cancer is detected, monitored, and treated, and liquid biopsy is becoming central to that progress. This simple blood draw can reveal key tumor biology at diagnosis and over time, providing timely insight to guide more precise decisions throughout a patient’s journey. Clinicians now face an important challenge: knowing what is actionable today and what is coming next so more patients can benefit from the promise of precision medicine.
As we kick off Season 7, host and patient advocate Karan Cushman expands this season’s focus on Bringing Precision Medicine to Everyone with a deeper look inside the science of liquid biopsy. The conversation features two leaders shaping the field: Dr. Christian Rolfo, Division Director of Medical Oncology at The James Comprehensive Cancer Center at Ohio State University, and Dr. Roberto Borea, Medical Oncologist and emerging investigator from the Rolfo Lab.
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Together, they break down the scientific momentum driving liquid biopsy forward, including tumor fraction, MRD-guided treatment strategies, resistance monitoring, fragmentomics, and the expanding frontier of early detection. They also discuss the barriers that continue to slow broader adoption, such as assay variability, limited standardization, reimbursement gaps, and operational challenges in community settings.
In this episode, listeners will learn:
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How tumor fraction is emerging as a meaningful real-time biomarker
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Where MRD-driven escalation and de-escalation strategies are heading
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The current promise and limitations of early detection and MCED testing
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What is required to standardize liquid biopsy across reporting, workflows, and clinical trials
This episode highlights the advances researchers are helping drive right now and what these developments could mean for clinicians, laboratories, and patients in the near future.
Note: this conversation builds on episode 69 with Dr. Kashyap Patel, who introduced the foundations of liquid biopsy and its role in accelerating treatment decisions. Combined, these two episodes offer clinicians and patients an overview of where the science and real-world applications stand now and where the field is headed next.
Listen now to hear how Dr. Rolfo, Dr. Borea and others are shaping the science in real time, translating rapid progress into insights that matter for clinical decision-making now and for the future of precision oncology.
Download episode transcripts here.
Listen to the full series Bringing Precision Medicine to Everyone:
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Episode #66: Dr. Kashyap Patel and Dr. Angela Katsikas, Bringing Precision Medicine to Everyone
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Episode #67: Ellen Matloff and Dr. Angela Katsikas, Understanding Inherited Cancer Risk
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Episode #68: Dr. Arif Kamal, Bringing Precision and Compassion to Every Cancer Journey
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Episode #69: Dr. Patel, Liquid Biopsy Part 1, Breaking Speed and Access Barriers in Precision Oncology
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Interested in sponsoring the Precision Medicine Podcast?
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About Our Guests
Chrstian Rolfo, MD, PhD, MBA, Dr.hc
Professor of Medicine at the Ohio State University, School of Medicine
Division Director of Medical Oncology and Associate Director for Early Phase Clinical Trials at The James Comprehensive Cancer Center at the Ohio State University
Dr. Rolfo’s clinical and research focus is on drug development, lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies, biomarkers, resistant mechanisms discovery, and liquid biopsies. He has worked to foster international collaboration and innovation as president of the International Society of Liquid Biopsy (ISLB) and as past chair of the Education Committee at the International Association for Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC).
He is proud to support the next generation of oncologists and physician-scientists and has made many contributions to the field through his writing. He has authored more than 350 scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals, including The New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet Oncology, Cancer Discovery and the Journal of Thoracic Oncology.
Before joining OSU, he served as Professor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Associate Director for Clinical Research in the Center for Thoracic Oncology at The Tisch Cancer Institute. Dr. Rolfo has held academic appointments at numerous institutions, including the University of Cordoba, Argentina; University of Antwerp, Belgium; University of Palermo, Italy, and the University of Maryland and Greenbaum Comprehensive Cancer Center where he was Director of Thoracic Medical Oncology and Director of Early Clinical Trials.
Robert Borea, MD
Medical Oncologist and Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology
The Ohio State University James Comprehensive Cancer Center (Professor Rolfo Lab).
Dr. Borea's current research focuses on liquid biopsy biomarkers in lung cancer, with the aim of uncovering mechanisms of resistance and improving therapeutic monitoring through translational applications. In parallel, he is pursuing a PhD in Internal Medicine and Translational Research at the University of Genoa.
Dr. Borea’s expertise bridges clinical oncology and translational research, with advanced training in immune-cell therapies (CAR-T cells) and molecular diagnostics. He has conducted research across leading international institutions, including UNC Chapel Hill, University College London, Istituto Curie in Paris, and the University of Antwerp. His scientific contributions span hematologic and solid tumors such as neuroblastoma, glioblastoma, and triple-negative breast cancer, resulting in multiple peer-reviewed publications and presentations at international oncology conferences.
Actively engaged in the international oncology community, Dr. Borea serves as Young Committee Member of the International Society of Liquid Biopsy (ISLB), Youth Representative for Liguria within the Italian Association of Medical Oncology (AIOM), and participant of the IASLC Academy. He is also a member of leading scientific societies including ESMO, ASCO, AACR, and ESO. Recognized with merit awards from ESMO and ISLB, as well as winner of the Texas Lung Cancer Conference competition, he is committed to advancing innovation at the interface of molecular research and clinical oncology to improve patient care.