We are delighted to present Making science work for health, the PHG Foundation podcast that explains the most promising developments in science and their implications for healthcare.

In each episode, host Ofori Canacoo discusses with a PHG Foundation policy analyst, the underpinning science, the ambitions for improving population health and the impact it could have on patients, on society and on the people delivering your healthcare.

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In the first episode, Dr Joanna Janus explains a new blood test that could make testing in cancer care less invasive. Called 'liquid biopsies' the test assesses tumour DNA that circulates in the blood of people with cancer. Joanna sets out examples of where liquid biopsies could be used and ambitions for its use in monitoring the success of cancer treatments in individual patients. 

Not sure what circulating tumour DNA is? Read our short briefing.

In our second episode, Dr Hayley Carr discusses precision medicine for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The episode explores the current processes of treatment for IBD patients as well as the prospect of what precision medicine could mean for healthcare in IBD treatment and beyond.

Want to find out more about precision medicine for IBD? Read our briefing written by Dr Hayley Carr.

In our third episode, Dr Chantal Babb de Villiers talks us through the use of gene editing in animals as part of efforts to address the organ transplant shortage in humans. Within the episode, Chantal explains the advances that have come about in recent years that have enabled great strides to be taken in this area of research, also known as xenotransplantation.

Want to find out more about xenotransplantation? Read our briefing written by Dr Chantal Babb de Villiers.

In our fourth episode, Dr Sowmiya Moorthie explains polygenic scores, their potential  - and their limitations – in predicting risk of common diseases.

You can see all the work surrounding PGS here. Where you can also read our latest report, an evaluation of polygenic score applications.

In the fifth episode of the podcast, Heather Turner explains for you long-read sequencing, its potential applications and how this new technology measures up against traditional short-read sequencing.

Heather recently wrote two briefings on long-read sequencing. Both are freely available: Clinical long-read sequencing and Long-read sequencing: Clinical applications and implementation.