PNRI’s Dr. Michael Metzger kicks off Tech Alliance’s 2024-25 Discovery Series on Friday, September 13th at Slalom Hawk Tower. Join us for this presentation!

The Cancers That Never Die: What We Can Learn from Contagious Cancer in Clams

Cancer cells can evolve as they divide and spread through the body, but cancers normally do not live longer than their hosts. In rare cases, (in Tasmanian devils, dogs, and many species of bivalves), cancer cells can jump from one animal to another, spreading for centuries or even millennia as infectious cells that blur the line between metastatic cancer and infectious disease. The Metzger Lab studies these contagious cancers in clams, cockles, and other bivalves to determine how they spread through the environment, how they continue to evolve, and how the clams themselves are evolving to become resistant to the cancers.

We are excited to have Dr. Metzger kick off the new Discovery Series.