Beauty, Bullshit & Biological Warfare

Collagen is everywhere: in our skin, our tendons, our bones… and all over the labels of cosmetics and wellness products promising youth, beauty, and miracle results. But what is collagen really, and how much of the hype actually holds up? In this talk, I’ll unpack what collagen is, why it is so essential to the structure of our bodies, and where some of the biggest myths around collagen creams, powders, and beauty products come from. I’ll then take you into my own research, where we study collagen not as a luxury ingredient, but as a key player in disease. From cancer to tissue dysfunction, collagen can profoundly shape how cells behave, and even something as simple as nutrient availability can change how it is produced and organized. A journey through beauty myths, body scaffolding, and the hidden biology of disease.

A long time ago (well…in your body right now), antibodies have been quietly defending you from microscopic villains. These tiny molecular Jedi are fast, precise, and very good at their job. But can we train them to take on a bigger enemy, like cancer? In this talk, I’ll show how scientists engineer human antibodies to recognize markers found only on cancer cells, turning them into clear targets for your immune system’s strike force. Expect science, a few bad jokes, and proof that the force (your immune system) might already be with you.