Professor Vincent Lynch featured by NPR on groundbreaking cancer research

National Public Radio (NPR) featured Professor Vincent Lynch, an evolutionary biologist in the Department of Biological Sciences, in a report on the discovery of the first known transmissible skin cancer in fish.

The story examines new research on brown bullhead catfish in Lake Memphremagog, where scientists found evidence that cancer cells can spread from one fish to another. Lynch, who was not involved in the study, explained why these rare cancers are important for understanding how cancer evolves and survives.

"Normally, cancers are sort of a dead end," Lynch told NPR. "When the host dies, so does the cancer." He noted that transmissible cancers offer scientists a unique opportunity to study how cancer cells spread between hosts and what that could reveal about metastasis in humans.

His perspective highlights the broader impact of evolutionary biology in advancing our understanding of cancer and points to new directions for future research.