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What the sugar coating on your cells is trying to tell you

1,646,900 views | Carolyn Bertozzi • TEDxStanford

Your cells are coated with sugars that store information and speak a secret language. What are they trying to tell us? Your blood type, for one -- and, potentially, that you have cancer. Chemical biologist Carolyn Bertozzi researches how sugars on cancerous cells interact with (and sometimes trick) your immune system. Learn more about how your body detects cancer and how the latest cancer-fighting medicines could help your immune system beat the disease.

Your cells are coated with sugars that store information and speak a secret language. What are they trying to tell us? Your blood type, for one -- and, potentially, that you have cancer. Chemical biologist Carolyn Bertozzi researches how sugars on cancerous cells interact with (and sometimes trick) your immune system. Learn more about how your body detects cancer and how the latest cancer-fighting medicines could help your immune system beat the disease.

This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxStanford, an independent event. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

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About the speaker

Carolyn Bertozzi

Carolyn Bertozzi

Chemical biologist

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Professor Carolyn Bertozzi is a chemical biologist who invents technologies and medicines based on disease-causing sugar molecules.

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This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxStanford, an independent event. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about TEDx.