The Detective’s Apprentice
Meet junior Anya Shah. Diagnosed with leukemia at age 8, the global health major and USC Dornsife natural sciences minor — who is earning her master’s in narrative medicine through the Progressive Degree Program — has been working at the Convergent Science Institute in Cancer (CSI-Cancer) based at the USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience since freshman year.
At the laboratory of USC Dornsife cancer researcher Peter Kuhn, University Professor and Dean’s Professor of Biological Sciences, junior Anya Shah analyzes fluorescent images of blood samples collected from individuals undergoing a diagnostic workup for lung cancer. Her work identifying a variety of tumor cells circulating in the blood is aimed at increasing the accuracy of those diagnoses, thereby improving patient care.
Cancer Detective
Revolutionary new diagnostic tools being developed by physicist Peter Kuhn may help make cancer a disease of the past.
![Peter Kuhn in a office.](https://dornsife.usc.edu/magazine/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/06/PeterKuhn_LandingPg-900x600.jpg)
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