Best Biotech Podcasts (2024)

1
The future of polymers 30:06

1h ago30:06

30:06

Alberto Salleo is an expert in the long, chain-like molecules known as polymers. The world relies on polymers and the most common are in plastics. Salleo is now working on a new generation of organic polymers made of Earth-abundant materials that could lead to flexible electronics that can biodegrade or be easily recycled. These polymers could be g…

1
A Big Mac Attack to Fight Cancer 36:37

2d ago36:37

36:37

In most cases, the immune system detects and destroys cells that could become cancerous every day. For cancer to ravage the body, it needs to evade the immune system by shutting off its response. SIRPant Immunotherapeutics is seeking to address cancer by activating and modifying a patient’s own macrophages to awaken the immune system to cancer. The…

1
Ep. 74: One Patient's Sickle Cell Story 13:41

3d ago13:41

13:41

Felicia Samuel has worked for Charles River for years, but recently the work she contributes to has taken on a new meaning. Her daughter will be part of a clinical trial to receive one of the brand new sickle cell treatments, with the potential to drastically change her own and her family's lives. She joins me to discuss the details of this amazing…

1
Best of: How math makes markets fairer 28:43

7d ago28:43

28:43

We have another best-of episode for you today. This one is a conversation with Irene Lo about the work she’s doing to study and leverage markets for social impact — think markets for public school assignments, or medical school residency matches. Irene reminds us that markets exist to help effectively allocate limited resources, and not all marketp…

1
Getting Animated about Bioliteracy 24:29

10d ago24:29

24:29

As the founder of SynBioBeta, John Cumbers has long evangelized to investors, entrepreneurs, and forward-thinking industrialists about the emergence of the bioeconomy. Cumbers, however, wants to share his sense of wonder about molecular biology with a broader audience through his new venture, Biological Enlightenment Studios. His ambition is for th…

1
Ep161: Jeff Stein on a Long-Lasting Flu Drug 1:08:51

12d ago1:08:51

1:08:51

Jeff Stein, CEO of San Diego-based Cidara Therapeutics, on a long-lasting drug against flu.By Timmerman Report

1
Your Role in Editing Wikipedia - Susan Gerbic 42:32

14d ago42:32

42:32

Wikipedia is the go-to source for many people when starting to research a subject. But is the information correct, or does the information even exist in Wikipedia at all? Susan Gerbic has been training people to edit Wikipedia pages through the Gorilla Skeptics of Wikipedia project. They have edited tens of thousands of pages with over 16 million v…

1
Your Role in Editing Wikipedia - Susan Gerbic 42:32

13d ago42:32

42:32

Wikipedia is the go-to source for many people when starting to research a subject. But is the information correct, or does the information even exist in Wikipedia at all? Susan Gerbic has been training people to edit Wikipedia pages through the Gorilla Skeptics of Wikipedia project. They have edited tens of thousands of pages with over 16 million v…

1
The future of exercise 28:09

14d ago28:09

28:09

Jonathan Long is a biochemist who studies the chemicals produced during exercise. In Long’s world, “you always start with molecules,” which offer “clean handles” to understanding complex processes. His lab has identified a chemical produced in the digestive tract during exercise that can make a person stop eating. Long now studies this “gut-brain a…

1
Reshaping Clinical Trial Designs with Real-World Data 28:53

17d ago28:53

28:53

Electronic health records are a rich source of real-world data that can provide insights into health and wellness. Neal Meropol, head of research oncology at Flatiron Health, said they not only have value as a research tool for retrospective studies, but can be a treasure trove of information for prospective studies as well. We spoke to Meropol abo…

1
Gene Editing in Specialty Crops - Dr. Tom Adams, CEO Pairwise 32:06

20d ago32:06

32:06

Crop genetic engineering has focused primarily on large-acreage crops like corn. But what about the universe of specialty crops that tantalize consumers, things like blackberries or salad greens? Pairwise has used precision twists on gene editing to change specific traits in fruit and vegetable crops. Pairwise founder and CEO, Dr. Tom Adams, discus…

1
Gene Editing in Specialty Crops - Dr. Tom Adams, CEO Pairwise 32:06

21d ago32:06

32:06

Crop genetic engineering has focused primarily on large-acreage crops like corn. But what about the universe of specialty crops that tantalize consumers, things like blackberries or salad greens? Pairwise has used precision twists on gene editing to change specific traits in fruit and vegetable crops. Pairwise founder and CEO, Dr. Tom Adams, discus…

1
Best of: The future of proteins 31:17

21d ago31:17

31:17

We’re digging back into our archives with an episode with bioengineer Polly Fordyce. Polly studies the form and function of proteins. She refers to proteins as the “workhorses” that make things in the body happen, and her study of these molecules reveals a greater understanding of human life. We hope you’ll tune in to this conversation again, and e…

1
Using Generative AI to Produce Precise Gene Editors 23:15

24d ago23:15

23:15

Earlier this year, Profluent announced it had edited the human genome with OpenCRISPR-1, the world’s first AI-created and open-source gene editor. Though the open-source aspect helped garner attention for Profluent, it also served as a demonstration of the company’s generative AI platform to create novel CRISPR gene editors. We spoke to Hilary Eato…

1
Ep160: Abe Ceesay on Precision Neuroscience 1:08:48

25d ago1:08:48

1:08:48

Abe Ceesay, CEO of Boston-based Rapport Therapeutics, on a precision medicine approach to neuroscience drug discovery.By Timmerman Report

1
Special Panel - From Pre-Clinical to Clinical Trials 33:33

27d ago33:33

33:33

Advancement of a new drug from pre-clinical trials to clinical trials is a pivotal time in validation of its therapeutic effects and safety. A panel of experts discusses the process.By Colabra

1
Special Panel - From Pre-Clinical to Clinical Trials 33:33

27d ago33:33

33:33

Advancement of a new drug from pre-clinical trials to clinical trials is a pivotal time in validation of its therapeutic effects and safety. A panel of experts discusses the process.By Colabra

1
The future of computer-aided education 32:17

28d ago32:17

32:17

Chris Piech is a professor of computer science who studies how computers can help students learn. In comparing human- and computer-aided education, he says humans are great one-on-one, but AI is more consistent at grading and feedback. He and colleagues have created several generative AI grading apps to take advantage of these relative strengths, a…

1
Enabling the Nervous System to Repair Itself 17:22

1M ago17:22

17:22

About 500,000 people suffer from a spinal cord injury each year. Treatments can involve surgical procedures to stabilize the spine and physical rehabilitation, which can have limited benefits. There are currently no FDA-approved therapies that can promote repair and improve function following a spinal cord injury. NervGen Pharma is seeking to chang…

1
Talking Biotech Begins Year 10! with Dr. Liza Dunn 1:03:32

1M ago1:03:32

1:03:32

Today's episode marks the beginning of the 10th year of the Talking Biotech Podcast. To celebrate, Drs. Liza Dunn and Kevin Folta discuss the last decade of biotech breakthroughs and communications efforts, the fight against technology and the amazing progress in gene editing and human genetic therapies. Plus, what you can do to help the effort goi…

1
Talking Biotech Begins Year 10! with Dr. Liza Dunn 1:03:32

1M ago1:03:32

1:03:32

Today's episode marks the beginning of the 10th year of the Talking Biotech Podcast. To celebrate, Drs. Liza Dunn and Kevin Folta discuss the last decade of biotech breakthroughs and communications efforts, the fight against technology and the amazing progress in gene editing and human genetic therapies. Plus, what you can do to help the effort goi…

1
The future of effective communication 30:01

1M ago30:01

30:01

Guest Matt Abrahams is a master communicator who helps others overcome their fear of speaking — before live audiences, in small groups, or even one-on-one. His catchphrase, “Think Fast, Talk smart,” describes a mindset that, he says, is key to speaking well. Thinking fast is the ability to recognize and respond to patterns in order to talk smart — …

1
Overcoming Barriers to Delivering Large Molecules to the Brain 18:14

1M ago18:14

18:14

One of the challenges of treating neurodegenerative diseases is delivering therapies across the blood-brain barrier. Aliada Therapeutics is developing therapies that use its platform technology that enables the delivery of large molecules, like antibodies, across that barrier. Its lead program is in development to treat Alzheimer’s disease. We spok…

51
Ep. 73: Virtual Control Groups 19:51

1M ago19:51

19:51

What if we could replace mouse model control groups with a virtual equivalent? What would that mean for drug development in terms of cost, time, and animal model reduction? To answer, I am joined by Charles River associate director Laura Lotfi and Guillemette Duchateau-Nguyen from F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd, Pharmaceutical Sciences - Roche Innovation…

1
Ep159: Jimi Olaghere on Being Functionally Cured of Sickle Cell Disease 1:07:22

1M ago1:07:22

1:07:22

Jimi Olaghere is one of the first patients to have been functionally cured of sickle cell disease with a CRISPR gene-edited cell therapy.By Timmerman Report

1
Targeting Chronic Inflammation Via the Inflamasome - Dr. David Bearss 47:33

1M ago47:33

47:33

Chronic inflammation goes hand-in-hand with many diseases, complicating symptoms and affecting routes of treatment. What is the molecular basis of inflammation, and can it be targeted by new drugs? Scientists have studied the molecular basis of the inflammatory response and have identified specific proteins that complex to initiate the response. Ne…

1
Targeting Chronic Inflammation Via the Inflamasome - Dr. David Bearss 47:33

1M ago47:33

47:33

Chronic inflammation goes hand-in-hand with many diseases, complicating symptoms and affecting routes of treatment. What is the molecular basis of inflammation, and can it be targeted by new drugs? Scientists have studied the molecular basis of the inflammatory response and have identified specific proteins that complex to initiate the response. Ne…

1
Best of: What happens when computers can write like humans 27:14

1M ago27:14

27:14

We’re bringing you a timely best-of episode, given the recent advances in generative AI tools like ChatGPT. A couple years ago we interviewed Jeff Hancock, a Stanford professor of communication whose research explores the psychological and interpersonal processes at play when people communicate with each other and with computers. At the time of thi…

1
Developing Complex Therapies to Tackle Complex Diseases 23:14

1M ago23:14

23:14

SalubrisBio, rather than shy away from complexity, embraces it. The company’s lead experimental therapy is an antibody fusion protein in development for both heart failure and the rare, neurodevelopmental condition amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. We spoke to Sam Murphy, CEO of SalubrisBio, about the challenges of pursuing complex diseases with compl…

1
Development of Biotech Partnerships 29:40

2M ago29:40

29:40

Strategic partnerships are becoming more important in development and deployment of biotechnology solutions. Today's panel discusses the way partnerships are formed, some of the important considerations with IP and licensing, and how relationships are managed.By Colabra

1
Development of Biotech Partnerships 29:40

2M ago29:40

29:40

Strategic partnerships are becoming more important in development and deployment of biotechnology solutions. Today's panel discusses the way partnerships are formed, some of the important considerations with IP and licensing, and how relationships are managed.By Colabra

1
The future of the universe 30:11

2M ago30:11

30:11

Astrophysicist Risa Wechsler studies the evolution of the universe. She says that our understanding of how the universe formed and how it will change over time is changing as new technologies for seeing and measuring space come online, like a new high-resolution camera that can quickly map the full sky to see everything that moves, or new spectrogr…

1
Journal Club - Were "High Levels" of Glyphosate Found in Sperm? - Dr. Andrea Love 27:59

2M ago27:59

27:59

The news reports say that scientists have found "high levels" of herbicide in human sperm, and suggest it is a cause of infertility. But what do the data really say? Dr. Andrea Love and I discuss the paper. A report by Vasseur et al., in the June 2024 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety entitled Glyphosate presence in human sperm: First report a…

1
Journal Club - Were "High Levels" of Glyphosate Found in Sperm? - Dr. Andrea Love 27:59

2M ago27:59

27:59

The news reports say that scientists have found "high levels" of herbicide in human sperm, and suggest it is a cause of infertility. But what do the data really say? Dr. Andrea Love and I discuss the paper. A report by Vasseur et al., in the June 2024 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety entitled Glyphosate presence in human sperm: First report a…

1
How Solving a Problem with Genetic Medicines May Solve Another with Infectious Diseases 25:25

2M ago25:25

25:25

One of the challenges facing genetic medicines is delivering payloads across the human cell membrane and inside cells both effectively and with high tolerability. Aegis Life is capitalizing on its parent Entos Pharmaceuticals’ nucleic acid delivery platform technology to address infectious diseases. It recently secured investment from the Bill & Me…

1
Ep158: David Younger and Randolph Lopez on SynBio & AI for Discovery 1:00:44

2M ago1:00:44

1:00:44

David Younger and Randolph Lopez, co-founders of A-Alpha Bio, on using synthetic biology and AI to discover new biologic drugs.By Timmerman Report

1
Standardizing Therapeutic Protein Production in Plants - Jim Wilson 47:53

2M ago47:53

47:53

Where many therapeutic compounds are raised in bacteria or fungi, plants sometimes offer many advantages as bioreactors. Capital and production costs are lower, and products may be edible instead of injectable. The problem tends to be standardization, and conditions that ensure that the desired proteins are produced This episode features Jim Wilson…

1
Standardizing Therapeutic Protein Production in Plants - Jim Wilson 47:53

2M ago47:53

47:53

Where many therapeutic compounds are raised in bacteria or fungi, plants sometimes offer many advantages as bioreactors. Capital and production costs are lower, and products may be edible instead of injectable. The problem tends to be standardization, and conditions that ensure that the desired proteins are produced This episode features Jim Wilson…

1
The future of robotics 29:46

2M ago29:46

29:46

Guest Jeannette Bohg is an expert in robotics who says there is a transformation happening in her field brought on by recent advances in large language models. The LLMs have a certain common sense baked in and robots are using it to plan and to reason as never before. But they still lack low-level sensorimotor control — like the fine skill it takes…

1
Boosting the Power of Dendritic Cancer Vaccines 19:08

2M ago19:08

19:08

The idea of developing cancer vaccines that harness dendritic cells is not new, but Diakonos Oncology thinks it’s been able to solve the lack of efficacy that has plagued this approach. The company combines its vaccines with RNA and proteins from a patient’s tumor to trigger a robust response by tricking the immune system to recognize cancer cells …

1
Canadian Rules for Gene Editing - Jennifer Hubert 27:00

2M ago27:00

27:00

Canada has a unique approach to plant genetic improvement that follows the product, not the process. In other words, if there is potential risk from any genetic manipulation technique, from polyploidization to transgenic to gene edits, Canadian regulators assess the relative risk in the final product. But what does the regulatory climate look like …

1
Canadian Rules for Gene Editing - Jennifer Hubert 27:00

2M ago27:00

27:00

Canada has a unique approach to plant genetic improvement that follows the product, not the process. In other words, if there is potential risk from any genetic manipulation technique, from polyploidization to transgenic to gene edits, Canadian regulators assess the relative risk in the final product. But what does the regulatory climate look like …

1
The future of brain science 34:40

2M ago34:40

34:40

Guest Sergiu Pasca is a physician-scientist who turns skin cells into stem cells and then into brain tissues he calls “organoids” and “assembloids” in order to study psychiatric and neurological illness in a dish instead of in living human beings. With this knowledge, Pasca hopes to develop new treatments for conditions ranging from schizophrenia a…

1
Overcoming Resistance in Cancer with Chemistry 30:01

2M ago30:01

30:01

Kinase inhibitors have given rise to an era of precision medicine for the treatment of cancer, but the ability of cancer cells to mutate enables tumors to develop resistance to existing therapies. Nuvalent is developing therapies that both target the original tumor as well tumors with emergent resistance. We spoke to James Porter, CEO of Nuvalent, …

1
Ep. 72: Artificial Intelligence in Cell and Gene Therapy 27:04

2M ago27:04

27:04

Alex Sargent, Director of Process Development at Charles River in our Cell and Gene Therapy department, joins me to discuss the work he and his partner put into developing an algorithm to make his job faster and easier. How can you train a computer to accurately sift through the mountains of data generated in drug development? Listen now to find ou…

1
Overcoming CAR-T Cell Bottlenecks - Dr. Andy Scharenberg 46:41

2M ago46:41

46:41

Immunotherapy is weaponizing the body's immune system against cancer or other disease. One of the most promising approaches is CAR-T cell therapy, yet as this technology has been implemented, it's limitations have been identified. Dr. Andy Scharenberg described the current drawbacks of CAR-T cells and how his company, Umoja, is re-engineering CAR-T…

1
Overcoming CAR-T Cell Bottlenecks - Dr. Andy Scharenberg 46:41

2M ago46:41

46:41

Immunotherapy is weaponizing the body's immune system against cancer or other disease. One of the most promising approaches is CAR-T cell therapy, yet as this technology has been implemented, it's limitations have been identified. Dr. Andy Scharenberg described the current drawbacks of CAR-T cells and how his company, Umoja, is re-engineering CAR-T…

1
The future of cybersecurity 31:58

2M ago31:58

31:58

With TikTok in the hands of 170 million Americans, cybersecurity expert Amy Zegart says it’s time to talk about consequences. Foreign access to all that data on so many Americans is a national security threat, she asserts. For those as concerned as she, Zegart has good news and bad. The government has gotten better at fighting cyberthreats, but art…

1
Ep157: Vineeta Agarwala of A16Z on Investing in AI for Drug Discovery 56:33

2M ago56:33

56:33

Vineeta Agarwala, general partner at A16Z's Bio & Health fund, on investing in AI for drug discovery.By Timmerman Report

1
Teaching an Old Drug a New Trick to Prevent Lyme Disease 20:03

2M ago20:03

20:03

Each year, an estimated 400,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with Lyme disease, a billion-dollar healthcare problem caused by a bacterial infection that is transmitted through the bite of a tick. The condition can cause joint pain and fatigue, but is treatable with antibiotics. Left untreated, though, it can progress and cause more…

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