147: "Shhh…They’re Talking: Holoclara's Dr. Andrea Choe Tunes Into Worm Signals for Health”

What if we could treat debilitating diseases by listening in on the "secret, invisible language" of worms? In this groundbreaking episode, we talk with Dr. Andrea Choe, Co-Founder and CEO of Holoclara, who uncovered a "universal worm language" used for hundreds of millions of years. Dr. Choe reveals how our modern "aggressive hygiene routine" removed the worms we co-evolved with, leading to a rise in allergic and autoimmune diseases. Discover how her team is pioneering a new class of safe, orally available therapies by synthesizing worm-derived molecules that "rebalance" our immune systems and have already blocked disease in animal models. This is a fascinating journey from a fundamental discovery in evolutionary biology to the cutting edge of biotech innovation.

Grow Everything brings the bioeconomy to life. Hosts Karl Schmieder and Erum Azeez Khan share stories and interview the leaders and influencers changing the world by growing everything. Biology is the oldest technology. And it can be engineered. What are we growing?

Learn more at www.messaginglab.com/groweverything

Chapters:

• (00:00:00) Welcome to Grow Everything Podcast

• (00:00:18) NYC Biotech and Climate Week Recap

• (00:08:43) Science News: Comets and Octopuses

• (00:15:17) Meet Dr. Andrea Choe

• (00:15:52) From Researcher to Founder: The Call to Action

• (00:17:25) Discovering the Universal "Worm Language"

• (00:25:11) Connecting Worm Secretions to Therapeutics

• (00:29:49) How Modern Hygiene Created an Immune Imbalance

• (00:34:35) Navigating the Hurdles of Natural Medicine

• (00:38:50) Holoclara's Mission to Treat Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE)

• (00:42:25) Holoclara's Phase 1 Safety and Trial Results

• (00:51:03) Moonshot Vision: A "Worm Atlas" of Molecules

• (00:52:28) The Strategy for Patenting Natural Molecules

• (00:54:33) Worm Superpowers & Immune Myths

• (00:58:25) Reflecting on Nature's Untapped Answers

• (01:02:41) Coming Up on Grow Everything

Episode Links:

• Holoclara

• Human Genome project 

• Diary of a worm - Doreen Cronin 

• Wildlife of Our Bodies - Rob Dunn

• Suzanne Lee  Ep 

• Glennis Mehra Ep

• Ellen Jorgensen Ep

• Innolabs

• Nucleate 

• Biolabs NYU Langone

• Genspace

• Biotech Without Borders 

• Newlab Climate Week Event - sign up and get tickets now! 

• Interstellar Comet Moving Through Our Solar System
  

Topics Covered: 

immune system, biotherapeutics, worms, evolution, helminthic immunomodulation, medicine, pharmaceuticals

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