Clearer Thinking with Spencer Greenberg

Genomics and Health Outcomes (with Noor Siddiqui)

Jul 4, 2021

Noor Siddiqui, Founder and CEO of Orchid and a former AI researcher at Stanford, dives into the explosion of genomic advancements. She explains how genetic testing can empower prospective parents to assess health risks for their future children, emphasizing the ethical implications. Noor contrasts Orchid's comprehensive services with other genetic testing companies, explores the role of 'junk DNA', and discusses the complexities of gene editing technologies like CRISPR. Plus, she addresses the moral obligations parents face regarding genetic risks.

56:37

Creator website

Episode guests

Noor Siddiqui

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Intro

5min

Evolution of Genetic Understanding

7min

Empowering Future Parents Through Genetic Insights

3min

Genetic Insights for Future Generations

15min

Comparing Genetic Testing Services: A Focus on Heritability and Support

3min

Navigating Genetic Testing Technologies

4min

Unraveling Junk DNA and Genetic Insights

4min

Decoding the Genetic Code

13min

Moral Obligations and Genetic Risks in Parenting

2min

Read the full transcript here.

Why has there been such an explosion of progress in genomics recently? What's the right way to think about how genes affect the likelihood of experiencing certain health outcomes? How can people mitigate genetic risks for their potential children? What sorts of moral obligations (if any) do parents have to mitigate potential genetic risks for their children? How does Orchid's focus differ from other companies in the same space? What is "junk" DNA? What percentage of our genes are identical to our siblings, to other humans, and even to other animals?

Noor Siddiqui is the Founder and CEO of Orchid, a reproductive technology company. Prior to Orchid, Noor was an AI researcher at Stanford where she worked on applications of deep learning to genomics with Anshul Kundaje and computer vision applied to medical imaging with Sebastian Thrun. Noor has spoken internationally about her work at the intersection of technology and medicine at events like Milken's Global Conference, WebSummit, and Kaiser Permanente's Executive Leadership Summit. Her work has been covered by The Washington Post, Forbes, TechCrunch, among other outlets. Noor is also a recipient of the Thiel Fellowship, a grant program spawned by Paypal founder and Facebook board member, Peter Thiel, supporting breakthrough technology companies. Noor earned her M.S. and B.S. in Computer Science from Stanford University. Follow her on Twitter, connect with her on LinkedIn, visit her website, or email her at noorsiddiqui@orchidhealth.com.

Staff