Progress, Potential, and Possibilities Podcast / Show

Send us a textDr. Peter J. Hotez, M.D., Ph.D. (https://peterhotez.org/), is Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine and Professor of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology and Microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine where he is also Chief of the Section of Pediatric Tropical Medicine and the Texas Children’s Hospital Endowed Chair of Tropical Pediatrics . Dr. Hotez is also Rice University’s Baker Institute fellow in disease and poverty and Co-Director of Parasites Without Borders (https://parasiteswithoutborders.com/), a global nonprofit organization with a focus on those suffering from parasitic diseases in subtropical environments. Dr. Hotez is an internationally recognized physician-scientist with expertise in neglected tropical diseases and vaccine development. He leads the only product development partnership for developing new vaccines for hookworm, schistosomiasis and Chagas disease, and is just coming off a major win for emergency use approval of his team’s Corbevax protein sub-unit COVID-19 vaccine, of which he, and previous guest to the show, Dr. Maria Elena Bottazzi, were recently nominated for a Nobel Prize. Dr. Hotez is the author of more than 400 original papers, as well as the books Forgotten People, Forgotten Diseases - The Neglected Tropical Diseases and Their Impact on Global Health and Development, Blue Marble Health - An Innovative Plan to Fight Diseases of the Poor amid Wealth, Vaccines Did Not Cause Rachel's Autism: My Journey as a Vaccine Scientist, Pediatrician, and Autism Dad, and Preventing the Next Pandemic: Vaccine Diplomacy in a Time of Anti-science. Dr. Hotez previously served as president of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, the Sabin Vaccine Institute and as founding editor-in-chief of PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. He is an elected member of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academy of Sciences. In 2011, he was awarded the Abraham Horwitz Award for Excellence in Leadership in Inter-American Health by the Pan American Health Organization of the World Health Organization. In 2015, the White House and U.S. State Department selected Dr. Hotez as a United States science envoy. Dr. Hotez obtained his undergraduate degree in molecular biophysics from Yale University (Phi Beta Kappa), followed by a Ph.D. in biochemical parasitology from Rockefeller University, and an M.D. from Weill Cornell Medical College.Support the show

Send us a textDr. David Su, Ph.D. (https://atmosic.com/company/leadership/) is CEO and Co-Founder of Atmosic, a fascinating company that is “re-architecting” wireless connectivity solutions from the ground up to radically reduce Internet of Things (IoT) device dependence on batteries, aiming to make batteries last forever and the Internet of Things battery free – thus breaking the power barrier to widespread IoT adoption. Dr. Su brings to Atmosic over 30 years of engineering expertise with an extensive wireless background, as his past teams’ radio designs have brought billions of successful devices to market. He was on the early engineering team at Atheros, as VP Analog/RF Engineering, and VP Engineering with Qualcomm following the 2011 acquisition of Atheros. He was also at HP for several years. Dr. Su earned a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) and Master of Engineering (MEng) in Electrical Engineering, from University of Tennessee, a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University, and has been a Consulting Professor of Electrical Engineering at Stanford. He is an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Fellow.Support the show

Send us a textThe Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X - https://carb-x.org/) is a global non-profit partnership accelerating antibacterial products to address drug-resistant bacteria, a leading cause of death around the world. 1.27 million deaths worldwide were attributed to resistant bacterial infections in 2019. The CARB-X portfolio is the world’s most scientifically diverse, early development pipeline of new antibiotics, vaccines, rapid diagnostics and other products and represents the only global partnership that integrates solutions for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of life-threatening bacterial infections, translating innovation from basic research to first-in-human clinical trials. Dr. Erin Duffy, PhD., is Chief of Research & Development at CARB-X and she has two decades of drug-discovery and problem-solving experience in the antibiotic arena. She was previously with Rib-X Pharmaceuticals (now Melinta Therapeutics) where in increasing roles she helped to build and sustain a team of researchers that translated the company’s scientific platform into next-generation and novel antibiotics that target the ribosome. Her team’s most recent achievements include the de novo design and optimization of a completely new class of antibiotics, the pyrrolocytosines, which were supported in part by CARB-X. Prior to Rib-X, Erin was the Associate Director of Innovative Discovery Technologies at Achillion Pharmaceuticals, responsible for building the structure and computational teams and platform for their antiviral efforts. She began her industrial career at Pfizer Central Research, in Groton, Connecticut, where she joined a team of computational and structural drug designers in multiple therapeutic areas. Erin was trained formally at Yale University, where she became a physical-organic chemist focused on defining computationally how small molecules interact and react in the group of Professor William L. Jorgensen. She expanded her experience to large molecules under the mentorship of Professor Axel Brunger, whose group at Yale was transitioning to a mix of computational and laboratory structural biology. Kevin Outterson, ESQ., is Executive Director of CARB-X and is a global thought leader on business models for antibiotic development and use. He is Professor of Law and N. Neil Pike Scholar of Health and Disability Law at Boston University School of Law, where he leads multi-disciplinary teams to solve global health issues. Professor Outterson is the Executive Director and Principal Investigator of CARB-X and a partner in DRIVE-AB (aka Driving Reinvestment In Research And Development And Responsible Antibiotic Use) a project composed of 15 public and 7 private partners from 12 countries that is funded by the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) joint undertaking between the European Union and the European Pharmaceutical Industry Association (EFPIA). He also leads the Social Innovation on Drug Resistance program at Boston University.Support the show

Send us a textDr. Andrew Adams, Ph.D. is Vice President of Neurodegeneration Research at Eli Lilly (https://www.lilly.com/) and Co-Director of their new Lilly Institute for Genetic Medicine, a $700 million initiative to establish an institute for researching and developing genetic medicines, specifically acting at the nucleic acid level, to advance an entirely new drug class that target the root cause of diseases, an approach that is fundamentally different than medicines available today. In this role, Dr. Adams will be responsible for leading the discovery of various new types of therapies, via both internal research, and robust collaborations with external partners. These novel approaches will also allow Lilly access to previously "undruggable" targets across the breath of therapeutic areas at Lilly, as well as potentially opening up novel avenues of clinical investigation. In addition to these major roles, Dr. Adams over the recent years also took on scientific leadership of Lilly’s COVID-19 neutralizing antibody projects, as well as serving as Vice President for Lilly Genetic Medicine, and during his time at Lilly has served in roles across early discovery, external innovation, and as a leader of Lilly’s early trailblazer teams, championing new ways to bring Lilly science to patients with speed. Dr Adams holds a degree in biology and a doctorate in zoology from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. Prior to joining Lilly in 2011, he was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard Medical School studying the neurobiology of anorexia nervosa.Support the show

Send us a textMs. Victoria Laskina-Ustimenko (https://www.instagram.com/laskinavika_2/?hl=en) is a multi-industry entrepreneur with specialization in biotechnology, cryptocurrency, fashion and capital markets, where she collaborates with a wide variety of companies across the world, providing public relations & business development services. As a distinguished young thinker from Ukraine, she graduated from Donetsk State University in Marketing, where she studied public relations. In addition to her own PR business (https://www.instagram.com/pretobusiness/?hl=en) Victoria currently serves as Chief Business Development Officer at the think tank Transdisciplinary Agora for Future Discussions (https://gen4ir.org/). She has also served as Chief Public Relations Officer and Managing Partner at USP Capital Ltd., at the Waves Platform and AdHive.TV as a PR specialist, at CryptoMatic ATM as the Global Business Development Manager, and also currently operates a fashion agency in Moscow, Russia. Victoria's futurist and multidisciplinary vision of a better world has led to her focus as a progressive-thinker for exponential organizations in Russia & Ukraine, representing a technologically diverse clientele, ranging from autonomous VTOL vehicles, to novel IT, to bio-remediation firms, several who have joined us previously on the show over the past years. Victoria is passionate about generating close relationship with some of the most impressive scientists, philosophers, artists, and entrepreneurs worldwide.Support the show

Send us a textLonger term correctional facilities, of which we have around 2,000 in the U.S., are not geared to accommodate the needs of a growing aging population. Within this aging population, we see the natural slowdown of physical mobility and cognitive processes, aging prisoners are prone to predation and humiliation, and major CNS degenerative disorders, such as early onset dementia, including Alzheimer’s Disease, is difficult to detect in this population, which is often accompanied with other mental illnesses and maladaptive social behaviors. The Gold Coat program (https://thegoldcoats.com/), based at the California Men’s Colony State Prison in San Luis Obispo, consists of healthy inmates specially trained to care for those with dementia and other cognitive impairments, and the experiences of these Gold Coat workers (designated for the gold smocks they wear) reveal not just a fascinating model of care and working rehabilitative program, but also a true model of reform that can provide skills for meaningful employment while caring for those who cannot help themselves. Aileen Hongo is a geriatric social worker and received her masters degrees in Gerontology and Social Work from the University of Southern California. She came across the Gold Coats program through her studies. Aileen continues to research the plight of the escalating aging prison population in correctional facilities unsuitable to accommodate the natural decline of physical mobility and cognitive processes of older adults. She currently works as a life skills instructor in the county jails. Barry Hughes is originally from Los Angeles, CA. Barry served as a Gold Coat for 5 years and hospice caregiver from 2004 to until released from prison in 2012. He is currently working as a Peer Specialist in Grief Support for the Department of Mental Health at the Veterans Administration. Aileen and Barry are both authors of a book: The Gold Coats - An Exceptional Standard of Care: A Collaborative Guide to Caring for the Cognitively Impaired Behind Bars (https://www.amazon.com/Gold-Coats-Exceptional-Collaborative-Cognitively/dp/1530609011).Support the show

Send us a textKatie Baca-Motes, MBA, (https://www.scripps.edu/science-and-medicine/translational-institute/about/people/katie-baca-motes/) is Senior Director, Strategic Initiatives at the Scripps Research Translational Institute, and Co-Founder of the Scripps Research Digital Trials Center (https://digitaltrials.scripps.edu/). Katie leads various initiatives, including launching their new Digital Trials Center, focusing on expanding the institute's portfolio of decentralized clinical trial initiatives including: DETECT, a COVID-19 research initiative, PowerMom, a maternal health research program and PROGRESS, an upcoming T2 Diabetes/Precision Nutrition program, as well as overseeing the institute’s role in the NIH "All of Us" Research Program as a Participant Center. The Scripps Research Translational Institute (SRTI), was founded in 2007 with the aim of individualizing healthcare by leveraging the remarkable progress being made in human genomics and combining it with the power of wireless digital technologies. The Scripps Research Digital Trials Center, a part of SRTI, leads groundbreaking studies that address the world’s most pressing health concerns, by pioneering “site-less” clinical trials, leveraging rapidly evolving digital health technologies to re-engineer the clinical trial experience around the participant, rather than the research site. Katie’s past experience includes managing behavioral research projects with SRTI, Walt Disney Company, Aetna, Janssen, and others, and her research projects over the years have leveraged insights from behavioral economics and other social sciences in areas like improving clinical trial enrollment, increasing the return on incentive schemes, understanding the psychology behind consumer decisions, identifying effective donor communication, increasing the effectiveness of corporate wellness programs and improving patient outcomes. Katie has a BS in Biology and Chemistry from The University of New Mexico, and an MBA from University of California, San Diego - Rady School of Management.Support the show

Send us a textDr. Kara Spiller, PhD (https://drexel.edu/biomed/faculty/core/SpillerKara/) is Associate Professor in the Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory at Drexel University, in Philadelphia. Dr. Spiller received her bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in biomedical engineering from Drexel University where she conducted her doctoral research in the design of semi-degradable hydrogels for the repair of articular cartilage in the Biomaterials and Drug Delivery Laboratory at Drexel, and in the Shanghai Key Tissue Engineering Laboratory of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. After completing her PhD, when she received the award for Most Outstanding Doctoral Graduate: Most Promise to Enhance Drexel's Reputation, she conducted research in the design of scaffolds for bone tissue engineering as a Fulbright Fellow, in the Biomaterials, Biodegradables, and Biomimetics (the 3Bs) Research Group at the University of Minho in Guimaraes, Portugal. She also worked as a Postdoctoral Scientist at Columbia University Dr. Spiller is currently conducting research in the design of immuno-modulatory biomaterials, particularly for bone tissue engineering. Her research interests include cell-biomaterial interactions, biomaterial design, and international engineering education.Support the show

Send us a textAkshay Talati, RPh, is Vice President Of Product Development, Research & Innovation, Regulatory, at the Beauty and Wellness Division of Goop (https://goop.com/), a wellness and lifestyle brand and company, founded by actress Gwyneth Paltrow, where he leads new product development and innovation for the company’s wellness and lifestyle brands. Initially trained as a Pharmacist, and then achieving a M.S. in Industrial Pharmacy at Long Island University, Akshay is a thought leader with an established track record of over two decades in cosmetics, dermatological and pharmaceutical product development, for 20+ distinct brands, for three of the largest multinationals including Estée Lauder (as Executive Director of Research & Development, Clinique), Unilever (as Vice President – Research and Development / Product Development - Murad / Unilever Prestige), and L’Oréal (as Vice President Research and Innovation, Head of Skincare). Over his career, Akshay has championed innovation for hundreds of products cumulatively valued in billions of dollars. He also serves and advises in several cosmetic societies and strives to positively influence those who seek guidance through mentoring. Akshay serves as a founding member of Skindie (https://skindie.co), a consulting firm generating authentic beauty intelligence and trends.Support the show

Send us a textDr. Emilio A. Emini, Ph.D. is the CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Medical Research Institute (https://www.gatesmri.org/), a non-profit organization dedicated to the development and effective use of novel biomedical interventions addressing substantial global health concerns, for which investment incentives are limited, and he leads the Institute’s research and development of novel products and interventions for diseases disproportionately impacting the world’s most vulnerable populations. Before joining the Gates MRI, Dr. Emini served as director of the HIV and Tuberculosis program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, where he led the foundation’s efforts focused on accelerating the reduction in the incidence of HIV and TB in high-burden geographies, with the goal of achieving sustained epidemic control. Over the course of his previous 30-year career in the bio-pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Emini led teams involved in the research and development of novel anti-infectives and vaccines. From 1983 to 2004, he led research at the Merck Research Laboratories involved in the development of one of the first highly active anti-retroviral therapies for HIV and, as senior vice president of vaccine research, the successful development of a number of vaccines including vaccines for human papillomavirus and rotavirus. Dr. Emini later served as senior vice president of vaccine development at the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative. From 2005 to 2015, he was senior vice president of vaccine R&D at Pfizer Inc., leading the development of Prevnar 13® for prevention of pneumococcal disease. Dr. Emini was awarded the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Weill Cornell University Graduate School of Medical Sciences in 2006. He is a former trustee of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases and a former member of the National Preparedness & Response Science Board, an advisory committee to the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. He is an elected fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, International Society for Vaccines, and The College of Physicians of Philadelphia. He received his Ph.D. in Microbiology, Genetics, and Biochemistry from the Weill Cornell University Graduate School of Medical Sciences.Support the show