Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta

Ten years ago the biotech world froze and horrific images of three tumor-ridden rats penetrated the media. Social media erupted with messages of fear, and anti-biotech activists celebrated the scientific publication that conclusively linked biotech crops and an associated herbicide to cancer and early death. But at the same time a scientific community noted the shortcomings of the work. Eventually the paper was retracted, and independent research commissioned by the European Union failed to replicate the results. Still 10 years later, the three iconic rodents are used to dissuade the public from accepting biotechnology, and push a false narrative that was codified with the Seralini study. This week's podcast features the views of scientists and journalists, including Dr. Mary Mangan, Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam, Jon Entine, Joan Conrow, Michael Robin, Dr. Stuart Smyth, Dr. Myles Power and others.  The opinions expressed are those of the individual guests and not necessarily those of Kevin Folta, Colabra, or the University of Florida. 

 Dr. Betsy O'neill, VP of External Innovation at Horizon Therapeutics describes how strategic partnerships can assist biotech startups in moving new therapies through development to deployment.  She discusses her company's collaborative approach, and how working together can assist in efforts to navigate the challenging business and regulatory environment. 

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are genome-resident relics of ancient infections. They comprise 8% of the human genome, and are activated by viral infections. Proteins like HERV-W and HERV-K accumulate following infections and have been causally connected to Multiple Sclerosis and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Scientists have now observed that SARS-CoV2 infection also induces expression of specific HERV proteins. Prof. Claudia Matteucci discusses the role of HERVs and their tie to COVID19 diagnosis and potentially as central players in long COVID. 

Anthocyanins are a class of plant pigments associated with healthful qualities in food. While research continues to assess their true health benefits in vivo, there is no question that the attractive fruits stimulate the senses and bring novelty to the diet. Dr. Cathie Martin of the John Innes Center in Norwich, England discusses the technology behind the purple tomato, its potential benefits to animal health, its effects on tomato shelf life, and the recent USDA nod to release of the purple tomato in the USA.

Sexually transmitted infections like chlamydial and gonorrhea are making a comeback, especially with younger demographics. Part of the problem is the stigma of examination and testing. These are not trivial infections, and can result in more complicated syndromes, which could include sterility or issues reproductive health. Early, discrete, confidential detection is key. Today's guest is Dr. Anna Dixon. She's the Chief Technology Officer of Binx Health. Her company has devised a lab-on-a-chip solution that provides fast and accurate diagnosis of specific infections in thirty minutes. Providing non-invasive, rapid and accurate, point-of-care detection can have profound roles in advancing patient care, as well as decreasing the incidence of disease in a population. 

Communication between the digestive system and brain is much more intricate than previously thought.  The digestive epithelium is laced with sensors that monitor the contents of the gut, reporting back to the brain, stimulating appropriate hormones and digestive action to guide motility, chemistry, and absorption. This network is frequently referred to as the 'second brain' because of the dense neurophysiology at work. Recently it has been hypothesized that dysfunction in the gut-brain axis may be the basis for several immune and neurological disorders, suggesting that this neurological system may be an excellent drug target. Nancy Thornberry, CEO and Founder of Kallyope (Cal-EE-O-pay) describes the gut-brain axis, its role in digestive signaling, her company's novel drug discovery methods, and potential drug targets that may lead to innovative therapies for human health originating here in the second brain. 

Insects cause massive losses in human health and agriculture. Scientists have implemented Sterile Insect Technique for over 50 years, a process to suppress populations by introducing genetically-damaged insects into natural settings. Upon mating, the offspring. Scientists have now used gene editing techniques to selectively suppress the Spotted Wing Drosophila, a costly pest in agricultural contexts.  Today's podcast is an interview with Dr. Nikolay Kandul, a scientist working with a team that has used an innovative Cas9/gene editing approach to suppress populations of this devastating and costly invasive pest. The application seeks to cut insecticide use and costs for farmers and consumers. 

While the vast majority of gene editing efforts have been confined to crop plants, animal gene editing holds tremendous promise. Efforts have demonstrated that naturally-occurring alleles could be reconstituted using site-specific nucleases, creating hornless dairy cattle and beef cattle with sex ratios skewed towards a higher proportion of males. These breakthroughs are just a sample of the powerful technology. Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam is a Cooperative Extension Specialist at the University of California Davis. She has been an academic leader in animal genetic engineering and public communication about new technology.  Follow her at @BioBeef on twitter. The podcast also features a conversation with Jilian Hendricks, a graduate student at the University of British Columbia. She is seeking assistance for a scholarly project, and would like to interview a number of scientists about gene editing. Her email is jhendric "at" mail.ubc.ca  

Immunotherapies represent a powerful suite of treatments that co-opt the immune system to target deleterious cellular conditions.  They have been effective with a series of cancers and other disorders. The problem is that development of new antibodies can be challenging for several technical reasons, but also because no two people are alike. Dr. Liang Schweizer of HiFiBio describes how her company is using single-cells and microfluidics to identify new antibodies that may be mobilized against discrete cellular targets, as well as what they have learned about heterogeneity between patients and how to identify specific biomarkers that could guide application of the most effective treatments. 

Dogs are a recent species, and because of their close associations with humans have diverged into hundreds of breeds with specific behaviors, sizes and builds. There also is a great range in life expectancy and anticipated disease.  Dogs therefore provide an excellent model to study aging and aging-related disorders, as well as understand the genetics and associated factors of aging. Celine Halioua, the CEO of Loyal, joins the podcast to discuss research into dog genetics and the factors that influence aging, along with her company's attempts to find drugs that can attenuate the process, and possibly be extended to humans.