Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta

Gene editing with CRISPR/Cas, TALEN or other tools allows scientists to make directed and precise changes in DNA.  The technologies promise to transform agriculture and medicine. But the application of these technologies hinges on consumer sentiment. Dr. Brandon Mc Fadden is an agricultural economist that specializes in understanding what makes consumers tick. We have a conversation about gene editing, public sentiment, and how it varies between agriculture and medicine. 

A significant number of fatalities are due to blood loss following accidents, injuries or medical procedures. While many methods can stop catastrophic bleeds, they take time and are not always successful. This episode explores the process of inducing bleeding cessation with Joe Landolina of Cresilon. The company has devised a polymer from algae that is applied topically, and immediately stops the bleed. The science behind this innovation and potential applications are discussed. 

Mycotoxins are carcinogenic compounds that arise from specific fungal infections in various crop plants, with corn and peanut being key examples.  In the industrialized world, governments monitor relevant crops carefully, and install strict thresholds for presence of these dangerous compounds. But what about Developing World?  Today's podcast interviews Dr. Felicia Wu, Professor at Michigan State University. Dr. Wu has analyzed the risk associated with mycotoxins, and has studied how various technologies mitigate their effects. This is a shocking revelation about world food security, and a hopeful glance into methods of surveillance and new technology to improve global human health. 

Camelina (Camelina sativa) is an oilseed brassica that grows fast and produces many seeds. It grows in marginal soil and great resistance to disease and environmental stress.  That said, it is an ideal plant to use as a factory to produce a variety of metabolites that may be used in applications such as fuels and plastics, as well as a sources of healthy food oils and animal nutrition products.  Their resilience as a crop and rapid growth means that they may offer farmers an off-season cover crop that can add to soil health and produce important products.  This week's interview is an interview with Yield10's CEO Dr. Olly Peoples.  Yield10 is advancing the genetics of camelina to produce a variety of useful key polymers, nutrition products and food for animals, inside a cover crop that can expand profitable options for farmers. Visit Yield 10's Camelina website here. 

Upon sequencing the human genome, scientists were surprised to find that it is composed of about 8% viral sequence. These fossils are relics of ancient primate infections where retroviruses incorporated into the chromosome and became part of the human lineage. While these viral elements have contributed positively to speciation and development of specific human traits, they also have the capacity to become pathogenic. Dr. Advinda Nath is the Clinical Director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. He joins Talking Biotech to share his experiences, knowledge and predictions in this exciting, emerging area of research.  

We are bombarded with information, but do we know what sources to trust and how to evaluate specific claims?  Melanie Tercek-King joins the podcast to discuss some fundamentals of critical thinking, and implement her tool kit to evaluate which claims have merit, and which might be best disregarded. 

In his new book Dr. Robert Paarlberg describes the current state of the food system, focusing on issues like industrial farming, organic farming, restaurants, biotechnology, and how technology will impact farming in the future.  In today's podcast we discuss some of the critical points of the book and what food and farming may look like in the future. 

Ticks are significant disease vectors, with an emerging scope of pathologies associated with tick bites. New technologies have accelerated the ability to genetically engineer ticks, creating new opportunities to understand gene function in ticks, as well as potentially use gene editing to control numbers or affect disease vectoring. Dr. Monika Gulia-Nuss (University of Nevada, Reno) and Dr. Jason Rasgon (Penn State University) describe tick disease transmission, new transformation technology, and potential applications.  

Dr. Anne Simon is an expert in plant viruses.  She describes some of the current threats to plant biology, and discusses ways that viruses may be used to work for us, rather than against us. She also discusses her time as a technical advisor to The X Files series, and how that experience helped her to share science.  Follow Dr. Simon on Twitter here! 

Human Endogenous Retroviruses (HERVs) comprise 8% of the human genome and are relics of ancient infections, some dating back to pre-human primates.  These resident viral elements can be awakened by viral infections, and have been shown to be tightly associated with diseases like Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).  New data suggest a role for HERVs in the neurological symptoms of long COVID. Today's podcast features a conversation with Jesus Martin-Garcia, CEO and Co-Founder of GeNeuro. New therapies target the rogue proteins arising from these ancient viruses, and show promise in treating, if not reversing, disease progression.  Follow GeNeuro on TwitterGeNeuro Website    http://www.geneuro.com/YouTube Videos of their technology# COLABRATalking Biotech is brought to you by Colabra – an R&D platform that brings your lab’s world-changing research together in one shared space. Learn more at https://www.colabra.app/# TALKING BIOTECHTwitter: https://twitter.com/talkingbiotechWebsite: https://www.colabra.app/podcasts/talking-biotech/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colabrahqThe Talking Biotech podcast is distinct from Dr. Kevin Folta's teaching and research roles at the University of Florida. The views expressed on the show are those of Dr. Folta and his guests, and do not reflect the opinions of the university or Colabra.