Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta

At its core, gene editing works to break gene function by creating errors in a DNA sequence at a specific location. The process works by creating a precise cut that is repaired by the cell’s repair mechanisms, and those processes can be error prone.  Those errors are the basis of the gene’s disruption.  But in a population of cells, how do you account for and catalog all of the changes?  Kevin Bloh is a research associate and a Ph.D. student with Christiana Care / University of Delaware.  He describes computational tool that help define the variation around gene edited sites. The new tools help refine cells possibly destined for research or therapeutic applications.DECODR software link.  www.decordr.org# 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.

One of the major failures of addressing the COVID19 pandemic is the breakdown of testing.  The NFL and White House were able to  maintain business as usual because of daily, accurate testing. When the disease is detected, its spread can be controlled.  Jo Bhakdi of Quantgene talks about testing and how his company has scaled up testing solutions to at least apply them commercially to businesses wishing to maintain operations and protect their employees.  We talk about testing and how it may be scaled to a national level.  In the second  half we talk about early cancer detection in a blood draw, an exciting possibility that would save lives and money through the earliest possible detection of several major cancers.Website:  https://chooseserenity.com/covidFacebook:  https://www.facebook.com/SameDayCOVIDTestinghttps://www.instagram.com/choose_serenity/https://twitter.com/quantgeneInstagram:  https://www.instagram.com/choose_serenity/Twitter:  https://www.instagram.com/choose_serenity/https://twitter.com/quantgene# 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.

Dr. Patrick Moore was a founding member of Greenpeace. In the years past its inception he worked tirelessly on ecological issues. Over time, he saw the group’s positions as less than scientific, leading to his defection.  Soon after he became a leading advocate for the deployment of Golden Rice, the pro-Vitamin A rice that was invented to alleviate blindness and illness caused by a missing micronutrient in the Developing World.  We discuss his roots, his efforts for Golden Rice, and conclude with his new book which addresses his controversial stance on climate change.Follow Dr. Moore on Twitter:  @EcoSenseNow Golden Rice Project:  www.goldenrice.org The link to his new book# 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.

Bananas and other tropical crops have tremendous value, not just to farmers in the Developing World, but also as products that are enjoyed widely in highly industrialized nations.  However, crops like bananas and coffee are threatened by pathogens that could severely curtail cultivation and availability. Tropic Biosciences is taking on these problems using a unique approach– using gene editing to adjust genetics in a way that attacks the pathogen without consequence in the original plant itself. Dr. Eyal Maori is the Chief Science Officer and co-founder of Tropic Biosciences, and discusses the problem and their innovative approach.# 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.

Radiation is a natural energy that constantly bombards us.  At the same time we have harnessed its power for medical imaging, therapeutics, energy and warfare.  Collateral damage from radiation exposure, even in critical therapeutic contexts, can have profound effects on cellular health and ultimately survival.  Dr. Fyodor Urnov of the University of Berkeley and the Innovative Genomics Institute is part of a team seeking to use gene editing as molecular medicine to speed recovery from radiation damage. The concept is to identify the genes that play a role in recovery, and then use gene editing strategies to temporarily excite them. The goal is to produce ways to recover from acute radiation sickness and exposure, which can have profound effects from radiotherapy to space travel. Follow Dr. Urnov on Twitter:  @UrnovFyodor# 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.

The story of biotechnology’s response to the pandemic is an amazing one, and we continue coverage of these events as they arise. Today guest host Dr. Asha Brunings speaks with virus and immunology expert Dr. Brianne Baker.  They discuss various topics of immunology with respect to the virus, discussing the new variants, the new vaccines, and a deep dive in to the mechanisms of immunity to the COVID19 symptom spectrum.Follow Dr. Barker ; @BioProfBarker Follow Dr. Brunings: @AshaBrunings And Dr. Barker is a co-host of the podcast This Week in Virology  # 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.

Algae efficiently convert carbon dioxide into oils, and they are now being bred to generate a suite of compounds that may be synthesized into fuel and polymers that are the basis of biodegradable plastics.  Dr. Steve Mayfield is a Professor at the University of California San Diego, and the Director of the California Center for Algal Biotechnology.  His work with algae shows how this rapidly growing photosynthetic organism can generate everything from fuels to plastics, from gasoline to surfboards to veggie burgers.  Future plastics from algae promise to be biodegradable, curtailing the tremendous problem of plastic pollution.Dr. Mayfield’s Website  Here # 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.

Certain aggressive cancers have profound effects on lifespan and quality of life. Patient prognosis can be grim, and therapies are harsh. Dr. Dan Peer of the University of Tel Aviv leads a group that has targeted gliomas and ovarian cancer with gene editing. Specifically, lipid nanoparticles are produced that target cancer cells, and introduce gene editing hardware that specifically inactivates genes required for cell division.  The breakdown in proliferation impedes the cells’ growth.  In animal models this single-treatment approach has shown benefit in increasing lifespan and presumably quality of life.  We discuss the details of the technology and its potential translation to humans.Peer Lab Website Follow on Twitter:  Peer_Lab# 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.

Consumers have many opinions about food, and are continually bombarded by information from manufacturers to self-proclaimed experts. To gauge what they really think economists formulate approaches to learn what they are thinking and how they might behave in a purchasing scenario.  Dr. Stuart Smyth has studied the interface between consumers and agricultural biotechnology.  In this episode he presents the work from his group’s recent publication that discusses how consumers ultimately feel about purchasing products with ingredients from GE crops.Dr. Smyth’s website for SAIFood Follow him on Twitter  @stuartsmyth66# 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.

The COVID-19 pandemic overshadowed an incredible year of innovation in biotechnology.  Today’s podcast is a simulcast between the Science Facts and Fallacies with Cameron English and Talking Biotech.  We discuss six science stories that were true highlights of an incredible year in science, along with stories that help us understand the state of the science/society interface.# 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.