Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta

The internet claims that the increases in celiac disease is rooted in modern wheat varieties, as human intervention in plant genetics must be the cause of human disorders.  But what does the evidence tell us?  In this week’s episode we’re joined by Dr. Senay Simsek from North Dakota State University.  Dr. Simsek is a recognized chemist that specializes in wheat composition. Her recent paper in the journal Food Chemistry examines the levels of gluten in modern varieties and compares it to what was present in heritage varieties.  The results show that associations between modern breeding and gluten sensitivity are not likely due to genetic improvement of wheat varieties.Here is the link to the paper discussed. This is a link to a related review by Dr. Simsek. And this the review that highlights efforts to reduce allergenicity. # 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.

Are food labels adding clarity or confusion?  Focus groups show that consumer sentiment toward food labels is changing.  Colleen Parr-Dekker is the Director of Communications at Elanco.  They have performed extensive focus group analysis and consumer surveys to understand how consumers feel about labels and food.  The excess of abstract information and claims has left most consumers unsure what labels even mean.  Consumers are clueless about terms like “antibiotic free” or “free range”, while companies use these tactics as marketing angles to differentiate their products.  Surveys show that terms like “natural” or “organic” are losing influence.  The results are surprising!Colleen Parr Dekker  – @ColleenParr# 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. Devang Mehta has been working in virus suppression in cassava, a key food staple in the Developing world.  In this week’s podcast he speaks about the RNAi and gene editing approaches that are used to engineer resistant plants. Dr. Mehta describes the. nuts and bolts and successes and failures in applying new technology, and the things that are learned along the way.  Hosted by Dr. Paul Vincelli (@pvincell).Dr. Devang Mehta  – @drdevangm# 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.

Those that live in the affluent countries of the West have little clue of the challenges of farming in the Developing World.  In this special episode, Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam (@biobeef) of the University of California Davis interviews three experts that understand food security in their respective countries.  Dr. Emma Naluyima of Entebbe, Uganda is a veterinarian that feeds an extended family from one acre of land. She shares her innovative methods and experiences. Nassib Mugwanya of Kampala, Uganda works with the Uganda Bioscience Information Center as an outreach officer. Dr. Marlene Ortiz Berrocal is a researcher in the Centre for Genomic Sciences, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. These three experts share their thoughts on biotech innovation and how it relates to food security in their respective nations and worldwide.Follow Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam  – @biobeef Dr. Marlene Ortiz Berrocal – @MOBerrocal Nassib Mugwanya – @nmugwanya Dr. Emma Naluyima – @DrNaluyima# 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 Extension arm of the Land Grant University system provides a link between university research and the farm.  Extension specialists are professional liaisons that understand pressing issues, and seek remedies in the brain trust of the university. At the same time they communicate university-derived solutions to statewide clientele, providing a critical link that ensures relevance in research and rapid application of new findings. Dr. Chad Lee is an extension agronomist at the University of Kentucky.  His central role is in agronomic crops, principally soybeans and corn.  His career has coincided with the development and application of GE crops.  In this week’s podcast he discusses the on-farm use of these technologies and associated products, and his objective evaluation of their strengths and limitations. Dr. Lee does an amazing job at debunking common myths from a boots-on-the-ground perspective.Follow Dr. Lee at @kentuckycrops# 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 problem of farmer suicides in India is very real, and has been for some time. Suicides are driven by indebtedness, and there are many reasons that farmers find themselves in financially challenging times.  In the context of the biotech debates, some of seized on this tragedy and exploit it for political gain, blaming biotech crops for acrued debt. Vaishnavi Tripuraneni is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Wisconsin. She is from India, and used the opportunity to study the question of farmer debt for her dissertation.  She discusses the central drivers of debt from her research.# 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. Monica Schmidt from the University of Arizona has an interest in using technology to make foods that are better for people.  Elimination of fungal toxins and enhanced production of key nutrients are two major areas of interest, and she has created lines that clearly are better for human health.  She also has an interest in using plants as factories for key proteins and enzymes.  Her laboratory’s extensive work is discussed on this week’s podcast.  Co-hosted with Cat Cropsey (@CatCropsey). Dr. Monica Schmidt’s website# 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.

Many important enzymes, industrial and therapeutic proteins are manufactured using transgenic plants.  Plants offer many benefits to protein production over animal cells and microbes for many applications.   In this episode Dr. Beth Hood from Arkansas State University and Infinite Enzymes joins the podcast to talk about the history of making proteins in plants, the rationale, and the exciting future.  She also discusses why her company uses the corn kernel as the optimum production machine, and their efforts to manufacture the enzymes required for paper pulp processing and biofuel production.Dr. Beth Hood’s website Infitite Enzymes  website# 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.

Rice is a world food staple with an incredible story.  Dr. Susan McCouch from Cornell University has been studying rice genetics for decades, and directs efforts in rice education in conjunction with the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines.   This episode features interesting stories about rice origins, early selection, variation and domestication.  It is a fascinating look at the details behind an important food crop.# 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. Jennifer Kuzma received her training in biochemistry, and then later found herself working in social sciences.  She is now the Co-Director of the Genetic Engineering and Society program at North Carolina State University.  Dr. Kuzma speaks with Dr. Paul Vincelli (@Pvincell) about the social and political considerations of gene drives.  She discusses ethics, policy and regulation, as well surprising imperatives where gene drives may be necessary for conservation or human health.  This is part 2 of the series.  Part 1 discusses the technology and its ecological implications, and may be accessed here.Dr. Jennifer Kuzma’s bio at https://facultyclusters.ncsu.edu/people/jkuzma/ See the papers associated with the following: A Roadmap to Gene Drives: A Deliberative Workshop to Develop Frameworks for Research and Governance online athttps://research.ncsu.edu/ges/research/projects/gene-drives-grant/# 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.