Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta

Information has been weaponized, and the ability to create false information to achieve an ideological goal has never been more easy. Political polarization, science denial, and a shining, effective conduit of dissemination (the internet) allows anyone with an agenda to recruit the like minded, and produce compelling media to reinforce bankrupt ideas. Where did information warfare originate, what are its effects, and how do we fix it?  This week's podcast discusses the book, On Disinformation: How to Fight for Truth and Protect Democracy with author Dr. Lee McIntyre. The book presents a chilling description of who creates disinformation, how subscribes to it, and its long term effect on free society. Fortunately, solutions are proposed that can help curb the penetration of disinformation, particularly as it becomes more effective through artificial intelligence. 

Dr. Juliet WIlliams of Kymera discusses the use of molecular linkers to connect proteins that need to be degraded with the machinery to tag them for destruction, targeting proteins for degradation as a therapeutic approach, exploring the potential of targeted protein degradation in treating various diseases, and the exciting technology and sponsorship opportunities for the podcast.

Recombinant DNA technologies once confined to the laboratory are now available to just about anyone. Is this a good thing or an extreme risk? David Ishee is self-described biohacker, dog breeder and mad scientist, and merges these passions in cutting edge DIY projects and educational tools. We discuss the opportunities and risks in DIY molecular biology, biohacking and democratization of modern genetic plant, animal and microbial genetic tools.  

We're surrounded by microbes, many that are the basis of disease. Others have evolved resistance to our best antibiotics. Others may be weaponized for bioterrorism. Because microbial threats can evolve rapidly and grow quickly, early detection of a microbial threat is essential. Dr. Brad Perkins of Karius describes the threats of microbes, his company's novel approach to fast and easy test that can detect evidence of thousands of putative pathogens in a small blood sample, essentially overnight. We discuss the technology and its applications. The technology stands to be an important tool to ensure a lower-risk pathogen environment in medical facilities, as well as detect putative pathogens before they become major problems for a patient or broader population. 

The Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) is the largest native North American fruit, and grows wild throughout most temperate forests of the eastern United States and Canada, from southern Ontario to the Florida border. Several breeding efforts have sought to improve this tree crop, seeking mostly to improve fruit quality, especially post-harvest. The fruits feature a tropical flavor, a flesh that has been described as everything from marshmallow to banana, in a custard-like texture. Despite its flavorful appeal, few have experienced this fruit, mainly because of its perishable nature, and the fact that wildlife appreciate the fruit before humans ever get to it. However, a new initiative called Project Pawpaw seeks to improve the species for fruit production. Director Adam D'Angelo speaks about fundraising efforts to grow breeding populations, and utilize modern approaches to hasten development of improved pawpaws. Project Pawpaw websiteFollow on Instagram

In today's episode I cover two topics with Cameron English, science journalist and podcast host.  We discuss the current status of citrus greening disease in the USA, a disease that has ravaged the Florida juice industry. We also discuss the copious disinformation around seed oils, which many internet sources claim to be dangerous. 

The connection between tobacco smoke, cancer and heart disease has been well established since the 1800's, with irrefutable medical evidence presented since the 1950s. There is no question that smoking has significant public health impacts. The effects of second hand smoke were examined in various studies and  also claimed negative effects. But these reports has some significant limitations, and larger studies later showed no significant risk.  One of the authors, cancer epidemiologist Dr. Geoffrey Kabat, recounts the publication, the fallout, the lack of defense from the scientific community, and later independent reports that would reinforce their findings of no association with lung cancer and heart disease. While predating social media, the findings that did not fit a public health narrative where harshly criticized, using arguments that failed to address the evidence. This example is a precursor to understanding the modern-day discussions about issues like vaccination, COVID19, glyphosate, and other topics where the evidence is strong, but public opinion often fails to accept it. Dr. Kabat's accompanying article on Quillette. 

Dr. Ashley Winslow, CEO/CSO of Odylia Therapeutics, discusses a novel non-profit model for addressing rare diseases and the approaches being designed for two rare genetic eye diseases. Topics include the challenges of developing therapies for rare diseases, the founding of a nonprofit biotech company for rare disease research, gene therapy solutions for eye disorders, and the potential of gene therapy for treating Usher syndrome.

The more information you know about your genetics the better, right?  This is the idea behind companies like 23andMe, which offer platforms to understand your potential genetic predisposition toward a specific disease. The concept thrives on massive collection of public genetic data, coupled to extensive questionnaires that en masse, generate statistical associations between different genetic variants and various disorders, diseases, behaviors or drug sensitivities. These powerful tools are shaping our understanding of genes and genetic variants that contribute to our physiology, metabolism and psychology, and even aiding in drug discovery. Dr. Joyce Tung, Vice President of Research at 23andMe describes the technology, the evolution of the business, racial disparities, and what the future looks like for public genetic services. 

DNA has been an invaluable tool to make certain matches between a suspect and a crime. Since its early use in the 1980s, we have seen an explosion in DNA sequence availability, allowing forensic scientists to identify hypervariable regions of the genome that can assist in confirming a person's identity. However, there are many ethical issues surrounding its implementation, such as use of public and private databases (like 23 and Me) to identify a suspect. The discussion covers a breadth of forensic applications with Brian Hoey, Director of the Missouri State Police Crime Lab.