Dr. Mike Tarselli, CSO of Tetra Science and Kevin Folta have a conversation about careers in biotech, where the discipline is going, along with observations about what makes someone successful in the field. We share many personal experiences as well as projections, and lessons we learned along the way.  This is a great episode if you are considering a career in biotechnology. 

What can be learned about biology from massive datasets, and can that information unveil opportunities for new therapeutics?  This is the approach by Turbine.  Today's podcast discusses Turbine's approach with Dr. Dan Veres, CSO and Co-Founder of the company. He describes how data sets from multi-omics analysis are merged and analyzed to identify potential drug targets. and in silico information informs wet lab tests. The outcome is new therapeutics to treat recalcitrant disease.  Webiste: www.turbine.ai

The COVID19 pandemic was a challenge in public health, but became much worse through politicization of science and a thriving misinformation network. Over a short time, a cadre of personalities emerged in a willing media that made claims contrary to public health guidance, stoking suspicion and eroding trust in the messaging from public health experts. Dr. Jonathan Howard's book, "We Want Them Infected" is a collection of social and traditional media comments by contrarian physicians and media personalities that frame the dissent against public health guidance. Dr. Howard uses their own words to illustrate how a handful of personalities hijacked a health crisis to personally benefit, while providing false and dangerous information that clouded pandemic response, and eroded trust in vaccinations and other aspects of public health. Buy "We Want them Infected" at Redhawk PublicationsOr on Amazon   

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is recognized for his bad science around critical issues like vaccination and agricultural chemistry.  Recently he enjoyed a long-form, virtually uncontested platform on the Joe Rogan Experience where he rattled misinformation after falsehood about everything from vaccination to disease to glyphosate to cell phones. Because Rogan has a massive audience, this information is particularly dangerous. Here I refute, point-by-point, the false assertions made by Kennedy, and clearly show that he is simply a motivated disinformation hustler, and his false information must be corrected. In this podcast I refute his points with evidence, and show why he should not be trusted for information about medicine or agriculture. 

The avocado is a wonderful fruit that is gaining in popularity, full of healthful oils and other nutrients.  However, consumers consistently note the obvious drawback of the short life of fresh avocados, especially when used in recipes, like guacamole. Oxidative browning occurs within minutes, and causes food waste and supply chain loss. Green Venus is a technology company that has used site-specific nucleases to edit the genome of avocado. Dr. Jeff Touchman discusses the challenges and opportunities, regulatory hurdles, and specifics of the edits, as well as the potential future of a genetically engineered avocado.  

The 400th episode also represents the first episode of the 9th year-- an amazing run for a tiny, self-produced podcast.  Where did it come from?  In this episode I talk about the genesis of the Talking Biotech podcast, from the Vern Blazek Science Power Hour, to an arm twisting by Joe Rogan, to being banned from podcasting by my university-- this is a behind-the-scenes history of this effort. I also recognize the guests that are no longer with us, yet remain a vital part of this archive. 

Vaccination is a cornerstone of animal health, and is critically important in animal agricultural operations. A number of devastating livestock diseases are prevented with vaccination, yet vaccines have not been developed for some of the most devastating diseases for several reasons. Long before the COVID pandemic and its slate of next-gen vaccine strategies, Harris Vaccines was using rapidly adaptable RNA-based vaccine technologies. The current suite of RNA-based vaccines have been used successfully in swine for years, with many others in development. Today's discussion is with Joel Harris, CEO of Genvax.  We discuss the technology and its applications. www.genvax.com@genvax @JoelTHarris

Sam Kean is a prolific author that has a unique talent for sharing the stories of science.  Trained in physics, Kean's work describes seminal events in science using a deeply researched narrative style that transforms textbook information into better-than-fiction stories of discovery. In today's episode guest co-host Gracelyn Byrd joins the podcast to discuss the state of science communication, how we can do better as scientists and science institutions, and discuss how today's events may be reflected in time. Sam Kean on Twitter:  @Sam_Kean

The human brain is complex, but over the years massive data have been gathered regarding the relationship between structure and function.  From functional MRI to many other techniques, researchers slowly are resolving the relationship between brain anatomy and how it actually works. Dr. Stephan Doyen of Omniscient Neurotechnology have designed tools to parse massive collections of data relating brain structure to function, and now provide a set of tools to guide surgeons, as well as potentially serve as predictive tools in addressing challenging neurological disorders. Website: https://www.o8t.com/

The kidney is one of the organs necessary to filter blood, composed of tiny functional units that separate waste products from molecules the body should retain. Chronic kidney disease is a significant international problem, with up to 10% of the population requiring treatment, and extreme cases requiring dialysis and/or transplantation with significant personal and public health costs. In today's episode we speak with Dr. Andrew King, Chief Scientific Officer of Chinook Therapeutics.  We discuss rare diseases of the kidney, such as disorders that lead to nephropathy, proteinuria, and oxalic acid deposition, along with how the next generation of drugs work to target these issues. www.chinooktx.com