Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta

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

Plant biologists use a set of tools to modulate gene expression. The well-established set of molecular switches are rather crude, with limited control of spatial or temporal expression.  Dr. James Lloyd discusses the newest tools in synthetic circuits, molecules that can tailor a response with a given input. These new tools add needed nuance to the regulation of gene expression and stand to revise how we control specific genes in the lab and field. 

Scientists are encouraged to step into the public conversation around controversial work, especially when that work seems to deliberately misinform, and can negatively affect public health.  A series of authors have used to COVID pandemic to use the peer-reviewed literature to push claims that are poorly supported by legitimate evidence. These papers find favorable review from poor-quality reviewers, leading to eventual publication, and earning the patina of legitimacy, despite the poor quality of the work. Dr. Lonni Besançon and an expert team responded to a paper online that presented no original research-- just a hypothesis that is supported by cherry picked data to support a conclusion. The team wrote a response to the journal, which was peer reviewed prior to publication, yet the journal still declined to print it. This conversation shows that the claims of silencing and censorship are not stopping bad information-- but we can identify cases where efforts to correct the information are rejected. The paper by Barrière et al. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12015-022-10465-2

The companies on the front edge of pharmaceutical development have identified the value of massive data sets in the future of drug design. Ironically, personalization of therapies will be improved tremendously through examination of massive data sets. Dr. Michael Zaizac from Novartis of Europe discusses how his company has they have integrated artificial intelligence and analysis of patient data sets for new discoveries in patient care. 

As we age, the brain undergoes changes that lead to various disorders that affect physical ability and mental acuity. There are many processes at play, ranging from alterations in the extracellular environment, to accumulation of deleterious proteins, to a breakdown in connections between neurons. Can these processes be reversed?  Dr. Jean Herbert from the Albert Einstein School of Medicine has led efforts to reconstitute brain function through use of stem cells. Current steps in animal models may one day contribute to human therapies. 

The COVID pandemic accelerated development of a new class of vaccines. This class, called mRNA vaccines, allows ease in manufacture, rapid response to disease or disease variants, and many other benefits.  But just like any technology, an industry has arisen to stand in its way, promoting false information that painfully mischaracterizes what these new veterinary tools truly are. A cadre of internet personalities now capitalizes off of the manufactured fear that can help farmers, consumers and the environment-- as well as fortify animal welfare.  University of California scientists Dr. Alison Van Eenennaam and Dr. Terry Lehenbauer discuss what the mRNA vaccines are, and how efforts to oppose them defy science, especially when codified into law by clueless politicians. 

In a rapidly changing technology environment, how do established businesses tackle smart growth and continue transformative change?  In this special edition of Talking Biotech Podcast we examine the business climate of Regeneron, and how growth in the era of genomics and massive data sets from human health changed the process of drug discovery, but also changed how the company would respond to new opportunities and challenges. Dr. Jeffery Reid, Chief Data Officer, explains where the company was, and how it has changed with the rocketing pace of data acquisition and integration. 

In this episode Dr. Kevin Folta shares a spontaneous conversation with Dr. Liza Dunn. Dr. Dunn is an emergency medicine physician with a specialty in medical toxicology, now working as the Medical Affair Lead at Bayer CropScience.  The discussion covers the current scientific environment in social media, and emphasizes the need for scientists to be engaging. Topics from communication about vaccines to genetic engineering are covered. Follow Dr. Dunn at @DrLizaMD

The potato is a world food staple, yet it is constantly threated by fungal and viral pathogens in all of its growing regions. Farmers combat these problems with chemistry, which cuts farmers profits and has potential consequences for applicators and the environment. Dr. David Douches from Michigan State University discusses the USAID project that installed a cassette of disease resistance genes from wild potato species in the cultivated potato. The result is a potato that can survive better in the Developing World, helping to ensure food security.