FYI - For Your Innovation

Kevin Davies is a renowned British science journalist and the executive editor of The CRISPR Journal, based in New York. His literary career began with Breakthrough: The Race to Find the Breast Cancer Gene in the early 1990s, followed by Cracking the Genome, which details the dramatic story of one of the greatest scientific feats ever accomplished: the mapping of the human genome. His other titles include the $1,000 Genome, DNA: The Story of the Genetic Revolution, and his most recent release, Editing Humanity: The CRISPR Revolution and the New Era of Genome Editing, for which he won a Guggenheim Fellowship for science writing in 2017. Kevin studied at Oxford University and moved to the US in 1987 after earning his Ph.D. in genetics. He is the founding editor of the Nature Genetics journal and Bio-IT World magazine, former editor-in-chief of Cell Press, and the first publisher of C&EN, the weekly magazine of the American Chemical Society. In today’s episode, Kevin elaborates on his career trajectory and explains why he believes that hanging up his lab coat was the best decision he ever made. We also touch on the common themes that run through his books, some of the challenges scientific publishers and editors face, and the importance of promoting the work of women scientists. We also cover vectors, CRISPR babies, the cost of gene therapy, and so much more! Make sure not to miss this fascinating discussion with the remarkable Kevin Davies. “How we turn this stunning 21st-century medicine into therapies that are affordable is going to be a Nobel Prize-winning discovery if anybody can crack that one.” — @KevinADavies Key Points From This Episode: Kevin’s career trajectory and his so-called “desperate” shift to science journalism. How Kevin believes the field of genetics has evolved since he was a geneticist in the 1980s. Learn about the impetus behind the Nature Genetics journal and The CRISPR Journal. What motivated Kevin to write Breakthrough, including a meeting with Mary-Claire King. Three elements in all of his books: genetics, medical or societal impact, and personal drama. Hanging up his lab coat to join Nature and the access to authors that it afforded him. Kevin reflects on the demographic representation and “race to the finish line” issues in scientific publishing and the burden editors face. The lens through which Nobel Prizes are considered and how it can shift perspectives. The importance of promoting women in science, who have traditionally been overlooked. How Kevin’s book, Editing Humanity, coincided with Doudna and Charpentier making history as the first two women to share a Nobel Prize. Stanley Qi’s role in the CRISPR story, which Kevin calls an “unsung contribution.” Speculation and trepidation surrounding vectors: Kevin shares some new thinking. Germline genome editing, CRISPR babies, He Jiankui, and controversy in Hong Kong. Learn more about the exponential cost of gene therapies and gene editing drugs.

Today, 20 years after we sequenced the first human genome, we’re starting to see the fruits of genomics. Instead of treating symptoms, researchers are focused on finding cures for once chronic and fatal diseases. We’re starting to reimagine medicine in ways previously thought impossible. This week on the For Your Innovation Podcast, we’re joined by Dr. Samarth Kulkarni, Chief Executive Officer of CRISPR Therapeutics. Sam joined CRISPR in early 2015 as Chief Business Officer. Two years later, in 2017, he was appointed to CEO. In addition to his expertise in biotech strategy and operations, Sam has spearheaded initiatives in personalized medicine, immunotherapy, and other therapeutic technologies. In today’s episode, we’re also joined by ARK’s CEO/ CIO, Cathie Wood, who helps provides her insights on macrotrends currently affecting the biotech industry as we come out of last week’s J.P. Morgan Health Care conference. Tune in to hear more on costs of genomic therapies, AI integration, and why Sam believes the “roaring twenties” of biotech may be on the horizon. “Every pharma company will have to have a cell gene therapy unit otherwise you risk being left behind” – @CrisprSam Key Points From This Episode: Why today is an exciting time for biotech Why Cathie believes macro factors, such as fears of inflation and valuations, are determining the present course of genomics companies Innovations and Improvements emerging in the biomedical innovation space The importance of former iterations of patented CRISPR-Cas9 for future treatments Will the timeline for advancing drugs to market shrink with time? Potential gene-editing developments in the near future – including the balance of ex vivo and in vivo The possibilities of what it will take to expand human life, while also treating rare diseases Sam on why having a capital base for sustainable funding could lead to better long term effects Moonshot Ideas and the next 10 years

As the year comes to an end, we would like to thank everyone who listened to the FYI — For Your Innovation podcast. 2021 was another up and down year, as the world continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. In this final episode of 2021, we compiled some of our most interesting podcast episodes for you. Please enjoy this summary and tune back in when we return in 2022 with a new and improved version of FYI. Check out the FYI – For Your Innovation Podcast ‘Best of 2021’. Because investing in innovation starts with understanding it. #FYIpodcast 1. Understanding mRNA. Conversations with Moderna and Arcturus Therapeutics (EP 89) Alexandra Urman, interviews Stéphane Bancel and Joseph Payne, CEOs of Moderna and Arcturus Therapeutics respectively about mRNA technology and its possibilities for the future. We discuss how mRNA can be used as a vaccine to combat SARS-CoV-2, its benefits, challenges, intellectual property landscape, and how it can be used for oncology and rare diseases. (Listen to the Full Episode) 2. Autonomous Vehicles Powered By End-To-End Deep Learning with Alex Kendall, Wayve.ai (EP 90) Tasha Keeney invited Alex Kendall, Co-Founder and CEO at Wayve.ai onto the show to speak about how the company is differentiating itself and solving some of the problems to wide adoption of self-driving cars. The private company Wayve.ai aims to build scalable, adaptable robotics for learning algorithms for self-driving cars. (Listen to the Full Episode) 3. The Terra Blockchain with Do Kwon (EP 98) Frank Downing spoke with Do Kwon, the founder and CEO of Terraform Labs and the Terra blockchain, as well as former ARK analyst James Wang. Terra is in the top 30 of the thousands of different blockchains that currently exist, and as Do explains in the conversation, it has some interesting features that set it apart from its so-called peers. (Listen to the Full Episode) 4. Competitive Mobile Gaming with Andrew Paradise, CEO and Founder of Skillz (EP 100) ARK analysts, Nick Grous and Andrew Kim sat down with Andrew Paradise, CEO and Founder of Skillz Inc., a publicly traded company[1] and mobile games platform that connects players and developers, enabling competitive social games. They discussed his thoughts on the mobile gaming market, the technology stack necessary for mobile gaming platforms, monetization of mobile gamers, the importance of social experiences within and outside of games, and the rise of casual and professional esports. (Listen to the Full Episode) 5. Therapeutic Human Gene Editing with Dr. David Liu (EP 106) Alexandra Urman interviewed Dr. David Liu to discuss exciting developments in therapeutic gene editing. Dr. Liu is a Richard Merkin Professor, Director of the Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies and Healthcare, Vice-Chair of the Faculty at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, and the Co-founder or Founder of nine biotech or therapeutics companies. He’s published over 195 scientific papers and is the inventor of over 75 issued patents. (Listen to the Full Episode)

As the year comes to an end, we would like to thank everyone who listened to the FYI — For Your Innovation podcast. 2021 was another up and down year, as the world continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. In this final episode of 2021, we compiled some of our most interesting podcast episodes for you. Please enjoy this summary and tune back in when we return in 2022 with a new and improved version of FYI. Check out the FYI – For Your Innovation Podcast ‘Best of 2021’. Because investing in innovation starts with understanding it. #FYIpodcast Key Points From This Episode: Introducing today’s guests Dr. Omar Obadiah and Dr. Jonathan Gootenberg. How Omar and Jonathan connected in college and started collaborating. Omar and Jonathan’s interest in tool development and their work with CRISPR. The fulfillment that comes with developing methods and tools that can uplift everyone in biology. How sequencing proteins has progressed since Omar and Jonathan first started. The idea of creating new diagnostic tools using CRISPR. How CRISPR can be used to identify a virus in the body. Why we need to continue to explore CRISPR as a diagnostic tool. How fluorescence is used in CRISPR and its reaction when something is detected. The next phase of development we can expect from CRISPR as it relates to devices and consumers. The substantial amount of money that employers would save if employees didn’t come to work when they had symptoms of illness. The role of RNA in gene editing. Omar and Jonathan’s respective Eureka moments in their research. How RNA’s transience affects its use in gene editing. Some of the safety concerns with different gene-editing techniques and how they are addressed. CRISPR’s level of precision and why that is so beneficial. The safety profile of CRISPR versus small molecules. How delivery will be different for RNA versus DNA editing. The best tools for identifying the correct information and if there are any off-target edits. Jonathan and Omar’s predictions for gene editing ten years from now. Jonathan and Omar’s advice for students. How Jonathan and Omar had to persevere against preconceptions in their institutions regarding teamwork and setting out on their own. Why science benefits from collaboration.

As the year comes to an end, we would like to thank everyone who listened to the FYI — For Your Innovation podcast. 2021 was another up and down year, as the world continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. In this final episode of 2021, we compiled some of our most interesting podcast episodes for you. Please enjoy this summary and tune back in when we return in 2022 with a new and improved version of FYI. Check out the FYI – For Your Innovation Podcast ‘Best of 2021’. Because investing in innovation starts with understanding it. #FYIpodcast Key Points From This Episode: Factors that caused CRISPR to dominate the gene editing space. David explains the difference between DNA and RNA, using a football analogy. The goal that David centered his PhD around. Variety that exists amongst RND molecules. Benefits of targeting RNA in diseased cells, rather than DNA. Why RNA lagged behind DNA in terms of technological developments. A theory about the role played by RNA in the past. Methods of RNA editing. Comparing homology directed repair (HDR) and non homologous end joining (NHEJ). David provides a breakdown of the various different guides and enzymes. Three kinds of vector systems, and how they work. Examples of the types of RNAs that exist. What David is excited about in the future of the RNA technology field.

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