Raising Health

The podcast explores the biology of pain, discussing different types, the purpose of each, and how our understanding of pain has evolved. It also delves into the link between pain and addiction, understanding personalized treatment approaches, advancements in pain research, and challenges in measuring and treating pain.

The podcast discusses SwabSeq, an open source COVID-19 diagnostic platform that uses DNA sequencing to increase the scale of testing. They cover the development of the method, the decision to make it open source, and how sequencing improves scalability. They also explore challenges in scaling up COVID-19 testing, the importance of using a control in DNA sequencing, timing and turnaround in testing, and the goal of testing UCLA.

Exploring the potential of genetic engineering tools in designing biology; advancements in CRISPR technology and machine learning approaches; the role of consumers in bioengineering and go-to market strategies; advantages and future potential of biology; challenges of building a company at the intersection of computation and biology; exciting applications in therapeutic purposes, brain-computer interfaces, cancer treatment, and problem-solving.

Over the past 15 years we have made huge advances in our ability to engineer the genome, meaning that we now have the ability to edit DNA in a programmable and precise manner. In the lab, these editing tools allow us to create models of disease and to investigate how changes in the genome lead to changes in cell and organismal biology. And excitingly, these genome editing technologies are now entering clinical trials to treat, and possibly cure, diseases like sickle cell anemia. But there is a component of the human genome which even the much lauded and powerful CRISPR system has not been able to touch: the mitochondrial DNA. The mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell and contain their own, much smaller, genomes which encode several essential proteins and RNAs. Mutations in the mitochondrial genome are the cause of over 150 diseases, but to date, fixing these mutations with gene editing and gene therapy has been off the table due to the inaccessibility of this genome. In this episode of Journal Club, a16z general partner Jorge Conde and bio deal team partner, Andy Tran – experts in genomics and genome engineering – join Lauren Richardson to discuss groundbreaking research creating the first genome editor able to target the mitochondrial DNA: "A bacterial cytidine deaminase toxin enables CRISPR-free mitochondrial base editing" by Beverly Y. Mok Marcos H. de Moraes, Jun Zeng, Dustin E. Bosch, Anna V. Kotrys, Aditya Raguram, FoSheng Hsu, Matthew C. Radey, S. Brook Peterson, Vamsi K. Mootha, Joseph D. Mougous & David R. Liu, published in Nature. We discuss what makes the mitochondrial genome distinct, how this new tool – which was derived from a bacterial toxin – was engineered for both safety and specificity, and the important applications for this new editor.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

It's not normal to talk to your employer about the details of your health: your current temperature, who you've been exposed to, whether your kid is sick, whether or not you've been social distancing. So how do employers handle and manage this entirely new process of employees returning to the workplace in the midst of an ongoing pandemic? In this episode of Bio Eats World, Vineeta Agarwala (general partner at a16z), Phong Nguyen (EVP and General Manager at Accolade), Ryan Sandler (CEO and Cofounder of Truework), and Mark Sendak (Population Health & Data Science Lead at the Duke Institute for Health Innovation) talk about what it means for employers to now have to manage employee health in a whole new way, figuring out when it's safe to come back, how, and what tools you need. From monitoring employee health and preventing transmission to triaging what happens when there is a documented case; temperature checks (do they even make sense?); testing (how often and in what way?); and above all, where can technology help, this is an entirely new world for employers and employees both. All these decision trees involve not just a complex business logic and new tools and procedures, but also big issues around employee privacy and trust, and a fundamental shift in the relationship between employer and employee... as this becomes a new feature of our COVID world. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Learn about the understudied cerebrospinal fluid and the choroid plexus in the brain. Discover the breakthrough model of cerebral organoids for studying the composition and function of the choroid plexus. Explore the implications for brain development, evolution, and drug development. Gain insights into challenges of drug delivery to the brain and the discovery of different cell subtypes in the choroid plexus. Delve into the variations between mouse and human organoids and their potential applications.

Explore the past and future of cancer treatment with guests Gary Reedy, CEO of the American Cancer Society, Jonathan Lim, CEO of Erasca, and Jorge Conde, a16z general partner. Topics include the history of cancer treatment, the importance of screening and early detection, future therapies, and preventing cancer.

Stanford Professor Carolyn Bertozzi discusses the development of drugs called LYTACs that can degrade disease-causing proteins. The conversation covers the engineering of these drugs, their benefits, and future optimization. They explore the concept of proteolysis targeting chimeras as an alternative to traditional drugs and the potential therapeutic applications of lytac technology. The episode also discusses advancements in drug design, optimizing lie tech for therapeutics, and the potential of targeted protein degradation for improving patient outcomes.

with @LauraDeming, @kpfortney, @vijaypande, and @omnivorousread Welcome to the first episode of Bio Eats World, a brand new podcast all about how biology is technology. Bio is breaking out of the lab and clinic and into our daily lives—on the verge of revolutionizing our world in ways we are only just beginning to imagine. In this episode, we talk all about the science of aging. Once a fringe field, aging research is now entering a new phase with the first clinical trials of aging-related drugs. As the entire field shifts into this moment of translation, what have we learned? What are the basic approaches to developing aging-related drugs? How is studying aging helping us understand diseases like cancer and Alzheimer's—and increasing the amount of time we are healthy—today?  In this conversation, Laura Deming, founder of The Longevity Fund; Kristen Fortney, co-founder of BioAge, a clinical-stage company focused on finding drugs to extend healthspan; Vijay Pande, general partner at a16z; and host Hanne Winarsky discuss the entire arc of aging science from one genetic tweak in a tiny worm to changing a whole paradigm of healthcare delivery. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this podcast, the hosts discuss the concept behind 'Bio Eats World' and how biology and engineering it will reshape our future. They emphasize the significance of scientific data and clinical wisdom in the fight against COVID-19.