TechNation Radio Podcast

On this week’s Tech Nation, it’s about developing medicines which enable the body to heal itself. First up, treating depression in a whole new way … and rapidly. Dr. Jeff Jonas, the Chief Innovation Officer and Director of Sage Therapeutics, talks about their drug Zuranolone, nearing the end of its drug approval journey. Then, Craig Parker, the CEO of Surrozen, talks about their work with the W-N-T pathway, or Wnt pathway. Their initial candidate for treatment? Repairing the liver.

On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with Jamie Susskind about his book, “The Digital Republic … On Freedom and Democracy in the 21st Century”. Then, in Biotech, a potential successor to stem cells - fibroblasts? Yes, fibroblasts. Dr. Hamid Khoja, Chief Scientific Officer of FibroBiologics in Houston, describes their fibroblast programs in such diverse conditions as Degenerative Disk Disease, Multiple Sclerosis and Diabetic Foot Ulcers.

On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with Bloomberg and BusinessWeek journalist Mark Bergen about the challenge of keeping up with the 100’s of hours of video uploaded every minute. His book is “Like, Comment, Subscribe: Inside YouTube’s Chaotic Rise to World Domination”. Then an excerpt from Wired Science Editor Kara Platoni’s original interview about her 2015 book: “We Have the Technology: How Biohackers, Foodies, and Physicians are Transforming Human Perception.” It’s even more relevant today.

On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with Dr. Jeffrey Cleland, the President & CEO of Ashvattha Therapeutics, about their drug development efforts to treat Long Covid. Then Dr. Greg Frost, the Chair and CEO of Exuma Biotech, tells us about their work to speed up CAR-T – from 4-6 weeks to just a few hours, and a second delivery method – programming a virus to produce the treatment protein needed. Just a simple injection under the skin. Finally, Wall Street Journal reporter Katherine Blunt with “California Burning … The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric – and What It Means for America’s Power Grid”. What’s causing many of those California wildfires? Aging Technology.

On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with Kirk Wallace Johnson talking about fisherman, immigrants, bigotry, justice and environmental pollution. It’s all in “The Fishermen and the Dragon … Fear, Greed, and a Fight for Justice on the Gulf Coast”. Then on BioTech Nation, Dr. Hernan Bazan, the Co-Founder & CEO of South Rampart Pharma in New Orleans. They’re working on the next generation of pain relief – non-opioid pain relief. The goal is to be equally powerful without the addiction.

On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with Harvard economics professors Edward Glaeser and David Cutler about “Survival of the City … Living and Thriving in an Age of Isolation.” Then Dr. Alex Pang’s advice about our work life from his 2016 book, “Rest … Why You Get More Done When You Work Less” is even more relevant now. And Tech Nation Health Chief Correspondent Dr Daniel Kraft talks to us about something unprecedented … our teeth!

On this week’s Tech Nation, how exactly did Edward Snowden deliver those classified government documents into the hands of the media? Former Washington Post investigative journalist Bart Gellman, currently writing for The Atlantic, talks about his book: “Dark Mirror: Edward Snowden and the American Surveillance State”. Then Tech Nation Health Chief Correspondent Dr. Daniel Kraft talks about the potential for genetic susceptibility to the COVID-19 virus, and other aspects of genetic predisposition to the success or failure of available medical treatments.

On this week’s Tech Nation, what Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Richard Branson all have in common: They all started spaceflight companies. Moira speaks with New Yorker writer NICHOLAS SCHMIDLE (“schmidd-uhl”) , the author of “Test Gods: Virgin Galactic and the Making of a Modern Astronaut”. Then 40% of Americans report that they have gained weight since the COVID pandemic began. Excerpts from a past interview with DR SANDRA AAMODT (“ehh-mutt”), the former editor-in-chief of Nature Neuroscience. Her TED Talk “Why Dieting Doesn’t Usually Work” has received over 4 Million views. She’s the author of the 2014 book, “Why Diets Make Us Fat … The Unintended Consequences of Our Obsession with Weight Loss.”

On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with Emory University Primatologist Dr. Frans de Waal talks about his book: “Different … Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist. Then Dr. Steve Worland from eFFECTOR Therapeutics tells us about their approach to cancer. Among their efforts - Non-small cell lung cancer and ER positive breast cancer. And Kevin Ali the CEO of Organon explains how this women-focused company went global with its 64 products in one year. That’s a story in itself.

On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks withDr. Alexandria Forbes (whom you may known as Zandy Forbes), President and CEO of MeiraGTx, tells us about their efforts in treating retinitis pigmentosa and Parkinson’s, among other medical conditions. MeiraGTx is also working on a new technology to replace defective DNA with new working DNA, and the ability to stop the new DNA should you choose. Then Matthew Ball, the former global head of strategy for Amazon Studios, talks his book: “The Metaverse … and How It Will Revolutionize Everything.”