Finding Genius Podcast

Could a simple diet change make cancer therapies more effective, thereby helping people fight cancer and extend their lives? The evidence seems to suggest that it might. Tune in to discover: Whether the ketogenic diet can slow DNA repair in cancer cells, and/or increase the anti-tumor immune response What might be different about cancer cells that are resistant to cancer therapies versus those that are killed by cancer therapies How the ketogenic diet seems to reduce the migration and invasion of cancer cells, and which model shows this the best Adrienne Scheck is Senior Research Scientist at the Institute of Molecular Medicine at Phoenix Children’s Research Institute, and she's studying how the ketogenic diet impacts brain tumor therapies, namely radiation and chemotherapy. Past studies have found that the ketogenic diet makes these therapies more effective, and that even when used alone, seems to reduce tumor cell growth. Based on experiments using mouse models and cells in culture, normal cells are not affected by the ketogenic diet in the same way that cancer cells are affected, meaning that normal cells aren’t at risk of being damaged or killed. Why is this the case? The original thought was that this is because the ketogenic diet reduces the intake of glucose, therefore reducing the amount of “food” that cancer cells thrive off of. However, Scheck and many other researchers are learning that the ketogenic diet affects nearly every hallmark of cancer that exists. Scheck and her team are trying to determine what is different about cancer cells that show resistance to cancer therapies, and cancer cells that are killed by cancer therapies. In the process of discussing this work, Scheck talks about the heterogeneity of tumors, the challenges of studying and finding effective chemotherapies for glioblastoma, what makes brain tumors particularly dangerous, how normal brain cells versus cancer cells respond to the ketogenic diet, how individuals differ in terms of reaching a state of ketosis, the near-future role and benefit of metabologenomics in the cancer arena, and much more. Tune in for all the details. Episode also available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/30PvU9C

Still scrabbling with Excel? Consider Python language uses, says programmer and podcaster Michael Kennedy. A general programming language that is easy to use in multiple environments, Python programming is limitless and has numerous open source utilities. He shares how listeners can grab hold of the advantages of Python. Listen and learn Examples of Python uses in industry, from Perseverance on Mars to how well Netflix works across devices, How Python and Excel compare and why jumping to Python will take less time than you might think, and What are additional Python language benefits and applications and what are helpful resources to learn more. Programmer Michael Kennedy of the podcasts Talk Python to Me and Python Bytes helps listeners get a jump start on this useful tool for researchers. He gives a fascinating description of the spectrum of its uses, from most AI algorithms and machine learning to YouTube and Netflix's performance across different technologies. But it's also extremely approachable and applicable to the smallest research project. He adds that often missing from conversations about needing more programmers is how adaptable Python can be for researchers already steeped in their fields. He says that scientists and graduate students can easily learn Python and turn it into their "superpower." How? Well for starters, there are numerous resources for learning the basic language, which he provides. But the beauty of Python is that while it is easy to learn quickly, it can be complex enough for projects at the highest level. That's why, he says, users often say you can learn it in a weekend and learn it for a lifetime. He also explains other benefits, like the 300,000 external libraries of Python, with prebuilt libraries for every discipline. But even beyond that, there are tools like loadable data structures to utilize to do the kind of analysis you may not be able to program. Finally, all these tools are free and open source. Intrigued? Listen in for more tips on how to get started with Python. Episode also available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/30PvU9C

How can you verify the efficacy and safety of the nutritional supplements you are taking? Functional medicine doctor and clinical consultant for Biotics Research shares his advice and experience. Tune in to learn about: How a consumer can find product validation from supplement companies Nutrient-nutrient interactions and their effects on the body How dietary and lifestyle changes can bolster supplementation Dr. Arland Hill works as a clinical consultant at Biotics research and is an experienced functional medicine doctor. While many supplement companies offer GMP labels, it does not speak to the product's quality or efficacy. A consumer may, however, request FDA evaluation sheets by directly contacting the company. It is also revealed that clinical testing can be very beneficial to consumers when formulating a supplementation regimen. Interactions between combinations of supplements can lead to deficiencies and other issues if improperly dosed by the consumer without consulting a professional. Consumers often carry misconceptions about what supplements they should be using and what others should be avoided. This can lead to nutrient-nutrient interactions, which can cause deficiencies in other necessary nutrient groups. These nutrient-nutrient interactions can vary based on the person, which is why consulting a medical professional is so crucial before beginning a supplement regime. Biotics remains focused on maintaining a high quality of manufacturing. As a company, they emphasize producing a smaller quantity of higher quality supplements rather than flooding their shop with a plethora of lesser grade offerings.  Visit https://www.bioticsresearch.com for more information. Episode also available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/30PvU9C

How can cancer and cancer cells be understood through the lens of cellular metabolism, and what insights can be gained into various forms of treatment? Many studies suggest that metabolic changes and the environment in which the cells inhabit can significantly impact how they function. Listen in to learn: How cancer cells are affected by oxygen availability Some often-overlooked benefits of Chemotherapy How cellular metabolism and pathways can affect the development of cancer cells Oncologist and cancer researcher at the Koch Institute at MIT, Dr. Matthew Vander Heiden, shares his research experience and some surprising cellular processes that can dramatically impact cancer cells. Dr. Vander Heiden sheds light on the Warburg effect, which describes how cancer cells tend to uptake glucose and ferment it rather than burning it in respiration. The fermentation of glucose rather than respiration is revealed to be how FDG PET scans function by differentiating cancer cells that use more sugar and show up highlighted on the scan. The fermentation process ultimately produces ATP and lactate to fuel the cancer cell. Alongside development pathways for the cells, oxygen is also a limiting factor on cancer cells, and the lack or surplus will encourage particular pathways to be used. Due to the availability of particular nutrients in different regions of the body, it is also thought that an individual's diet can impact the development of cancer cells. This is explained the clustering and absorption of those nutrients at different concentrations throughout the body. For more information, visit https://ki.mit.edu. Episode also available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/30PvU9C

To take down an enemy, the wisest strategy is to identify their Achilles heel, and attack it. What’s the Achilles heel of many cancers? The PLK-1 enzyme, which allows cancer cells to divide despite having chemotherapy-induced DNA damage. Press play to discover: How chemotherapy drugs are designed to kill cancer cells, and why they don’t always work Approximately what percentage of all cancers rely upon the PLK-1 enzyme, and how to attack it How a new enzyme inhibitor works synergistically with the standard of care chemotherapy drugs, and when it can be used in cancer treatment protocols Chief Executive Officer of Cardiff Oncology, Mark Erlander, discusses a new drug called Onvansertib, which is designed to inhibit PLK-1, the enzyme responsible for tumor cell division. Tumor cell DNA damage caused by chemotherapy is usually so significant that the tumor cell dies. But in some cases, tumor cells overexpress the PLK-1 enzyme, which allows those tumor cells to continue dividing rather than dying, even when extensive DNA damage has been done. When used in combination, chemotherapy drugs and Onvansertib have a synergistic affect, and could provide an effective way of treating a number of cancers. Cardiff Oncology has three ongoing clinical studies testing this approach: one for the treatment for leukemia, one for prostate cancer, and one for colorectal cancer. And, they just received FDA approval for a study on the use of this drug in treating pancreatic tumors. Interested in learning more? Tune in and visit https://cardiffoncology.com/. Episode also available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/30PvU9C

Could a multi-state blackout lasting months be in our near future? Could the experience of Texans become the experience of US citizens all over the country? And is that all it would take for the US to quickly revert to the status of a third world country? Tune in to learn: Why wind power does not actually have a low carbon footprint, and how its use has impacted the safety margin of the power grid How the recent power outages in Texas could have been avoided, and which precautions were not in place Why a major blackout affecting millions of Americans in many states is almost inevitable Physicist and environmental advocate, and largely self-taught expert in all things energy and environment, John Droz shines a light on the recent blackouts in Texas, telling listeners how they happened, why they happened, and how they could have been avoided. This discussion leads to a deep dive into wind power: how it works, how it is being used, who is pushing for its widespread use, and why it is so problematic when it comes to the power grid safety margin. Droz shares all the details. Listen now and visit http://wiseenergy.org/ to learn more. Episode also available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/30PvU9C

Have you ever been told you have high blood pressure? Were you surprised? Did you feel completely fine, and even doubt that the numbers were accurate? If so, you’re not alone. Most people have no idea that they’re hypertensive, because it can takes years if not decades for this disease to cause havoc in the body.    Press play to discover: Why routine blood pressures are taken on the arm, and what new types of technology could soon replace the use of blood pressure cuffs Why patients are encouraged to monitor their blood pressure at home rather than in the doctor’s office How different blood pressure medications work, and whether they’re effective Why perfect blood pressure doesn’t necessarily mean that hypertension isn’t causing disease in the body   How and why high blood pressure can cause organ damage and atherosclerosis leading to increased risk of heart attack and stroke The vast majority of people who have high blood pressure have what’s called ‘primary’ or ‘essential’ hypertension, which is multifactorial. It could be due to any combination of genetics, age, lifestyle, etc. But there is a second type of hypertension that is due to specific causes, such as hormone-producing tumors, kidney issues, and blood vessel problems. It’s this second category of hypertension that requires the real detective work in trying to determine causation. And it’s these patients that associate professor, Jeffrey Turner, works within the hypertension clinic at Yale School of Medicine. His goal is to detect hypertension and treat it before it develops into dangerous, life-threatening, and potentially irreversible problems.   Turner explains the basics of blood pressure, the role of inflammation in hypertension and other diseases, how to measure blood pressure in different areas of the body, what happens to blood vessels over time in a person who has hypertension, how people are commonly diagnosed with high blood pressure and why it’s considered the “silent killer,” and one of the biggest challenges to treating people who have hypertension, but who don’t feel unwell. Tune in for the full conversation and learn more at https://www.ynhh.org/services/hypertension-program.aspx. Episode also available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/30PvU9C

Is it possible to prevent cancer with metabolic therapies used to increase mitochondrial health? Could it also be possible to treat even very aggressive cancers with the same approach? Tune in for the answers, and to discover: What the Warburg effect is, and the difference between oxidative phosphorylation and fermentation in the development of cancer What benefits can be provided by the combination of hyperbaric oxygen therapy and chemotherapy, and why Whether plants, bacteria, insects, and other biological systems can develop cancer, and if so, how it might differ from metastatic cancer in humans Dominic D'Agostino is Senior Research Scientist at the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, and Associate Professor in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine. On today’s show, D’Agostino discusses the Warburg effect, which explains the way in which cancer cells produce energy. Rather than through mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, cancer cells stay alive and proliferate using energy produced by the ancient fermentation pathway. This understanding points to a critical theory: cancer develops when there has been damage to the mitochondria in cells, limiting or altogether eliminating the production of energy through oxidative phosphorylation. There are many causes of cancer, including viruses, inflammation, irradiation, the aging process, and carcinogens, but what could be the underlying culprit among all causes is mitochondrial damage, which causes inflammation which further damages mitochondria. D’Agostino explains this process in depth, but also discusses a range of metabolic drugs being used to combat cancer, offering a less damaging form of cancer treatment than chemotherapy. In addition to discussing certain types of exercise and diets that can boost mitochondrial health, he talks about the combined use of radiation therapy and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. He explains that when hyperbaric oxygen and targeted radiation are used, only about five percent of the amount of radiation is necessary, which could provide huge benefits to patients and avoid the negative side effects of using radiation and/or chemotherapy alone. Metabolic therapies may not only hold the key to treating aggressive cancers, but preventing them, to begin with. Press play for all the details and learn more at https://ketonutrition.org/. Episode also available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/30PvU9C

For the first time, chemistry can be observed in real-time. Turn a magnetic field off, watch cellular fluorescence dim; turn the magnetic field back on, and watch the cellular fluorescence get brighter. Tune in to learn more from the lead researcher, including: A likely explanation for how some animals use magnetic fields for navigation Why all cells fluoresce when a light is shined on them, and what determines the degree to which this happens What HeLa cells are, and why they are so useful for this and many other types of research Jonathan R. Woodward is a professor of environmental sciences at the University of Tokyo, where he’s conducting experiments involving the use of light and magnetic fields for the observation of real-time intracellular chemistry. When a light is shined on cells, the molecules in the cells undergo a photochemical reaction that proceeds through short-lives species called radical pairs, which Woodward says are at the heart of why cells become sensitive to magnetic fields. In Woodward’s lab, the goal is to figure out what is happening inside cells, both mechanically and molecularly, during and after the magnetic response. Once a solid understanding has been formed, he and his team can begin asking questions like whether there are any downstream biological effects or health implications of the magnetic response, whether positive or negative. Woodward dives deep into the details of his experiments, as well as how the science behind it is viewed from the background of quantum biology vs. chemistry vs. physics. He also explains the kinetic isotope effect, electron spin, how free radicals are formed, the two types of angular momentum of the Earth, the Pauli principle in quantum mechanics, evidence of bacterial and non-human animal uses of magnetic fields, and more.   Learn more at http://opes.c.u-tokyo.ac.jp/spinchem/. Episode also available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/30PvU9C

When it comes to radiation therapy for cancer, cellular resistance to it can be a death sentence. What is the genetic basis for this resistance in humans? And what on earth do zebrafish have to do with it? Well…a lot.  Tune in to learn: Why it’s nearly impossible to conduct unbiased research on mice and other mammals How zebrafish are helping researchers overcome a major obstacle to cancer drug discovery   Why it may be more beneficial to focus on eliminating radiation resistance than on targeted therapeutics in cancer When Samuel Sidi attended a French geneticist’s lecture in the early 90s, he had no idea the impact it would have on him and his career trajectory. The lecture was on a new zebrafish model, which would allow for the first time ever, unbiased forward genetic screening on a vertebrate. Since vertebrates are more genetically and pathophysiologically similar to humans than the invertebrates commonly used for this research approach (e.g. Drosophila, worms, yeast), the zebrafish model opened the door to unprecedented and exciting opportunities in research—research that’s no longer limited by cost, time, and spatial constraints that previously existed for this approach in vertebrates.   The zebrafish model also addresses a concern of Sidi’s and other researchers: invertebrates lack many pathways and mechanisms that are deregulated in disease, which means they are lacking as a research model for human disease. Sidi is currently an associate professor at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where he's directing research in the Sidi Lab. Unique among other researchers in the zebrafish model world, he is applying the unbiased approach to cancer drug discovery research. During his post-doc, Sidi developed a zebrafish model that models the problem of resistance to radiation therapy in human cancer. And recently, his MD/PhD student used this model to run an unbiased drug screen, which led to the identification of a compound that can restore radiation sensitivity in mutant zebrafish. The result? “Totally unexpected,” says Sidi. Tune in for all the details. Learn more at these links:  https://labs.icahn.mssm.edu/sidilab/meet-the-team/  https://youtu.be/LnyxoxvtcPo Episode also available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/30PvU9C