Mendelspod Podcast

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.mendelspod.comIn this premium episode of Mendelspod, we’re joined by one of the few people speaking clearly and globally about biosecurity in the era of synthetic biology and AI: Sophie Peresson.A consultant and leader in responsible innovation, Sophie brings an unusually broad and grounded perspective. With experience spanning international law and governance, she p…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.mendelspod.comAs artificial intelligence continues to influence the life sciences, some researchers are questioning not just what it can predict, but what it can explain. On this episode, Mike Kiebish, VP of Platform and Translational Sciences at BPGbio, discusses the company’s “biology-first” approach to drug discovery—one that begins not with models or literature, …

Join Gavin Knott, an associate professor at Monash University and an alum of Jennifer Doudna’s lab, as he dives into the fascinating world of RNA and AI in gene editing. Knott reveals RNA as a dynamic language and how AI tools like AlphaFold are revolutionizing protein design. He discusses the exciting potential of AI in reducing off-target effects in CRISPR technology and opens up about the challenges in the field. With his infectious curiosity, Knott envisions a future where proteins are designed with intent, pushing the boundaries of molecular biology.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.mendelspod.comFor decades, drug discovery has followed two main roads: small molecules that can slip into cells but often lack precision, and biologics that offer specificity but struggle with delivery and manufacturing. In this episode, Christian Schafmeister introduces us to a third path: spiroligomers—synthetic, fused-ring molecules designed to combine the best of…

What if drug design didn’t depend on pre-existing biological data? In this episode of Mendelspod, Theral sits down with Aridni Shah, co-founder and CEO of Immunito AI, a Bengaluru-based biotech startup reinventing how we develop antibody therapies. Shah and her team are using artificial intelligence to design antibodies from scratch, bypassing traditional animal-based and data-heavy methods. “We no longer need to rely on pre-existing data,” she explains. “We’ve gone to the fundamental atomic level and learned basic physics, chemistry, and maths—why do two proteins interact?”* 0:00 Discovering new antibodies without relying on biological processes* 4:45 The platform - a structure first approach* 10:00 The business model* 15:05 Bringing mathematics and physics to biology At the heart of Immunito’s innovation is a proprietary mathematical transformation that translates raw 3D structural data into rich, generative models capable of designing antibodies for even “undruggable” targets. It’s an ambitious approach to rational drug design that prioritizes data efficiency, leveraging physics-based complementarity rather than brute-force sequence matching. Still early in development, Immunito is already seeing promising lab results and aims to partner with pharma while building its own pipeline. “We should have signed a few multimillion-dollar multi-target deals,” Shah says of their goals over the next few years, “and be looking to progress towards IND.” This conversation opens a compelling window into how AI, when grounded in mathematical and physical intuition, may radically transform biology. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mendelspod.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.mendelspod.comYes, the Trump economy has been tough on life science tools—but according to today’s guest, the business model was failing us anyway. It’s time to go back to rethinking the basics.Today we’re joined by Stephane Budel, founding partner at DeciBio, one of the leading market research and consulting firms focused on life science tools and precision medicine…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.mendelspod.comOn today’s episode of Mendelspod, Theral sits down with Giovanna Prout, CEO of Scale Biosciences, to explore a how the company is achieving new orders of magnitude of scale in the single cell space."In the past, single cell was one cell per well—maybe 96 cells per experiment," Prout explains. "Now, with our Quantum Scale platform, we can scale from 85,…

What if you could step inside a molecule? On today’s episode of Mendelspod, we talk with Steve McCloskey, founder and CEO of Nanome, the company bringing virtual reality into the world of drug discovery and molecular modeling. A former nanoengineering student at UC San Diego and a self-described futurist, Steve founded Nanome to create what he calls the "ultimate scientific interface"—a way for scientists not just to visualize molecules, but to interact with them naturally in 3D space.* 0:00 The ultimate science app* 2:15 A use case* 7:15 How does VR interaction change things?* 12:47 Intuition at the nanoscale * 23:10 Can VR redefine biological models and become the norm?* 35:15 Hard to give career advice now with rapid rise of techNanome’s VR platform enables researchers to grab, rotate, and manipulate proteins, explore molecular dynamics, and even collaborate remotely inside a shared molecular environment. Built with both scientific rigor and the playful spirit of a 3D gamer, Nanome is already being used from classrooms to major pharmaceutical firms.One of the most compelling ideas discussed today is the possibility that VR can help biologists build intuition at the nanoscale, much like space exploration and science fiction helped earlier generations develop intuition about the cosmos. "Ninety-nine percent of people have no intuition for the nanoscale," McCloskey says. "You look at molecules on a 2D screen, and it's like a ball of spaghetti. But in VR, you pretty much instantaneously get it."​This new kind of "nano-intuition" could, McCloskey argues, open doors for faster discovery, better communication, and broader scientific literacy. As he puts it, "Space is fascinating because it's so vast and mysterious. But the nanoscale is even denser with phenomena—and we’re just beginning to explore it."​Looking ahead, Steve sees VR as becoming a normal part of the scientific workflow. Though today's headsets are still bulky, future versions could be as light as eyeglasses, embedding a whole new layer of spatial computing into everyday research.As Steve says: "If we can give scientists—and even the general public—intuition for the nanoscale, it might radically change how we approach biology, drug development, and science education itself."​ This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mendelspod.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.mendelspod.comWait! What? Sequencing as a service?That was the reaction when Mark Budde first set out to upend a basic ritual in molecular biology—confirmation Sanger sequencing—with his company Plasmidsaurus. You’ve heard it many times: Illumina machines sequence around 80% of the bases in the world. But as Mark points out in today’s interview, it’s not 80% of th…

Just weeks before the FDA’s sweeping rule to regulate laboratory-developed tests (LDTs) was set to take effect, a federal court struck it down. What does this mean for the field of precision medicine and for labs themselves? There are have been those on the side of regulation arguing its importance for reimbursement. Yet many, such as the plaintiffs in this case, the ACLA and AMP, have argued that FDA regulation could stifle innovation in a new field and even force labs to shut down. Today we talk with Sarah Overton, Senior Director of Revenue Cycle Management at Velsera, whose team helps clinical labs with everything from validation to reimbursement strategy. She walks us through the practical implications of the ruling. “It came just in time. Even meeting stage one was going to be incredibly burdensome,” she says in today’s interview. (Link to a webinar with Sarah on this topic here.)* 0:00 Impact of recent court decision on LDTs * 5:15 Supports an in-between regulation * 15:15 How are your clients choosing between LDT and IVD?* 20:00 Topic goes hand-in-hand with reimbursement * 25:20 Every test is differentInstead of scrapping oversight altogether, Overton argues for a middle ground — more robust than the current CLIA framework, but less rigid than the FDA’s approach. “We need something in between,” she says. “There are already mechanisms in place — like MolDX’s technical assessment — that address analytic validity, clinical validity, and clinical utility. That could be a model to build on.”We explore how Velsera’s clients are choosing between launching LDTs or IVDs, and what factors drive that decision. Overton emphasizes that reimbursement strategy must be integrated from the beginning — not bolted on at the end. “The test might be clinically excellent, but if it’s not reimbursable, it won’t sustain a lab,” she warns.“We need standards that ensure quality without crushing innovation,” she says. “There are ways to do that now. Let’s build on what’s working.” This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.mendelspod.com/subscribe