Mendelspod Podcast

There are hundreds of pregnancy apps available. So what is unique about the NIH’s new crowdsourcing project called PregSource?“We think PregSource is different because we offer the security and reliability of having been developed at the NIH with the participation of well regarded organizations. We’ve developed the content with expert input at every stage. Their are no ads at PregSource. And, of course, we will never, ever share or sell the data with a commercial organization.” 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

Today we engage in a rare discussion between a startup founder who is going beyond sequencing and working directly with cancer patient cells in 3D cultures and with one of his customers, the husband of a cancer patient.Meet Christian Regenbrecht, the CEO of CPO or Cellular Phenomics and Oncology based in Berlin, Germany and Janos Flosser, a fund manager who invests in technology from Copenhagen, Denmark. 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

It’s the question of the moment Are we living in the age of AI? Or is it still just hype?When it comes to the latest research in immuno therapy, computational modeling is helping to answer key open questions, such as which patients might respond to which drugs."If you were to ask me last year about deep learning, I would probably say, aaah, most of the algorithms that are published are not really answering the important questions yet. But I think this year I am converted. We are starting to use deep learning, and we are starting to see interesting results.” 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

At the end of the year, we like to speak with a journalist who covers genetics about some of their stories. 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

Designer babies. The term means many things to many people. To some it means kids only dressed in Gucci.Some say that by doing pre-implantation genetic screening, we are already living in the age of designer babies. Others have been holding out for that time when humans edit their own germline offering the new progeny not only disease repair, but also enhancements. It's also argued there’s a third category in the middle there somewhere, a protection against disease in the future. That’s what He Jiankui attempted. 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

A one month old baby is admitted to a hospital with fever. This is cause for serious alarm. The child is put on broad spectrum antibiotics. The infected area is drained and a culture run to try to identify the pathogen. The cultures come back negative, the pathogen not identified. 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

Sara Radcliffe can be happy--extra happy. She is the CEO of the California Life Sciences Association at a time when the state is breaking records, beating out every other state in category after category. Today Sara discusses a new report the organization has released along with PWC detailing our sector’s explosive growth. Jobs: check. Wages and revenue: check. VC funding: check. NIH funding: check. California leads in all. Big yaaaawn? 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

What a week! And a great time to have on our expert contributors, genomicist Nathan Pearson and genetic counselor Laura Hercher, to talk about what is reportedly a first in history: babies born with a gene altered. They'll be called Lulu and Nana.So just how pissed, scared, shocked, and curious are we after three days? 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

If Mendelspod had an annual Product of the Year award, we'd certainly be liking for 2018 the one featured today, a digital genetic counseling product for direct-to-consumer genetic testing.Hats are off to Ellen Matloff, a genetic counselor formerly at Yale who saw the DTC boom coming a few years ago, busted out of academia, started My Gene Counsel, and last month launched her first digital product. 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

The MPS Society is a rare organization. Not just because it is an umbrella for the rare diseases that have in common lysosomal storage malfunction. But because it is one of the largest rare disease organizations in the world.Terri Klein is the CEO leading the MPS Society. She says the group has over three thousand members on their roster. This brings some strength and resources in an area where low numbers intensifies an uphill battle. 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