Mendelspod Podcast

Just hours after Illumina announced their buyout of Pacific Biosciences, Theral sits down with longtime sequencing Omics Omics blogger, Keith Robison, and the Chief Science Officer at sequencing marketplace, AllSeq, Shawn Baker, to discuss the news which has taken the industry by surprise.A special thanks to our sponsor, Sage Science, and the quick decision on this show. 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

As an election nears, the question of race and genetics has been front and center. It even prompted ASHG to take the unusual step of making a group wide statement. The three of us agree: scientists should talk more about the race question with non-scientists.Two papers in Tech Review this month show that the world of people buying cures and disease prevention through gene editing isn’t around the corner, it’s here. Now what about those who can’t afford it? One of the papers was written by our very own Laura Hercher. 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

Time is health. Take certain blood cancers, for instance. When a patient is seen in a doctor’s office, they are then sent to a central lab for testing, and the results can take a few days. With blood cancer patients, these few days can be vital.For years a holy grail in diagnostics has been to get diagnostic tests to the point-of-care based on just a few drops of the patient’s blood that could give immediate 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

The title says it all here. Herr Professor Schultze directs a major facility that he calls a single cell genomics platform. They have most of the single cell technologies available and partner with labs from all over the world on research.Advances in single cell technologies are changing basic research and also delivering results for translational work in everything from immunology to obesity.“Biology will never be the same again,” says Joachim. 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

We ran a series this summer highlighting one of the major issues in biomedical research: that the collection, storage, and procurement of biospecimen samples lacks any across-the-board governing standards. Various institutions adopt their own regulations resulting in a checkerboard of quality assurance, and by extension, an unknown effect on the outcomes of research. Our first guest called it “garbage in, garbage out.” (See links below.) This should send shudders through anyone doing research with any human tissue sample. 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

And here we were thinking it was a slow month!We have two big stories today: first this philosophy of biology question about whether it’s a bad thing that we’ve been stuck circling the wagons ‘round the same ole genes. Is it just an economic question? Or is it that these are the most active genes, and so we need a meritocracy, as Nathan puts forth? 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

Vivek Bhalla is used to the question, what’s a nephrologist? When we admitted we’d never had one on the program, he made his own admission, saying that the kinds of people who became nephrologists are the kinds of people who don’t seek out the limelight.But Vivek, an assistant professor of medicine at Stanford, is changing that and speaking out on behalf of his profession. And he’s very excited about what single cell sequencing has done for the study of the kidney. 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

She's been a highly sought after venture funder and knowledge broker in the field of digital health. STAT News wrote that upwards of 1,500 pitches crossed her desk last year at GE Ventures. But as of a couple weeks ago, it's a desk at which she's no longer sitting. So what's she up to next? 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

We like talking to the folks at the Personalized Medicine Coalition (PMC). They have many stakeholders and multifaceted speakers on a wide range of topics. Recently they’re open to talking more about DTC testing—as are most of the traditional diagnostics community. (In our most popular program of the year, CEO of Invitae, Sean George said back in May that the clinical community must “coop” with the rapidly growing DTC movement.) 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 our first show back after the summer break, and nothing has got us all buzzing about genomics again like a polygenic risk score. It even has Laura Hercher talking about the Human Genome Project doing some delivering, god forbid.CRISPR has had a rough summer. But still . . . it is CRISPR.Is Burning Man still cool, we were asked last weekend. Don't know. Don't care. We asked back, is 23andMe still cool? 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