Mendelspod Podcast

Though recent guests at Mendelspod say we're not quite to the $1,000 genome, we're close enough to use that benchmark in genomics discussions. But what are we getting for that almost $1,000?Mark Gerstein is the co-director of the Yale Computational Biology and Bioinformatics program where he focuses on better annotation of the human genome and better ways to mine big genomics data. He has played a big role in some of the large genomics initiatives since the first human genome project, including ENCODE and the 1,000 Genomes Project. 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 is a human genome? Well it’s the three billion letters of our DNA. But how is it measured? How do we know when we have it accurately represented?These are questions that will have to be answered as precision medicine takes hold; for we must have defined standards that will be the basis for regulatory policy, commerce, and better research. These are also the questions that are foremost on the mind of today’s guest. 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 no secret that America's molecular testing laboratories by and large are worried that the FDA's plan to regulate laboratory developed tests, or LDTs, will severely harm patients. Now they have a new proposal which they are taking directly to Capitol Hill.Roger Klein is the Medical Director of Molecular Oncology at the Cleveland Clinic. He’s also serving as the spokesperson for the Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) on the controversial topic of regulating LDTs. 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

Diagnostics can be a tough business. The FDA is making a strong push to bring more oversight. Obtaining reimbursement can be outright Sisyphean. And clinicians are slow on the uptake. All of which makes today’s story so good. 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 race to the $1,000 genome has been full of breathtaking advances, one after the other. But is next gen sequencing reaching maturity? Will there be that many more significant innovations? 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 slow week in life science left us scratching our heads about the purpose of some new studies.The first, a major project to study the microbes in about 1,200 homes appeared under headlines such as this from Tech Times, "Household Bacteria Can Reveal Volumes about Home Residents." Volumes? Really?A second study claimed that we are less successful at biomedical research today because life expectancy is not going up at the same rate as the growth in funding or the increasing number of scientists. That's a high bar to set. 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 taken some time, but the NCI is finally sponsoring a big time clinical trial for cancer where the patients are organized by the genomic pathway that defines their cancer rather than the organ type. 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

Last week we attended the 2015 Rejuvenation Biotechnology Conference where we heard about the latest developments in aging research.We were fortunate enough to sit down with two of the major figures in the field of aging research, Aubrey de Grey, CSO of the SENS Research Foundation and Brian Kennedy, CEO of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. Brian and Aubrey have gone about their work in different ways but say that their approaches are now converging as the momentum behind aging research increases. 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're back in the office after a fabulous vacation, and ready to have some fun. It's Friday, and time for Gene and Tonic.Yes, we celebrate the news this week that women have their own sex pill. And we make our best guesses as to why the FDA's drug approval rate is up in the stratosphere. 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

Nathan Pearson, formerly a genome scientist at Ingenuity and Knome, has been doing public outreach for genomics at the New York Genome Center for about a year now. In today’s interview, Nathan says he always wanted to be able to speak directly to the larger public about the great science he’s been involved in. 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