Stay ConnectedPodcast interviews with genius-level (top .1%) practitioners, scientists, researchers, clinicians and professionals in Cancer, 3D Bio Printing, CRISPR-CAS9, Ketogenic Diets, the Microbiome, Extracellular Vesicles, and more.
Subscribe today for the latest medical, health and bioscience insights from geniuses in their field(s).
Copyright: © Richard Jacobs
Gavin Douglas and colleagues published a paper assessing microbiome research and assertions that the human microbiome explains missing heritability in nature. He discusses this issue and explains
Gavin Douglas is a PhD Candidate in the Langille Lab in the Deptartment of Microbiology and Immunology at Dalhousie University. His background is in human genetics and he has just published an intriguing paper called "Re-evaluating the relationship between missing heritability and the microbiome" in the journal Microbiome. He helps listeners understand the basics regarding the issue by explaining heritability as the proportion of variation in a phenotype in a given population explained by genetic variance. He offers more background to this standard and then explains the "case of the missing heritability," which basically indicates the variation that isn't explained.
Several hypotheses have emerged to explain this missing heritability, several of which are tied to the human microbiome. He describes how, for example, a holobiont model of a human organism puts forward a hologenome—a combined genome that includes the microbiome and might capture the missing heritability. The article discusses this theory and points out ways it doesn't quite fit. For example, the holobiont doesn't present a combined evolutionary unit that transmits over generations. But he does think the microbiome plays a role in this mystery. He explains how and why and different ways scientists use these ideas.
For more, follow him on twitter as @gavin_m_douglas and read the open-access paper here: Re-evaluating the relationship between missing heritability and the microbiome. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
Computational biologist and evolutionary genomics researcher Eugene Koonin touches on several timely topics about biology, evolution, and what computational biology can teach us. In this podcast, he discusses
Eugene V. Koonin is a Senior Investigator at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) and an NIH Distinguished Investigator and works in evolutionary systems biology. This includes genomic comparative analysis of everything from the human genome to coronaviruses. He shares his vast knowledge with listeners and explains how the molecular clock functions in a computational role. He gives concrete ways this can be understood, such as comparing the same gene in an animal and a human genome.
He explains the basics of comparative genomics, a key advancement of our era of biological evolution study, and how it allows for an alignment for scientists to maximize similarity comparisons. They can then compare nucleotide sequences directly with similar life forms and make conclusions about their relationships and functional predictions. He explains how this works using coronaviruses as an example: anything shared between highly virulent strains but is not present in milder strains gives researchers vital information.
He also discusses various elements of evolution like punctuated evolution and the math of speciation. He also describes theories of the beginnings of life and Darwin's Last Universal Common Ancestor, or LUCA, as well as how the first genomes might have evolved from RNA and ribosomes that catalyzed various reactions including nucleotide polymerization. Finally, he addresses advancements in his field on the near horizon.
For more, search for him in Google Scholar and see his NCBI web page: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/research/groups/koonin/. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
Tying the importance of economics to technological innovation is key to advancing developing countries. Eric Verhoogen's research asks why firms in industrial countries aren't adopting technologies already developed by richer countries. He tells listeners about some microeconomics concepts his research explores. For example, he explains
Eric Verhoogen is a professor in the Department of Economics and School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. He researches the importance of economics in adopting new technologies by examining organizational barriers to these technologies. He explains this research by telling listeners about a specific example involving the introduction of a less wasteful technology into soccer ball production in several Pakistani firms. He describes his particular research experiment that resulted in pinpointing the barrier to implementing this technology on workers who would lose money in their per-piece system. He discusses why this was the case and what was different about one firm that chose to take on this technology and why that was significant.
His example relays other barriers to taking on new technology such as owners unwilling to undergo too much organizational reworking as well as the mysteries behind the lack of much "knowledge spill over." Such research opens up keys to ways government could effectively intervene in terms of tariff reduction and trade organizations. He also discusses his other research projects such as incentivizing surgical goods innovation through a contest and a project in Tunisia on pay-for-performance export production and subsidies.
To find out more, see his Columbia website, columbia.edu/~ev2124/, and find him on Twitter as @EricVerhoogen. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
Ian Birrell is a contributing editor of The Mail on Sunday, has a weekly column in the i newspaper, and has written for a number of publications, including The Times, The Washington Post, the Daily Mail, and the Guardian. Over the course of his career, he has reported for more than 60 countries worldwide. In this episode, he shares what he knows about the origins of COVID-19 and the COVID-19 situation in general. Press play to learn:
Like most of us, Birrell began hearing about COVID-19 around February when stories began breaking in the media about a potential Chinese cover-up regarding the virus. Considering it a "potential" pandemic at the time, Birrell focused his investigative research on these allegations, including one which placed the World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with China in cover-up efforts. He wrote a couple of pieces covering evidence which suggests that the infectious virus broke out earlier than claimed, and that the wet market theory of origin might not be true.
Birrell explains what's wrong with the wet market theory of origin, citing the original Lancet paper on the wet market which showed that the very first cases identified were not linked to the wet market, a report in the South China Morning Post showing cases going back to mid-November which were not linked to the market, and several early investigative journalists who published articles which have since been censored and removed from most social media websites.
In particular, Birrell discusses evidence which suggests that Chinese officials knew by mid-December that human-to-human transmission was possible, and that the entire genetic code of the virus had been sequenced by January 2nd. That genetic sequencing data—data that would have allowed for earlier research on an effective treatment or a vaccine—was not shared until more than a week later, when it was posted on a public access site by an Australian scientist on behalf of a Shanghai professor, who had his lab shut down just two days later.
Birrell also discusses the potential of a laboratory leak of the virus, unusual characteristics of the virus, how different nations have responded to the virus, and the need to be wary of vested interests in journalism and science pushing particular narratives about what's going on.
Learn more at http://www.ianbirrell.com/about-me/ and find Birrell on Twitter at @ianbirrell. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
Returning guest Jo Bhadi discusses using new platforms and technologies to predict cancer probability as well as what he's learned about how cancer evolves. He also discusses how Quantgene seeks to serve its customers. He addresses
Jo Bhakdi started Quantgene in 2015 at a UC Berkeley Lab with a goal of early disease detection. The company uses quantitative science for a new level of precision. They started in cancer detection spaces using cell-free DNA sequencing with what is known about the human genome sequence. They saw a tremendous opportunity opening up based on new technology platforms, sequencing, and AI recognition algorithms. In a nutshell, they pursued how to look at cell-free DNA shed by cancer in the bloodstream and recognition patterns to identify the 15 most deadly cancers. They sell their services directly to patients but include physicians and genetic counselors in the process.
He explains their business model in further detail but also covers the complications of detecting and understanding cancer progression, from the heterogeneity of tumors to advantages of cell-free DNA sequencing compared to tumor biopsies. He explains the systemic insight into cancer a liquid biopsy offers. He describes other limitations of tumor biopsies and how the question of heterogeneity of a tumor is surprisingly complex. In fact, he adds that the whole concept of quantifying tumor heterogeneity is a very new concept. He describes many characteristics of cancer and its evolution in more detail and then addresses how Quantgene layers many degrees of information, including medical and genetic history, to produce a highly precise probabilistic model.
For more about the company, see quantgene.com. To find out about the direct-to-consumer service, see chooseserenity.com. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
Researcher Jean-Frederic Colombel has studied Inflammatory Bowel Disease treatment (IBD) for about forty years. He explains for listeners
Jean-frederic Colombel is a professor of medicine and gastroenterology with the Feinstein IBD Clinical Center at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He came to Mount Sinai about 10 years ago and had been researching in Lille, France. He tells listeners how treatment of this autoimmune disease has progressed over 40 years and what scientists are still trying to understand. He explains that even though doctors are able to bring patients into deep remission with current inflammatory bowel disease treatment where they have no symptoms and show a perfect colonoscopy, there is not a real cure. As soon as they stop taking the medications, the disease makes headway. Since coming to Mount Sinai, he's worked on better predication and prevention measures.
He tells listeners that Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis overlap and differ. For example, medications that work for one also often work for the other. Differences include how much of the digestive tract and layers of the bowel are being affected. Crohn's disease, for example, can result in a fistula—basically a "communication" or opening and track across the perennial area. They can result in painful abscesses and difficult day-to-day symptoms. He then addresses known causes and describes how much is unknown. IBD is a young person's disease, often showing up around age 25, and early diagnosis is key to preventing complications. He describes studies to better understand the disease, such as a large scale serum sample collection of the U.S. Army to look at biomarkers, as well as treatment efforts beyond drugs such as fecal transplants to microbiome alterations.
For more see his page at Mount Sinai: mountsinai.org/profiles/jean-frederic-colombel. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
As an associate professor in the Department of Economics at the University of Virginia, Anton Korinek studies macroeconomics and international financial stability. He shares details of his work and his input on the COVID-19 situation. Press play to discover:
The study of economics rests on the premise that the market economy is a very powerful force in society—one that has enabled much progress, but has also been known to lead society astray from the greater good. The force referred to here is called an externality.
Korinek explains that externalities arise when people who engage in economic activity do so in a way that affects others without their consent. Consider, for example, a company that dumps waste in a river which runs through your property. Or anyone who produces greenhouse gasses which contribute to global warming. These are externalities, or forces which produce a negative impact on individuals and society at large.
Most recently, Korinek has been asking what kind of externalities have arisen from the COVID-19 situation. Mask mandates, social gathering restrictions, economic limitations…these are just a few topics that have become a serious issue of debate in recent months. Many people believe that these mandates infringe upon our civil liberties, but even more are disturbed by a seeming lack of evidence to support the idea that these restrictions are indeed helping the situation. As an economist, Korinek weighs in on these matters.
He talks about the ways in which his opinions and viewpoints have changed over the course and development of the COVID-19 situation, the economic cost and effect of social distancing mandates, and what he thinks is likely to happen in the near and long-term future.
Tune in, and check out www.korinek.com for more. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
Associate professor in molecular biosciences at Northwestern University, Erik Andersen, discusses his research in quantitative and molecular genetics. Tune in to learn:
"If we could sequence a genome and then read it like a book, could we predict or understand the phenotype of an organism…how long we would live, the types of drugs we could take that would be most efficacious towards treating certain types of diseases, whether we're predisposed to other diseases?"
In Andersen's lab, the focus is on answering this question by using roundworm nematodes to study the connection between the genome and different traits of the organism. He explains that there are many examples—not just in nematodes, but in flies and yeast and humans—of correlation between genetic sequence changes from organism to organism and trait differences. In humans, two of the most well-known are for type II diabetes risk and height.
Andersen is looking at how differences in DNA can explain phenotypic differences such as responses to chemotherapeutics and toxins. This type of work is particularly challenging because there could be millions of variants in a particular region of the genome that may correlate with the trait of interest. This is where quantitative genetics tends to stop, and Andersen's research picks up.
He explains that by using a genetic system like the nematode, large populations of individuals can be grown, their genomes can be mixed using genetic crosses, and the correlations can be broken down and further refined. This allows for the narrowing down of millions of variants to just a few hundred variants; additional crosses at this point can eventually break down those hundreds of variants to just one.
Andersen dives into the details of this research and so much more, including what his research has shown about genetic polymorphism, what technologies have made this research possible, and the many benefits of using roundworms for this research.
For more, visit https://www.molbiosci.northwestern.edu/people/core-faculty/erik-andersen.html. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
Space historian, author, and founder of the website Behind the Black, Bob Zimmerman, shares compelling insight into the world of his expertise on space information and the latest space technology. In this episode, you will discover:
"You cannot separate space exploration from the politics…and the culture of its time," says Zimmerman. He discusses the Apollo program—the individual missions and the overall purpose and outcome of it. He also discusses the Space Shuttle program and why it largely failed to meet its supposedly intended goal.
So, what is the aim of most projects focused on the moon? Zimmerman says it's to explore the potential of permanently shadowed craters on the moon where the sun never shines. Some data suggest that ice might be located in these areas, which means there would be oxygen and hydrogen, and therefore a source of fuel. He goes on to explain the efforts of various characters to explore these potentialities.
In the last decade, Zimmerman says that the US has been transitioning away from the Soviet model to the US model within which private enterprise operates, and that NASA is no longer the leader of everything done in this field. He dives into the details of what this means, what SpaceX has accomplished since entering this market, the purpose and design of what's called the Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV), and so much more.
Press play for an in-depth conversation covering all things space and space tech with a true expert on the matter. To learn more, check out https://behindtheblack.com/. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
Professor Carvalho researches parasitic diseases in humans. In this podcast, she focuses on causes of malaria and tells listeners
Teresa Carvalho is a senior lecturer of physiology, anatomy, and microbiology at La Trobe University in Australia. She explains the basic elements of parasitic diseases in humans and how parasites that cause malaria enter the blood stream from the salivary glands of mosquitos. After they go to the liver, they return to the red blood cells, feed on hemoglobin, expand, and divide. One parasite can divide until as many as 32 leave one blood cell. They destroy red blood cells along the way, which leads to fever and other detrimental results. Disease progression includes severe anemia and debilitating cerebral malaria, which can result in blood clots and coma.
Dr. Carvalho takes this information and explains key moments for therapeutic intervention, the crux of her research. Because their time in the red blood cells cause malaria symptoms and disease, scientists think this is when to focus treatment and research. She adds that it's a more accessible moment for research because they can culture these parasites in the lab in red blood cells. She also describes some of the mystery causes of malaria. For example, even the red blood cells that are not infected by the parasite die—she and her lab are trying to understand why. One theory involves extracellular vesicles these parasites use to communicate with each other. She also describes challenges to these studies, the hope of repurposing drugs that are used for other disease, as well as the urgency: children under five are the largest group that die from malaria.
For more about her work and to contact her with questions, see her page on the La Trobe University website: scholars.latrobe.edu.au/display/tcarvalho. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
