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
Researcher P'ng Loke investigates how our microbiome and immune system interacts with parasitic worm infections. He relays key points in his research, including
P'ng Loke is a senior investigator at the NIH and Chief of the Type 2 Immunity Section of the NIH's Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases. He explains to listeners that parasitic worms are really good at manipulating their hosts' immune response, particularly in how they affect a type of immune cell called the macrophage. In fact, they are able to remain in hosts for years if not decades undetected. This has huge potential in multiple therapeutic avenues, from organ transplants to overactive immune responses such as inflammatory and other bowel diseases.
Loke explains the beginnings of his studies, including a fascinating case of a man suffering from IBD who infected himself with whipworms on purpose after reading some studies and found his disease went in remission. Loke then describes various reasons for this as well as how our efforts toward modern sanitation may have altered our immune system in some ways.
He explains that parasitic worms, like helminths, have figured out how to mask themselves from hosts' immune responses, making them akin to a successful organ transplant. If scientists can understand how they are manipulating the immune response to downregulate or suppress its immunity, they may uncover many therapeutic treatments. He adds that most scientists think it is a spillover response—and the ways they affect the type 2 immune cells such as a type of macrophage cell—can lead to a protective barrier of mucus that prohibits bowel inflammation and disease in some cases. He explains this and other theories in more depth, so listen in.
For more, see his lab's website: niaid.nih.gov/research/png-loke-phd Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
Today's episode features Graciela Chichilnisky, CEO & Co-founder of Global Thermostat and Professor of Economics and Statistics at Columbia University. Tune in to discover:
In 1997, US Congress passed the Byrd-Hagel law, which states that there shall be no limitations on greenhouse gas emissions in the US if those limitations would have a negative impact on the economy. This law was passed under the assumption that economic development and a cleaner environment are incompatible goals, and as a result, emissions have gone unchecked and led to dire consequences.
Global Thermostat is a company that's turning this assumption on its head; the premise and mission of the company is that it is very much possible to lower emissions and remove CO2 from the atmosphere while at the same time spurring economic development and the creation of jobs. They have created and implemented technology that removes CO2 from the atmosphere in a profitable way by selling it to companies that use it for CO2-desalination processes and the creation of clean gasoline.
"CO2 is a very valuable gas that can replace petroleum to produce a lot of goods and services, including clean polymers, biofertilizers…beverages and food…and synthetic fuels," Chichilnisky explains. She continues by describing how the technology works to remove factory-produced CO2 and CO2 directly from the atmosphere via direct air capture.
Currently, Global Thermostat is working with ExxonMobil and several other large companies to determine the best way of scaling up and removing 40 gigatons of CO2 from the atmosphere every year, which is what the United Nations and US National Academy of Sciences computes is necessary in order to avoid devastating consequences of climate change.
Press play for the full conversation and visit https://globalthermostat.com/ to learn more. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
Dr. Ritchie has studied corals and associated microbes for over 25 years and currently is focused on marine bacteria that live within corals. She explains for listeners
Kim B. Ritchie is an associate professor of genetics and prokaryotic cell biology at the University of South Carolina Beaufort. She tells listeners how her interest in marine bacteria and microbes in the ocean began as an undergrad studying corals and continues in her current research. She explains that corals are animals that have an obligate symbiosis with a single-celled photosynthetic organism called a dinoflagellate. These algae live inside the cells of the corals and give the reefs their colors. Temperature increases cause the corals to expel this algae, leading to what is called coral bleaching and eventually death.
She is studying the symbiosis of bacteria and coral and the protective nature of this microbiome. She began by studying the microbial shifts by looking at what type of bacteria are present under normal non-stressful conditions and how that shifts as temperature increases, when more of a pathogenic ecosystem develops. She goes into more detail of why this happens, namely that these beneficial bacteria produce antibiotics that deter the harmful marine bacteria and microbes in the ocean. She noticed in warmer months the corals lose that antibiotic bacteria and gain pathogenic bacteria. She explains her study methods in more detail as well as the implications, and describes other studies she's working on regarding ancient marine microbes such as the healing properties of sharks and rays.
For more, see her website at www.uscb.edu/academics/academic_departments/school-of-science-and-mathematics/natural_sciences/research/kim-ritchie.html. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
Professor Lewandowski studies effects of pregnancy complications like preterm birth on heart development and other bodily systems and organs. In this podcast, he discusses preterm cardiology and possibilities of heart disease. He explains
Adam Lewandowski is a university research lecturer and British Heart Foundation Intermediate Research Fellow at the University of Oxford in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Radcliffe Department of Medicine. As neonatal clinical care has advancement to increase survival rates of preterm babies, more focus is on long-term connections between preterm development and heart disease. Professor Lewandowski explains that babies born as early as 22 weeks survive, with a 60 to 70% survival rate within that cohort. He describes preterm development with a cardiology lens, explaining how changes in pressure effect functioning pulmonary resistance. It's common to see an increase in hypertrophic cells and thickening ventricular walls with smaller cavities leading to reduced myocardial functional reserve.
Dr. Lewandowski also touches on causes of preterm birth like genetic factors, preeclampsia, infections, obesity, and smoking. He addresses the challenges of preterm care such as monitoring and maintaining lung function, providing nutrition and food, and keeping them infection free. Finally, he discusses chances of adult heart disease and other issues regarding cardiovascular health as well as studies to assess interventions like exercise and nutrition. He explains the importance of monitoring these patients as they grow into adulthood to catch any issues like hypertension early. He reminds listeners that long-term concerns often take a back seat at the neonatal stage because all efforts go to keeping these preterm babies alive.
For more about Dr. Lewandowski, see his lab's website at www.rdm.ox.ac.uk/about/our-divisions/division-of-cardiovascular-medicine/division-of-cardiovascular-medicine-research/lewandowski-group.
For other resources on these issues, look for good charity websites like the March of Dimes. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
Robbie Elbertse is a researcher at Delft University who co-published an article with David Coffey on the creation of a sensor that is only 11 atoms in size, and he dives into all the details on today's show. By tuning in, you'll discover:
You may be familiar with "stadium waves" or "doing the wave" at sporting events. It's accomplished when successive groups of spectators raise and almost immediately lower their arms, creating the perception of a wave rolling across the entire audience. Now, imagine what this would look like if instead of individual people contributing to the wave, individual atoms contributed to the wave. This is one way to imagine what's called a magnetic wave, and it was David Coffey's desire to measure this atomic-level wave that inspired him to create a sensor composed of just 11 atoms.
Elbertse explains the science behind this sensor, describes why uncoupled electrons orbiting an atom's nucleus cause an atom to have "spin" or magnetic moments, and illustrates how the orientation of certain atoms in a chain can lead to a magnetic wave. Coffey wanted to figure out how far these waves would travel. For example, could a magnetic wave reach the end of a 100-atom chain? In an effort to answer this, Coffey's sensor was created and put to the test. In addition to discussing the results, Elbertse provides an in-depth explanation of the physics behind the sensor, how they conduct their experiments, the benefits and new opportunities provided by the use of this sensor, and much more.
Watch the YouTube video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isdDEIxuN64 and visit https://ottelab.tudelft.nl/ to learn more. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
Scott Carver is a lecturer in wildlife ecology at the University of Tasmania who joins the show to discuss his research in the field of ecology and infectious diseases in wildlife, domestic animals, and humans. In this episode, you will learn:
Carver has a long-standing interest in connecting an understanding of ecosystem health with the health of animals and humans. Over the course of his education and career, he's conducted research on mosquito-borne diseases, viral transmission in bobcats, mountain lions, and domestic cats, and even chlamydia in koalas.
These days, Carver's research revolves largely around sarcoptic mange in wombats. It's a disease that affects over 100 different species, including humans (when it affects humans, it is called scabies), and creates both conservation and animal wellness issues. His research is geared around trying to find disease management solutions for this disease in wombats and other affected species.
Carver explains that wombats suffer from a version of mange called crusted mange, which is a particularly severe form of the disease that ultimately results in death. He discusses the ways in which the low metabolic rate of wombats could contribute to the severity of sarcoptic mange, why he has chosen to focus on the wombat as a research subject for better understanding the disease, and much more.
Press play for the full conversation and check out https://www.utas.edu.au/profiles/staff/zoology/scott-carver to learn more about Carver's research. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
Professor Susan Richardson specializes in water treatment and drinking water standards. In this podcast, she explores
Water treatment is important in ridding our supply of pathogens and water borne diseases. However, these disinfection by-products combine with organic materials and minerals in the environment when they are released to form DBPs. Susan Richardson explains how she first learned about this issue and where we are today in facing it. She has been the Arthur Sease Williams Professor of Chemistry and Environmental Standards at the University of South Carolina for the last six years, and previously was a research chemist at the U.S. EPA National Exposure Research Laboratory for 25 years.
She tells listeners that when DBPs were linked to bladder and other cancers in humans, scientists sought her expertise in drinking water standards and these by-products in particular. She provides more details about which DBPs are the most toxic and explains that unfortunately the ones the U.S. doesn't regulate are much more toxic than ones it does. Richardson addresses some of the complications such as environmental variability across regions affecting iodine and bromates, for example. She describes ways to address DBPs that will still prevent water borne diseases and uphold drinking water standards. For example, she describes utilizing granular activated carbon as a sort of water filter right after chloramine is introduced to remove the precursors.
To find out more, google EPS regulations. To learn about your local DBP levels, google water quality reports and the name of your city. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
Returning guest and computational chemist known as Dr. Coffee, Christopher Hendon explores all that's behind our morning cup, from differences in water for coffee and methods of brewing coffee. Listeners will learn
Christopher Hendon utilizes scientific inquiry and chemistry to assess coffee production. He's an assistant professor of computational materials in chemistry at the University of Oregon and he's made coffee his specialty. Currently, he's addressing sustainability and coffee in his research, noting that the largest waste in the U.S. is roast coffee that's never used—rather, after it goes stale, we throw it away. A lot of energy has gone into producing and roasting each bean. Therefore, his goal is to explore how we can make each cup equally good but with less coffee in the first place to reduce the amount of coffee roasted. He then explains the transport chain of events and complications, such as water loss, and other issues to consider.
He also addresses what goes on in our kitchens from brewing coffee to choosing water for coffee. Listeners will hear an interesting lesson in water chemistry and how soft and hard water affect acidity. Because what each person wants from a cup tends to vary, there's no hard rule for what to use, so he provides methods to test your own preferences at home. He also touches on how different countries and climates produce different flavors, how brew methods are categorized, and finally shares his favorite coffee and his own daily method.
For more, see the curated coffee literature list he provides on his website and see the American Chemical Society's coffee information. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
Dermatologist and immunologist Louis Falo has created an innovative delivery method for vaccines that also has cancer treatment applications in the form of a skin patch with a microneedle array. He describes for listeners
Dr. Falo received his PhD from Harvard in immunology and is Chairman of the Department of Dermatology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical School. He specializes in both clinical and scientific work on the immunology of the skin. He explains that delivering vaccines to skin to address viruses in humans is not a new idea but very rarely used. While most vaccines are now from needle injection, the first vaccine was the small pox vaccine developed in the late 1700s. It was delivered through scratches in the skin and was very successful in protecting people. Because it was not easily reproducible, the practice of using it to protect against viruses in humans dropped off and clinics have depended on muscular delivery.
However, he explains that technology has enabled a more easily reproducible method to enable a return to skin delivery. Furthermore, his lab is working on a vaccine for COVID-19 that will work with this skin patch. He describes why skin is a great entry point and is very efficient at mounting immune responses. His goal to create a delivery method to the skin that is reproducible, safe, and convenient for global deliveries led to the microneedle array. He explains the sugar composite of the needles and why they don't penetrate very far; rather, they stop at the dermis layer. As the needles absorb moisture in the skin, they dissolve and release the vaccine. He explains why this technology is safe, how it is easily shipped and applied, and also describes a cancer treatment this delivery system enables. For more, see his lab page: dermatology.pitt.edu/Falo%20Lab Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
Yael David utilizes chemistry and biology in her approach to understanding the impact of environmental factors on epigenetic structures and mechanism and how they in turn affect our DNA. In this podcast, she explains
Yael Davids is lab head and assistant member in the Yael David Lab in the Chemical Biology Program at Sloan Kettering Memorial Cancer Center. She is also an assistant professor of pharmacology at Weill Cornell Medicine. She explores multiple questions of how epigenetic regulation of transcription functions alongside histone packaging and DNA and various determinates. She explains different schools of scientific thought in what effects the epigenetics of humans along with her own understanding that environmental cues effect and determine epigenetics. She describes how the environmental model explains things such as disease initiation like diabetes, which isn't explained in other models.
In this conversation, she discusses how epigenetics change gene function from the changes in DNA itself from protein recruitment to histones, structures that help compact the DNA. She tells listeners how histones, which had been viewed as only structural, also contain messaging that recruit proteins. She then describes modification systems that combine for a gradient mechanism, ultimately more of a dial than an on/off switch. Dr. David also discusses her research, from developing better chemical tools for study to researching how damaged chromatin can drive cancer and how certain enzymatic mechanisms can rewrite this damage, a study that works towards therapeutic development.
For more, see her lab web page at www.mskcc.org/research/ski/labs/yael-david and follow her on Twitter: @David_Lab_MSK. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
