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Copyright: © Richard Jacobs
Graphen.ai turned their resources to mapping Covid 19 mutations in late February. Their CEO, Dr. Ching-Yung Lin, explains the process and tells listeners what his company has learned, including
Graphen specializes in building AI platforms based on graphs to serve sectors such as the financial industry. They've worked to identify hard-to-trace global movements such as terrorist networks and money laundering. As Covid 19 began to progress, the company turned its resources to using artificial intelligence in healthcare, plotting and analyzing available data such as whole genome sequencing analysis.
Dr. Ching-Yung Lin describes for listeners the steps they have taken. The company assessed what they could contribute to understanding the virus propagation at the end of February. They felt it was an appropriate time for them to jump in and help contribute through using artificial intelligence in healthcare.
He explains that different countries are sequencing the virus and sharing the data. Graphen takes this data and shows the mutations, but also shows the parent viruses of these mutations, giving them the ability to map its path. When the virus propagates or replicates, it copies itself. As with any copying process, mistakes can happen in translation--this is essentially a mutation.
Mutations are very important indications of how it changes and how it propagates and spreads; therefore, this information is providing the crux for how Graphen can investigate Covid 10's habits. For example, they are able to reverse-assess the danger a community may be in: they can us the virus sequencing to determining how long it has actually been in the community based on mutations. They are trying to use this information to figure out how it might continue to replicate itself but also how to shut down its replication ability
They are sharing the mutation of each virus and gender and age of the diagnosed patient on their web site so people can study the data on their own if they would like. It's updated every day.
Find out more at http://www.graphen.ai/covid.html
Contact them through email with questions or information by sending to info@graphen.ai. Finally, if you have any ability to get Graphen more data, please consider reaching out to them.
Neonatologist and researcher Dr. Sandra Leibel discusses her research into a particular gene therapy process involving a lung organoid model.
She explains her research and surrounding issues, including
Dr. Sandra Leibel is an assistant clinical professor in pediatrics at UC San Diego School of Medicine and a neonatologist specialist at Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego. She's currently focused on the lab side of her work involving a gene therapy process.
Dr. Leibel created a model using induced pluripotent stem cells, or embryonic stem cells, and differentiated them into three-dimensional lung organoids. She's using these models to test a possible surfactant protein b deficiency treatment.
She explains to listeners the basics of lung geography and mechanics and how of the 40 different lung cell types, she uses the epithelial cells in her model. She describes the surfactant production that happens in the distal portion of the lung, which is the furthest portion, yet serves the whole lung by reducing surface tension and keeping our lungs from collapsing.
These alveolar type 2 cells can undergo a mutation during embryonic development that damages the b protein of those cell; they cannot then produce effective surfactant. These babies are born needing to be on a breathing machine until they are able to get a lung transplant.
However, she's found an exciting advancement in her research, namely that by introducing a virus vector that carried a healthy b gene, she measured signs of the model cells completely normalizing into surfactant-producing cells. In other words, she was able to cure the disease in a dish. She explains the implications of this, the timing for clinical use, and other related issues.
For more, google her name and see her page at UC San Diego: https://profiles.ucsd.edu/sandra.leibel
Dr. Sherif Hassan is an international sleep medicine doctor from Washington DC who focuses on the relationship between sleep disorders and cardiovascular disease, and the benefits of precision medicine.
Tune in to learn the following:
Cardiovascular disease is the most prevalent yet most preventable non-communicable disorder in the U.S., and is greatly affected by sleep disorders—in particular obstructive sleep apnea and hypopnea during sleep.
Dr. Hassan sees value not only in taking an integrative approach to sleep and overall health of the individual, but also in following up with patients after they have received treatment for a sleep disorder.
He explains that the outcomes following some of the most common forms of treatment such as CPAP, BiPAP, and dental appliances are very poorly understood, as is the correlation between sleep apnea and weight and cardiovascular changes, such as heart disease, hypertension, and coronary artery disease.
He explains in detail the impact of sleep apnea on the muscles of the heart, and the role of nitric oxide in delivering oxygen to various parts of the body and reversing the damaging effects of sleep apnea and hypopnea. He discusses the relationship between the oral microbiome and oral health on the body's level of nitric oxide, and ways of increasing the body's production of it, which include more intake of essential substrates in the form of celery, spinach, and lettuce.
Dr. Hassan is trying to come up with a program to optimize sleep and cardiovascular health through the establishment of regular sleep cycles, optimization of hormones and basic function of the body, exercise, and proper nutrition, not just for patients with sleep disorders, but for everyone.
Check out https://www.luana.health/ for more information.
Cancer-survivor and expert on physical therapy, nutrition, and mindfulness, Dr. Missimer shares her story with listeners. She recounts
Dr. Missimer has her Doctor of Physical Therapy and is a Registered Dietitian. She's an inspirational speaker who has appeared on such outlets as TEDX and is the founder of The Movement Paradigm, an integrative health center that bases treatments on mindfulness benefits, nutrition, movement, and the importance of meditation. She uses a blend of eastern and western philosophies in combination with her physical therapy and dietitian training to serve her clients.
She begins by describing her journey towards founding the center, one that includes caring for her brother who later passed from cancer, undergoing her own cancer diagnosis and treatment, and then a full realization of her desire to make an impact.
She appeared on the American Ninja Warrior show while undergoing cancer treatment, which was quite a challenge, and explains her success by describing the importance of movement for her. She remarks that working and moving have always given her strength.
Her work at the center starts with having clients fill out a very detailed functional medicine-themed form that can help her develop some simple first steps. She tells listeners that ultimately she is trying to figure out a patient's antecedents (such as family autoimmune history), triggers (like stress), and mediators (lifestyle factors). Then she picks one place to start so as not to overwhelm.
She says she sees lots of SIBO (small intestine bacterial overgrowth) and yeast overgrowth as well as food sensitivities and intolerances. Regardless of what the issue is, she asserts, the foundation of most problems is one of inflammation. She brings clients to a healthier, pain-free place through simple steps of movement, diet, an understanding of mindfulness benefits, the importance of meditation, and other techniques.
For more, see the The Movement Paradigm web page at https://themovementparadigm.com/.
Gordon Krass, CEO of IntelliGuard, discusses how the late-stage startup company is making the medication supply chain within U.S. hospitals safer and more efficient.
You will learn the following:
With the use of radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology and data analytics, IntelliGuard has one ultimate goal in mind: maximizing positive healthcare outcomes for patients.
Krass explains that while hospitals in the U.S. today are on the cutting-edge of the clinical side of the business with the use of AI in surgeries, new procedures, and advanced imaging technology, the infrastructure that's responsible for running hospitals is outdated, relying far too heavily on paper-based documentation and human interaction.
"People think the supply chain of medications is secure, the truth is it's not," says Krass, citing a 60 percent accuracy rate for inventory of critical medications used in surgeries and other complex procedures. This inadequacy is a dangerous one, leading to the administration of expired, recalled, incorrect, or counterfeit drugs.
Aside from labor, drugs and supplies are the highest cost items in hospitals, but despite this, hospitals don't know where medications are or how much they have on hand at any given time. "Most businesses would not be in business if they operated in this way," says Krass.
He continues by explaining the details of how IntelliGuard is working to address these issues, where some of the greatest weaknesses lie in the current system, and how IntelliGuard technologies will transform hospital infrastructure in the U.S. for the better.
Press play for all the details. For more info, visit https://ig.solutions/.
Dr. Pollack discusses the ways in which the water in your body's cells isn't the same type of water in your cup. Tune in to learn the following:
Dr. Gerald H. Pollack is a professor at the University of Washington Department of Bioengineering, and author of award-winning books The Fourth Phase of Water and Cells, Gels, and the Engines of Life. On today's show, he explains how the water in biology differs from "ordinary" water that we drink each day, and what implications this has for human health and biology at large.
He begins by sharing how he discovered the idea that water might have a "fourth" phase, which was through the work of Gilbert Ling, a physiologist and author of over five books on the topic. Inspired by Ling's work, Dr. Pollack decided to dive into this area of research and eventually write a book that dealt with Ling's ideas (Cells, Gels, and the Engines of Life).
He discusses the experimentation he's done showing that when water molecules are ordered, they form a crystal-like structure that excludes other substances from entering. This was a critical observation because it proved that there can be regions of water molecules that are not free to bounce around millions of times in a second like they do in ordinary water. Investigating further through multiple experiments, Dr. Pollack and his team found that every feature examined in the exclusion zone of water was different from the features of ordinary water. According to him and many others, this is the type of water that exists in our cells, and it plays a role in nearly every important reaction that occurs inside our cells.
He continues by explaining the details of his experimentation, the conditions for exclusion, and the manner or pattern in which exclusion occurs. He also describes how infrared light is the source of energy that allows for the transition from ordinary water to this fourth phase of water, commonly called exclusion zone (EZ) water. He notes the sources of infrared energy in our environment, the ways in which diurnal variation of the amount of infrared energy may be affecting us, and the use of infrared energy as a therapeutic approach for cancer and other illnesses.
To learn more, visit https://www.pollacklab.org/.
Author Dr. Frank Ryan has spent a lifetime researching, speaking on, and writing about virus behaviors. His book Virusphere: From Common Colds to Ebola Epidemics--Why We Need the Viruses That Plague Us was just released in paperback.
In this exploratory conversation, he explains
Dr. Frank Ryan is an Honorary Senior Lecturer in the Department of Medical Education at The University of Sheffield in the UK. He has authored numerous books, including Virusphere. The conversation begins with an explanation of the behaviors of viruses as symbionts, existing at a continuum between parasite and mutualistic symbiont.
Among many other examples he presents, he discusses AIDS, one of the worse epidemic viruses in our lifetime. Yet even at the height of the epidemic, scientist didn't ask if it were a parasite or not. Rather, they asked what aspect of the virus is changing as a result of the human interaction and vice versa.
What they found was a change in the patient gene antigen that had to do with the virus evolution—both virus and human genome were actually altering each other's genome; so while this may be a virus near the parasitic end of the continuum, human and virus are still changing each other—it's not just a one-sided relationship.
Dr. Ryan offers other examples of the behaviors of viruses to flesh out this coevolution, from viruses and the Brazilian wood rabbit in Australia to mammal placental development. He explains how retroviruses function, replicate, and become infectious.
He also explains the process of the Coronavirus, its mechanics within human cell cytoplasm and the replication process. He finishes by explaining the ubiquitous nature of the behavior of viruses having effects we may be unaware of, such as keeping the bacteria from taking over the ocean.
For more, you can find his book for sale at https://www.amazon.com/Virusphere-Common-Epidemics-Why-Viruses-Plague/dp/1633886042
Rahul Panat, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, provides an overview of his work in microscale additive manufacturing, microelectronics, and much more.
Podcast Points:
Panat received an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and secured his PhD in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Dr. Panat discusses his work on micro and nanoscale 3D printing using nanoparticles to fabricate devices with new functionality and features. As he explains, their goal is to use this technology to develop new types of biomedical devices or to provide additional functionality to devices already in use.
Dr. Panat's research seeks to enhance fundamental scientific knowledge in an effort to create engineering breakthroughs for critical applications. He discusses printed electronics products and the advanced materials impact factor.
Dr. Panat provides examples of some of the work they are doing currently, such as creating three-dimensional structures that can build microscale needles that are used as brain-computer interfaces. The research Ph.D. goes on to explain how they use their advanced technology in varied ways, for example, they are able to create complex 3D structures with high surface area which can help enhance sensitivity in detecting biomarkers.
Dr. Panat gets into the details on several of his research areas and provides an analysis of their work goals, providing specific examples on structures, density, customization, and material manufacturing improvements.
Dr. Panat explains his background at Intel, in microprocessing. He delves into his work studying micro and nanoscale manufacturing techniques and 3D printing, and his success combining different materials to develop microstructures. Wrapping up, the research expert talks in depth about the practical applications in medicine that can improve patients' lives.
Dr. Bomberger tries to understand why patients get chronic bacterial lung infections from microbial pathogenesis, especially Cystic Fibrosis patients.
She discusses key elements, such as
Dr. Jennifer Bomberger is an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh in The Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics. Her lab recently made an important discovery in a microbiology study that may help combat chronic bacterial infection due to biofilm formation in Cystic Fibrosis patients by the Pseudomonas aeruginosa and staphylococcus aureus bacteria.
First, she explains some basic tenants of microbial pathogenesis, such as whether healthy lungs have microbiomes and how respiratory tracts might expel bacteria. Then, she establishes why patients with Cystic Fibrosis lack these mucosa latory elevator actions and how the composition of their mucus is also a barrier to the fight.
Eventually, the toxic substances their immune system emits is ineffective and the toxins end up scaring the lungs instead. She then describes the nutrient sequestering the immune system undergoes in healthy patients, how cells may "hide" nutrients like iron from bacteria to fend off the microbial pathogenesis.
She explains other processes the body undergoes to protect itself and the mechanics of various bacterial and viral infestations. Finally, she explains that in her lab's particular microbiology study, they examined why patients with Cystic Fibrosis tend to get the decade-long bacterial infections soon after a viral infection.
They found that the viral infection process disturbs the body's ability to undergo this nutrient sequestration. Now, they continue to study why and how this happens.
For more, see her lab's web page at http://www.mmg.pitt.edu/person/jennifer-bomberger
Dr. Harmsen exemplifies the importance of medical microbiology by describing the mechanics and vital nature of gut microbiome diversity.
When you listen, you'll learn
Dr. H.J.M. Harmsen is an associate professor in the Department of Medical Microbiology at the University of Groningen in The Netherlands. In this discussion he tells listeners about gut bacteria, microbes, and bacteria ecology.
He begins by explaining exactly what diversity means in terms of the gut microbiome and correlating health. He articulates the need for a balance of bacteria species, and more specifically, short chain fatty acid-making anaerobic bacteria like faecalibacterium. In fact, a proliferation of aerobic bacteria can bode bad news for bodily health and lead to an increase in pathogens.
These short chain fatty acids like acetate, propionate, and butyrate have important functions in our body such as energy sources and anti-inflammatory effects. They help maintain the important gut mucin, which is a type of mucus our gut needs to function.
He then explains that these anaerobic gut bacteria, which exist further down in our colon, feed off of fresher foods that are harder to digest and therefore able to make it that far into the digestive process. This includes fresh fruits and vegetables that provide fibers, pectin, and cellulose, foods our gut microbiome depends on for sustenance.
Dr. Harmsen is exhibiting the importance of medical microbiology by using these digestive mechanics to better understand Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or IBS, which has an inflammatory component. When patients have low butyrate, one of these short chain fatty acids, doctors see leaky gut syndrome for example, when the gut barrier is not functioning properly.
He explains how this research may also help cancer patients as they understand how to remove and retransplant a patient's gut micobiome post chemotherapy.
For more, see Dr. H.J.M. Harmsen's faculty page at https://www.rug.nl/staff/h.j.m.harmsen/ and search for his publications at PubMed and other research publication listings by his name: H.J.M. Harmsen .
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