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Copyright: © Richard Jacobs
Dimitra Skondra, MD, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Science Director, J. Terry Ernest Ocular Imaging Center at The University of Chicago Medicine, discusses the microbiota, diseases of the eye, macular degeneration, and eye health.
Podcast Points:
Dr. Dimitra Skondra is a sought-after and respected, board-certified retina specialist, and she primarily focuses on medical and surgical treatments of vitreoretinal diseases.
Dr. Skondra talks about why she was particularly interested in studying the eye. As she states, it's a fascinating organ and greatly affects the quality of life. Dr. Skondra provides a thorough overview of the microbiome and eye-specific issues.
She explains issues about the sterility of the eye, discussing what is sterile and what is not. Many microbes exist on the surface of the eye, and Dr. Skondra provides an overview of the various diseases and conditions that impact the surface of the eye.
Continuing, Dr. Skondra talks about genetic mutations and genetic risks for macular degeneration. As she explains, lifestyle and diet can increase risk factors. She cites examples from her work as a postdoc, and details some of the information she gathered that indicated high-fat diets, especially when combined with a genetic predisposition, could accelerate degeneration.
As she states, the microbiota affects disease, but her focus is on how can she and other researchers use that information to help patients? She talks about the promotion of healthy gut microbiome and the connections between the gut and the retina.
Her research seeks to understand all these connections and how altering the gut microbiome affects various conditions or risks.
Invivo provides diagnostic testing services that analyze the microbiome, host immune status, and genomic data.
Humphrey Bacchus joins the podcast to discuss the following:
About 10 years ago, Humphrey Bacchus joined Invivo, which at the time was just starting out in the field of microbiome research, testing microbiomes and figuring out how to apply what they were learning to the clinical arena for the benefit of patients. Bacchus quickly came to understand and appreciate the inseparable connection between our internal microbial ecosystems and the ecosystems within which we all live. "If we nurture these microbes rather than treat them as invaders, then we can watch after the wider environment in which we live," says Bacchus.
Ultimately, the focus at Invivo is on trying to help clinicians and patients understand the relationship their bodies have with various microbes in the development of the disease.
While quite a lot of attention is being given to gastrointestinal microbiomes, Bacchus talks about the useful data being derived from a look at vaginal and oral microbiomes. He explains what markers are being looked at in order to evaluate host immune responses, and how necessary it is to understand that microbes do not exist in and of themselves but in relation to and in contact with the host's immune system.
Informed by this view, Bacchus and the team at Invivo aim to continue gathering as much data as possible while keeping in mind the dynamic complexity that cannot be ignored.
To learn more, visit invivohealthcare.com.
Invivo provides diagnostic testing services that analyze the microbiome, host immune status, and genomic data.
Humphrey Bacchus joins the podcast to discuss the following:
About 10 years ago, Humphrey Bacchus joined Invivo, which at the time was just starting out in the field of microbiome research, testing microbiomes and figuring out how to apply what they were learning to the clinical arena for the benefit of patients. Bacchus quickly came to understand and appreciate the inseparable connection between our internal microbial ecosystems and the ecosystems within which we all live. "If we nurture these microbes rather than treat them as invaders, then we can watch after the wider environment in which we live," says Bacchus.
Ultimately, the focus at Invivo is on trying to help clinicians and patients understand the relationship their bodies have with various microbes in the development of the disease.
While quite a lot of attention is being given to gastrointestinal microbiomes, Bacchus talks about the useful data being derived from a look at vaginal and oral microbiomes. He explains what markers are being looked at in order to evaluate host immune responses, and how necessary it is to understand that microbes do not exist in and of themselves but in relation to and in contact with the host's immune system.
Informed by this view, Bacchus and the team at Invivo aim to continue gathering as much data as possible while keeping in mind the dynamic complexity that cannot be ignored.
To learn more, visit invivohealthcare.com.
Lesley Cheng Sim, Ph.D., Research Officer, Biochemistry, at La Trobe University, discusses extracellular vesicles (EVs) and her work as a Molecular Biologist. Lesley received her Ph.D. from Monash University in 2008; she is a postdoctoral researcher. Before attaining her Ph.D., Lesley earned a Bachelor of Medical Science from La Trobe University. She has extensive training as a Cell and Molecular Biologist, specifically in the area of neuronal death and survival.
Podcast Points:
Lesley talks about her background and the field of extracellular vesicles. As she states, her lab is one of the early labs to do research in the field. She talks about cellular issues and neuronal death. And she provides information on the methods they use to isolate exosomes from the blood.
The research Ph.D. discusses the three primary areas of research in their lab—the role of exosomes in the pathology of degenerative diseases, the isolation of exosomes from the blood to be used as diagnostic tools, and the exploitation of exosomes to be used as a vehicle for the delivery of therapeutics. She goes on to discuss the degenerative diseases they focus a great deal of their research upon, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. She talks about early diagnosis options, and how they use exosomes to find disease indicators.
Continuing, the Ph.D. EV expert talks in detail about the detection of RNA changes, their experimentation in the lab, and how this information can provide valuable insight, illuminating important disease indicators and markers.
Lesley's innovative research is clearing a path for new and important knowledge of degenerative diseases and various health conditions, to be harvested and implemented as we move forward into personalized medicine.
Scientists in multiple disciplines are working on ways to circumvent antibiotic resistance. Dr. Sanchez explains why targeting biofilms requires more study.
She describes:
Dr. Laura Sanchez, Assistant Professor of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy with a courtesy appointment in Chemistry at The University of Illinois at Chicago runs her lab to better understand the pathogen-biofilm interplay in order to fight bacterial disease in humans. Dr. Sanchez is attempting to use chemistry as an early warning detection system.
The lab uses specialized mass spectrometry to study biofilm behavior and understand the metabolites the pathogens emit in this biofilm state. The lab's state-of-the-art mass spectrometry technique allows them to study other elements of human diseases, such as ovarian cancer, in the hopes that they can create a less invasive ovarian cancer diagnosis tool to enable earlier detection.
Their findings of biofilm behavior have indicated that trying to inhibit a biofilm has a negative result in terms of impeding the pathogen. In fact, in a study on moth infection, eradicating the biofilm actually accelerated the disease progression, making the bacteria increase its virulent nature.
The lab has also studied the nature of biofilms on cheese rinds and found interesting results regarding the same types of cheeses separated by geography as well as an association between salty brines on cheese and ocean bacteria.
For more, see Dr. Sanchez's lab page at https://www.sanchezlab.science/
As a Ph.D. student at Oxford University, Scott Bonner's work aims to examine extracellular vesicle (EV) heterogeneity and what it might teach us about the therapeutic function of EVs.
He explains the following:
Extracellular vesicles hold great potential as a therapeutic delivery platform and might provide therapy for everything from broken bones to complicated disease processes like cancer. In addition, they could be used to package and deliver drugs to very specific regions in the body without running the risk of being hindered by the immune system, thereby providing greater efficacy than what's currently seen with drugs administered conventionally.
Scott Bonner shares what compelled him to pursue a career in EV-based research, and how his interest was jump-started by his time as a research assistant for Evox Therapeutics, a company that is now well-known in the field of exosome and EV-based therapeutics.
Bonner's current research aims to better understand vesicle heterogeneity and involves the creation of single-cell clones of a particular cell type that are grown separate from all other cells and cell types. Over time, the expectation is that the phenotypes of these cells will drift apart—even if only slightly—and that this could provide insight into how differences in EV phenotype affect EV function.
Ultimately, the findings could provide the industry with valuable information about the physical characteristics of EVs that hold the potential to therapeutically affect specific disease processes, such as breast cancer.
A number of interesting topics are explored, so tune in, and email your questions or comments to scott.bonner@wolfson.ox.ac.uk.
Christopher Chapman, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Director of Bariatric and Metabolic Endoscopy, Department of Medicine at the University of Chicago, provides an overview of his research, specifically detailing the area of gastroenterology and his work with patients.
Podcast Points:
Dr. Chapman has extensive training and experience in Interventional Endoscopy and Gastroenterology. He is a noted gastroenterologist and member of the Center for Endoscopic Research and Therapeutics (CERT), where he regularly treats patients who suffer from various gastrointestinal disorders, through the use of minimally invasive endoscopic techniques.
The research doctor discusses his background at Johns Hopkins University, and now at the University of Chicago, and also his current work, which he describes as about 80% clinical and 20% research. As he explains, a good deal of his work deals with endoscopic procedures designed to help people lose weight, so they can improve their health, and reduce or eliminate their obesity-related conditions. He explains how these procedures differ from bariatric surgery.
As he states, many of these procedures are done through the 'natural orifice' meaning they go in through the mouth while the patient is asleep. He provides an overview of the intragastric balloon procedure, which essentially inserts a balloon-type device inside your stomach that allows you to feel fuller faster; endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG), which reduces the size of the stomach; and then aspiration therapy, which is a bariatric approach that can help to siphon ingested food out of the stomach through an implanted tube and port it to the outside of the body to then be discarded.
Dr. Chapman discusses the many ways they, as researchers and doctors, seek to innovate in the space, applying new procedures and techniques to aid their patients with a wide assortment of medical maladies. He talks about clinical trials for their balloon devices, devices that can help people lose more weight and/or make the balloon more tolerable to patients who have difficulty.
He talks about other options in clinical trials, that focus on diabetes, and also some that are endoscopy-free. Many new techniques are on the horizon that will be minimally invasive, yet still, provide immense benefits to patients.
Continuing, Dr. Chapman talks about the work they are doing to try to get insurance companies to cover certain procedures, which will help those who may be underinsured or facing financial struggles, to get procedures they need for their health.
Greg Paulsen, the Director of Applications Engineering at Xometry (xometry.com), discusses on-demand manufacturing services, materials, trends, and 3D printing processes.
Podcast Points:
As the leader of the Applications Engineering team, Paulsen handles special projects pertaining to material selection, design-for-manufacturing, and technical engineering resources as well.
The team at Xometry is heavily involved in pushing technology, communication, and integration, and helping clients to improve their manufacturing supply line.
Paulsen provides an overview of Xometry, and how they help to make manufacturing easier. Xometry has been innovating in the space for years, and has assisted the established manufacturing industry through the introduction of AI (artificial intelligence) and machine learning, just to name a few of the areas they excel in.
Paulsen talks about 3D printing technologies in detail. From metals to plastics to composites, the world of 3D printing is expanding and has evolved many times since its introduction in the mid 80s. He discusses the goals of Xometry and their approach to additive technologies, and the maturity of the tech innovations.
Paulsen explains molds used in traditional manufacturing versus what new technologies such as 3D printing can do to eliminate a lot of set up work and costs. It's an accessible technology that can be distributed to localized manufacturing sources, which improves efficiency.
Continuing, Paulsen discusses materials in detail, and the processes and post-processes in parts and products manufacturing. He talks about resin-based printers and the finishes that they can deliver versus how robust they are in terms of structure and engineering.
The manufacturing efficiency expert continues his discussion by discussing software options in the 3D printing and manufacturing arena, the evolution of the industry, and what's on the horizon.
The European Space Agency (ESA) ARTES Program is an optional program for members of ESA that supports a number of projects, products, and applications. Instrumentation Engineer, Arnaud Runge, discusses an ESA business application program line called Business Space Solutions.
Tune in to learn the following:
The Business Space Solutions program line at the ESA is focused on how to go about using all things space-related, such as communications via satellite, positional data, and various technologies to create new products and services for the enhancement of existing services or to meet new needs from different user communities.
The types of projects supported by ARTES fall into many categories, including health, telemedicine, insurance, tourism, and precision farming that will help farmers better utilize resources such as water and fertilizer.
Runge discusses a few specific examples of the products they've supported, which include a product capable of measuring parameters such as heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature that can be placed in aircrafts and connected to medical doctors on the ground.
This would eliminate the need for countless and costly flight diversions. He also talks about a laboratory that specializes in taking biological measurements in the context of epidemics like the recent Ebola outbreak. The technology works by utilizing satellite-based communication methods to connect various specialists with experts on the ground, and by facilitating the development of healthcare and treatment for the patients met.
This method of communication would prove invaluable in the event that a natural disaster rendered conventional forms of communication impossible.
Learn more about the work being done by visiting https://artes.esa.int/.
Bridge Builders supports companies that work towards accessible mind-training technology through investments. He explains some of these steps from idea to implementation by discussing:
Operating Partner of Bridge Builders, Charlie Hartwell describes the more fluid style of the collaborative investment model. He touches on the 12 companies his group supports and then goes into more detail about some of the applications they've helped bring about, further explaining their steps from idea to implementation.
He describes in particular one app that's growing in popularity called Insight Timer. It offers mindfulness inspiration, meditations, and music from over 5,000 teachers around the world. Additional projects include an app that helps with addiction, the Muse headband, and Fabriq, an app that helps organize and enable better intentionality with relationship building, both social and professional.
Mr. Hartwell also addresses projects that need more attention and may come under their purview such as research into psychedelic drug potential to treat various struggles such as PTSD. He mentions as well the rise in alternatives to nonwestern medical practitioners—and would like to see the development of that field become more mainstream.
For more see https://bbcollaborative.com/. He also posts frequently to LinkedIn and publishes Medium articles.
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