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
Over 100 million people in the US are now living with diabetes or prediabetes, a disease that causes poor quality of life for most. Eduardo Jorgensen set out to address this problem by establishing MedicSen, a company that's developing a predictive algorithm capable of alerting patients up to an hour in advance of a hypoglycemic event.
The MedicSen software receives information from wearable devices such as glucose monitors and is able to predict a patient's future glucose levels based on certain parameters, such as food intake, activity level, and levels of insulin versus glucose in the body. By alerting the patient without any input aside from food intake documentation, this technology will provide patients with relief from the constant stress and worry that accompanies diabetes. Furthermore, it's an interactive system, which means that patients can ask it certain questions, such as whether or not it would be safe for them to consume a soda or go for a hike. But that's not all: currently in the works is a needle-free drug delivery device in the form of a patch.
Tune in for all the details, visit medicsen.com to learn more, and reach out to Jorgensen at eduardo@medicsen.com.
Over the past several decades, advancements in space technology have led to an unprecedented number of satellites being put into orbit, which has led to a number of exciting new insights and findings. However, it's come at a cost: with a few thousand tons of space debris from old and nonfunctional satellites orbiting the earth at a rate of about seven kilometers per second, each individual piece of debris poses the threat of colliding with another, or with a new satellite. This is a problem that must be addressed in order to continue using satellites safely.
Professor Guglielmo is the director of the Surrey Space Center at the University of Surrey in England, and he joins the podcast today to discuss this problem and the ways in which he's trying to solve it. He explains that when large particles of debris collide with one another, a cascade effect of collisions ensues, worsening the problem. And of course, if a large piece of debris were to collide with a new satellite, the satellite would be destroyed. According to Guglielmo, then, the largest threat is none other than the largest pieces of debris.
Tune in for all the details about the work that's being done at Surrey to develop a solution, and the biggest challenge facing the development of that solution. Learn more at www.surrey.ac.uk/surrey-space-centre.
Prasanna Singaraju, engineering chief and CTO of Qentelli (qentelli.com), provides an overview of how Qentelli's solutions are delivering a new standard in quality engineering and DevOps for Continuous Delivery. Continuous Delivery is a DevOps software development practice in which code changes are built, tested, and prepared for release into production. Singaraju states that Qentelli helps companies re-engineer their applications that are built upon existing, older technology stacks. He discusses how they utilize DevOpps (a software engineering practice that seeks to unify software development and software operation) and automated testing.
Singaraju has a wealth of experience in radio-frequency engineering and infrastructure, data, communications, quality assurance, and project management. As CTO, he brings a passionate interest in sustainable innovation, application engineering, and value-driven solutions to Qentelli. Singaraju has an illustrious background in his industry and has a strong reputation as an integrator and world leader in IT, product and program management, as well as customer support.
Qentelli's focus is on the nexus of quality engineering and intelligence, and Singaraju leads their innovations group with an active approach to the design and implementation of the various solutions and products they deliver. The company seeks to offer high-end software development and quality assurance to bring higher level applications to businesses.
Singaraju discusses Qentelli's goal of assisting companies, with higher speed delivery of applications for their operations. From banking to retail, airlines to restaurants, Qentelli's solutions are practical and usable for many industries. He provides details of their successful transformations for businesses, and how they are able to improve feedback and increase the quality of applications. Starting with ecommerce all the way through to back-of-store, point of sale systems, to payment, Qentelli delivers end-to-end solutions for business application success.
Singaraju describes many of the problems that businesses face in this space, and how Qentelli's solutions apply. He states that any business that utilizes applications to serve their customers is a business that they can help improve. Singaraju outlines their multi-level approach, which includes examination of a company's overall processes, technology, and methods of implementation. And Singaraju details the specifics of bringing real-time, absolute visibility into the quality assessment as a means to achieve predictable outcomes in the overall application lifecycle.
Jessica Chang, co-founder, and CEO of Wee Care (weecare.com), delivers an informative overview of the current state of childcare and how quality day care services are desperately in demand. Chang's Wee Care Preschool has established a successful early childhood program for children 3 months to 6 years of age. Their comprehensive curriculum provides strong academics, creative play, as well as physical activities, all within a warm, safe, and nurturing environment. Their stimulating, structured program ensures quality interaction between the children and their teachers, as well as child to child. Children can learn valuable social skills as they interact with one another.
Chang states that Wee Care helps parents find quality, affordable, convenient care. Additionally, they assist preschool teachers, caregivers, and stay-at-home moms who seek to start their own licensed home daycare center, as Wee Care's online technology platform provides the structure they need to succeed. Chang discusses the rising cost of day care for parents, and also the low pay caregivers often receive, and her concern for all parties involved. Chang's desire is to solve the problems on both sides. Chang's, Wee Care, offers best practices advice and support, and assists with setting up the foundation for new daycare center operators. Wee Care can provide structural support to newly formed daycares and thus decrease the administrative time for operators. This allows many who choose to work with Wee Care in this manner to operate their daycare and still have another career.
The Wee Care Preschool environment offers many opportunities for learning new skills during various activities. Group activities, circle time, play time in designated play areas, science centers, and individual teacher/student skill building are all part of the program. Wee Care focuses on pre-math and reading readiness throughout the day at each of the classroom levels. Also, climber time and outdoor play activities provide physical movement and important motor skill development.
Chang gives an overview of the trends in daycare, and she details how more and more women are starting their own businesses. She discusses how technology and the desire to control your own time has motivated many people to seek employment that works for them, on their schedule, by their own rules. Thus, Wee Care is experiencing tremendous growth as individuals are enthusiastically taking on new challenges and opening home businesses.
The daycare and child development expert provides information on licensing and the standards that new daycare operators must meet in order to be approved. She underscores the advantages of working with Wee Care, as caregivers can focus on what they love, which is working with children and teaching them, while Wee Care handles the administrative obstacles that may seem daunting to some new business owners. She states the importance of curriculum, and how Wee Care takes the stress out of this by providing the curriculum in advance so caregivers and teachers can simply implement it. Finally, Chang outlines the importance of cultural diversity and languages, and how they enrich the learning experience for children overall.
Ramsay Brown, co-founder, and COO of Boundless Mind (boundless.ai) delivers an insightful overview of the apps that influence our behavior and the mechanisms of behavioral engineering that could change our actions. Brown believes that machine-learning techniques have advanced to the level that we can now predictably and predictively take behavioral engineering seriously. Brown states that Boundless Mind can help companies understand how people are acting, and change the way they behave. Additionally, they can assist individuals who want to make a behavioral change in their own life. He discusses some options that they offer to help people change the way they interact with social media as well, options that allow people to build healthier relationships.
Brown and his team at Boundless Mind believe that technology is becoming more addictive, and coercive, and some of the technologies that are moving at the greatest pace toward persuasive domination are unfortunately not always great for human prosperity. Through the study of human behavior mechanisms, Boundless Mind has developed their AI platform such that any app that seeks to help humans thrive can now do just that, powered by state of the art mechanisms that bring together brainpower and machines. Essentially, the Boundless AI platform works to combine neuroscience and data, to deliver tailored in-app user engagement programs that consistently outperform other methods and approaches.
The AI platform allows administrators to pick a common action that has value for users (opening the app or completing a specific task), and then they can pick a particular enhancement, such as a visual cue that acts as a reward for completing the task. Finally, the users are connected to Boundless Mind's API through one of their supported software development kits, known as SDKs, or REST (Representational State Transfer) API, which aligns each user onto an individualized program tailored for them. It is software that changes user behavior and strengthens engagement following neuroscience, which has proven that habits are programmable, but individuals require tailored programs.
Brown discusses optimized reinforcement techniques, and their partnership with a large pharmaceutical company in which Boundless Mind has delivered a means to keep patients on track with their medications. By using the mechanisms of basic neuroscience their platform can help to reward patients for taking their medication and thus increase retention. Brown digs into the hard science behind predictability and patterns of reinforcement as it applies to modification of behavior.
The behavioral modification expert provides an overview of how we interact with our apps in the smartphone world, and how all apps are designed to be persuasive. He explains that we are constantly making choices as to which apps we give our attention to, and how those apps are influencing our decisions, and ultimately how we feel about ourselves. Brown believes that when we are equipped with tools that understand our motivations and aspirations, that our smartphones can become instruments that enable us to grow into the kind of people we aspire to become. By loading up our smartphones with apps that appeal to our better selves, who we aspire to be, and deleting apps that impact us negatively, Brown feels that we can transition to a healthier life. Brown's team ultimately seeks to work with other companies that share their vision of bringing positive, healthy changes to our behavior.
Dr. Bret Scher has been a cardiologist for over 15 years now and says that one thing's been made clear: our health care system is badly broken, failing to address the main issues affecting people and to provide solutions that will actually work. As the lead practitioner at My Boundless Health, Dr. Scher is trying to change this.
"The goal of the work I'm doing...is to help people get access to information that is not being promoted by our contemporary health care system and to get access to a practitioner who can spend more time, think outside the box, and see the bigger picture to really try to find the right solution for each individual," says Dr. Scher. At My Boundless Health, the focus is on a lot more than just lab results and medications; it's about nutrition, exercise, stress, sleep, and social interactions. Ultimately, it's about listening to the patient and making adjustments according to the changes in their life or status of health.
Dr. Scher takes a two-tiered approach by first giving people easy access to as much information as possible, and then working one-on-one with patients in order to develop an intense, individually-tailored program that will best suit their needs. Dr. Scher discusses a variety of topics, including overmedication, the details of the initial screening process of his program, and some of the most difficult aspects of getting people into more healthful states of being.
Tune in for the full conversation, and learn more by visiting myboundlesshealth.com or lowcarbcardiologist.com.
There's been a lot of talk about quantum computing lately, but what exactly is it, and what are some practical applications that it may have? These are just a few of the topics discussed by William Hurley, CEO of Strange works, which is a company that launched earlier this year during a South by Southwest Keynote presentation and raised $4 million just in seed money.
The main goal of the company is to make quantum computing technology more understandable to the layperson and more accessible to developers. Right now, the Strangeworks platform offers developers and enterprises a way to become familiar with the technology by performing quantum experiments, as well as a timeline of the likely advances in this technology. Hurley believes that within 24 to 36 months, quantum computing will be usable and produce real enterprise outcomes.
Quantum computing has come a long way in the past few years, but it has a ways to go. Among many other topics, Hurley discusses what he believes to be the two main factors holding back quantum computing: high cost and the unsolved problem of error correction. Despite the challenges, the potential of quantum computing is exciting and has the potential to change the world.
Tune in for an informative and compelling conversation, join the community at quantumcomputing.stackexchange.com, and reach out to Hurley with questions via email at whrley@strangeworks.com.
Jade Nelson, speaker, coach, epilepsy advocate, community health educator, and author of My Keto Toolkit, delivers a passionate account of her journey to better health through lifestyle changes and the ketogenic diet. Nelson shares her story and details on her remarkable path to healing at her website (jadenelson.net). Nelson's book, My Keto Toolkit, is equal parts a survival guide and overview of her path to becoming a ketogenic epilepsy warrior. Nelson shares her 31-year journey with an epilepsy diagnosis, her personal experience with self-care, the ketogenic diet, health insurance and more. The informative book provides tips, resources, and information on favorite products, as well as many personal recipes, etc., that can help people to take the first step toward a healthier life with more energy and a feeling of well being. It is a guide to a lifestyle that will truly be life-changing.
Nelson describes how a strict ketogenic diet worked for her, but that other might achieve positive results from variations on the diet, such as a modified Atkins, or simply a low-carb approach. Nelson describes the incredible changes she felt once she took the plunge into a ketogenic lifestyle, such as feeling more alert, having an abundance of energy, feeling happier, and living with a general sense of wellness within the body. Overall she was simply less emotionally drained, and she no longer needed those daily naps; her life was restored.
The nutrition authority offers valuable information on the importance of tweaking one's diet to ensure it is providing the maximum health benefits. She discusses the process of gluconeogenesis, which is what happens when the body receives more protein than it needs and converts it into glucose, which can push someone out of ketosis. Nelson explains that the process of discovery and experimentation can lead ketogenic dieters to a plan that is optimum for them, as everyone is different internally to some degree. She stresses that the ketogenic diet will cause many to feel satiated more often, not as hungry as they might have been before beginning the diet, and the importance of monitoring the diet, especially if one's body fat is low to ensure that body muscle is not adversely impacted.
Nelson outlines some helpful tips for those who are on the go. She states that there are more ketogenic products available in the marketplace today, including many travel items, oils, and supplementary foods that are grab-and-go and convenient. She explains that there are many ways to supplement meals when eating out or traveling, options that can round out the ketogenic diet and allow everyone to keep on track with their ketogenic routine and stay in ketosis. Additionally, she describes some of the ketogenic products that she has had success with but stresses that it is real food, not products, that is the key to success in a ketogenic lifestyle and diet.
The ketogenic educator discusses ketogenic specifics for women and some of the important issues to consider to ensure that their diet doesn't adversely affect their natural cycle. She warns that excessively low caloric intake and insufficient nutrients can possibly cause some women to become amenorrheic, which is the loss of their period, so women should be aware, and adjust their diets accordingly to avoid this problem.
Nelson discusses her path to success on the ketogenic diet, and the many people she has worked with on an individual basis, as well as her coaching and live event speaking engagements where she outlines a wealth of information on the diet and nutrition in general. She encourages people to reach out to her through her website as well as through instagram (@thetraininsideme) and on facebook.
Kit Tran, chief marketing officer at HyreCar (hyrecar.com), delivers an overview of the rideshare industry and how his company is helping to build a bridge between drivers and vehicle owners. While many people are excited to get into the potentially lucrative, make your own schedule career of rideshare driving, 40% of those who desire to drive are denied the opportunity because their car simply doesn't meet Uber or Lyft's standards. Thus, HyreCar is there to bridge the gap, offering solutions for drivers and vehicle owners who want to work, and make money, respectively.
HyreCar is an app that allows car owners to rent their vehicles to ridesharing drivers who either don't have a vehicle of their own, or their vehicle fails to meet the standards of their rideshare employer, or they simply prefer to not use their own vehicle. It's a startup company that brings together a sharing economy model and on-demand economy model that benefits all parties involved.
Tran's company, HyreCar, was launched as a means to empower entrepreneurs by leveraging technology, and HyreCar seeks to become the undisputed leader in automotive asset sharing. In an on-demand economy, drivers can make one thousand dollars per week or more, so demand for vehicles is on the rise. Vehicle owners who have an extra vehicle to spare, or drive infrequently with the vehicle they do have, can make a substantial amount of money by renting out their Uber or Lyft approved vehicle. In fact, owners can sometimes make $14,000 per year, possibly even more.
Tran speaks about HyreCar's higher mission, which is enabling people to get on the path to financial freedom. He shares some stories of their successes in this area, as their service has allowed many who were once homeless or underemployed find a solution to greater financial stability. He gives an overview of their service, covering the terms and various background checks that potential drivers must go through in order to work with HyreCar. As HyreCar is a tech platform that is designed to work in tandem with the rideshare companies, HyreCar's vehicles must be used for ridesharing specifically.
Tran discusses future opportunities for HyreCar and drivers alike, as they continue to evolve to meet the growing demands of the industry. Tran states that their primary goal is to build bridges to financial freedom, and through that lens they look at many potential paths they can take to improve lives and meet demands. He discusses possible opportunities, as drivers or owners may want to expand and create their own fleet of vehicles and thus find even more avenues to financial success. For as Tran states, an easier path to ownership benefits everyone.
George Church is an American geneticist, chemist, molecular engineer, professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School, and professor of health sciences and technology at Harvard and MIT. Church provides an informative and thorough overview of his work in genetics and gene therapy, which is the use of genes to treat or prevent disease. Church's Harvard Ph.D. work included the initial methods for direct genome sequencing, as well as molecular multiplexing and barcoding. His innovative research and experimentation led to the first genome sequence (pathogen, Helicobacter pylori) in the mid-nineties.
His work has provided important and significant contributions to practically all next-generation DNA sequencing methods and a long list of companies who are leaders in the field. Church's lab's research on chip-DNA-synthesis, gene editing, and stem cell engineering led to the founding of multiple application-based companies in the areas of medical diagnostics, and synthetic biology and therapeutics. Church is the director of an IARPA (Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity) BRAIN Project and NIH Center for Excellence in Genomic Science.
Church discusses some of the new companies that he is involved with that are researching many scientific areas. He details one of his passion projects that seeks to impact human cells such that they will be resistant to all viruses. He talks about various endogenous viruses that exist within specific genomes, and exogenous viruses, and the methods of his lab is studying, particularly in regard to transplants. He explains that virus and disease transmission is a great concern in organ transplantation from pigs to humans, and how it is important to eliminate all endogenous retroviruses that could potentially cause disease once organs are transplanted. While the concept of animal to human organ transplant is not a new idea, Church explains that it has taken 20 years to develop new technologies for gene editing that can enable simultaneous changes in dozens of areas within the genome in order to make transplantation potentially possible.
The genetic expert talks about current research in the study of longevity and his interest in using gene therapy for the reversal of diseases and conditions such as obesity, type II diabetes, osteoarthritis, heart and kidney damage, etc. He discusses the categories that his lab looks for that can be manipulated, and he provides an overview of classic gene therapy for diseases that someone is born with, as well as the FDA approval needed. He provides examples such as how mitochondria is impacted by aging, and why important levels drop, and how gene therapy can provide a means to restore cells to more optimum levels for better functioning.
Church expounds upon the current options for genome sequencing and where he expects the advances in genetic research to lead us. He details how the price is coming down such that many people may soon have access to important genetic information that can greatly impact their lives, inform their decisions about having children with partners, and so forth. Church discusses epidemiology, therapies, and methods that apply to genetic research, and how the future will possibly see gene therapy become as commonplace as vaccinations are today.
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
