Shows
The Scientist SpeaksAll the Feels: The Emerging Neuroscience of Gut TouchDeep within the gut’s epithelial layer are specialized sensory cells that convert mechanical stimuli to electrical signals and convey this information to nerve cells. As researchers home in on the basic mechanisms of gut touch, the concept of gut feeling is taking on new significance and providing hope for the millions of people living with gastrointestinal disorders.
In this episode, Iris Kulbatski from The Scientist spoke with Arthur Beyder, a gastroenterologist and biomedical engineer at the Mayo Clinic to learn more about his team’s research on the emerging neuroscience of gut touch.
The Scie...2025-04-3015 minThe Scientist SpeaksFrom Development to Regeneration: The Power of BioelectricityBioelectrical gradients guide embryonic development by creating an electrical scaffold for tissue and organ growth. Researchers harness the power of bioelectricity to devise strategies for regenerating various tissues, including promoting brain recovery after stroke.
In this episode, Iris Kulbatski from The Scientist spoke with Paul George, a physician scientist in the Department of Neurology at Stanford University, to learn more about his team’s research on bioelectricity for stroke recovery.
The Scientist Speaks is a podcast produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. Our podcast is by scientists and for scientists. Once a month, we b...2025-02-2612 minThe Scientist SpeaksCircumventing Cancer ResistanceTraditional and new cancer therapies often become stymied due to tumor resistance, but why resistance arises and how to avoid it remain important questions in the cancer research field. To uncover the ways tumors form, adapt, and ultimately resist treatment, scientists investigate how genetic mutations arise and drive cancer cell evolution.
In this month’s episode, Deanna MacNeil from The Scientist spoke with Bishoy Faltas, an associate professor of medicine, and cell and developmental biology, and chief research officer of the Englander Institute for Precision Medicine at Weill Cornell, to explore bladder cancer evolution and treatment resistance....2024-12-1820 minThe Scientist SpeaksAdvances in Cell Therapy for Restoring VisionRetinal neurons derived from human stem cells are a promising source of replacement cells for regenerating damaged or diseased retinas. As scientists progress toward translation of cell therapies for restoring vision, they encounter challenges, including how to deliver the cells, ensure that they integrate appropriately with host tissue, and enable proper function after transplantation.
In this episode, Iris Kulbatski from The Scientist spoke with Deepak Lamba, a distinguished scientist in the department of immunology and regenerative medicine at Genentech and an associate adjunct professor at the University of California, San Francisco, to learn more about how advances...2024-11-2015 minThe Scientist SpeaksSmelling Illness: Volatile Organic Compounds as Neurological Disease BiomarkersEarly diagnosis and treatment of Parkinson’s disease is critical to slowing its progression. Long before neurological symptoms appear, patients exhibit early signs, some of which are associated with specific chemical scent signatures known as volatile organic compounds. Researchers study these as early biomarkers of disease for future diagnostics applications.
In this episode, Iris Kulbatski from The Scientist spoke with Drupad Trivedi, a University of Manchester biomedical researcher and lecturer in analytical and measurement science, to learn more about how fatty skin secretions in Parkinson’s disease and one woman’s sensitive nose may lead to early detect...2024-10-3112 minThe Scientist SpeaksUnderstanding the Role of Autophagy in Infectious DiseaseJust like people declutter their homes to prevent the accumulation of broken or unwanted items, cells use autophagy to maintain homeostasis. This essential cleaning process enables them to capture and degrade unnecessary or dysfunctional macromolecules, such as damaged organelles, protein aggregates, and microbial pathogens. As a result, autophagy is a fundamental defense mechanism employed by cells to control and clear viral infections.
In this episode, Charlene Lancaster from The Scientist spoke with Josephine Thinwa, an assistant professor in the departments of internal medicine and microbiology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, to learn more about...2024-09-2516 minThe Scientist SpeaksLinking Fasting to Health and the Gut MicrobiomeGut microbes affect humans in many ways, including altering the gastrointestinal tract’s function and influencing a person’s body weight, and the nutrients that people ingest can affect the microbiome. Researchers now ask how popular weight loss strategies involving calorie restriction change the bugs in our guts and human health overall.
In this episode, Niki Spahich from The Scientist spoke with Alex Mohr, a postdoctoral fellow in the Biodesign Center for Health Through Microbiomes at Arizona State University, about his work comparing the effects of calorie restriction versus intermittent fasting with protein pacing on the g...2024-08-2815 minThe Scientist SpeaksCatch Me If You Can: Sequencing Screens for Rare Disease GenesRare diseases often remain undiagnosed due to unknown etiologies. In recent years, researchers have made headway in characterizing the molecular causes of rare diseases thanks to progressively powerful sequencing technologies, such as whole genome and exome sequencing.
In this episode, Deanna MacNeil from The Scientist spoke with medical geneticist and chair of the department of pediatrics at Boston Children's Hospital, Wendy Chung, to learn how the rare disease field has evolved alongside advances in next generation sequencing.
More on this topic
The Sequencing Revolution
Scans of Sundry Variant Types U...2024-07-3117 minThe Scientist SpeaksOrganoids in Space: The Next FrontierBuilding miniature brains may sound like a page out of a science fiction novel, but fact is indeed stranger than fiction. Researchers around the world grow brain organoids—3D miniature brains—to better understand brain development, aging, injury, and other disorders, as well as to test new treatment strategies. Some scientists take brain building to the next level by launching their brain organoids into outer space.
In this episode, Iris Kulbatski from The Scientist spoke with Alysson Muotri, a University of California, San Diego professor and Stem Cell Program director to learn more about how microgravity affects the c...2024-06-2616 min
The Scientist SpeaksScience Philosophy in a Flash: Shifting Parturition Perspectives in Perinatology ResearchAs a maternal-fetal immunologist at the Washington University School of Medicine, Nardhy Gómez-López investigates the immunobiological pathways that underlie pregnancy complications. Having trained and researched across the globe alongside caring and curious physicians, Gómez-López became hooked on perinatal immunology research. Motivated to help solve the prevalent problem of preterm birth, she currently looks at labor and birth, also called parturition, through a basic research lens.
In this Science Philosophy in a Flash podcast episode, The Scientist's Creative Services Team spoke with Gómez-López to learn more about her recent work investigating cellular change...2024-06-0104 minThe Scientist SpeaksUnderstanding the Effects of Extrachromosomal DNA on CancerIn the 1960s, researchers in England noticed an anomaly when investigating chromosomes from surgically removed human tumors. Distinct from the intact chromosomes visible underneath the microscope were numerous “very small double chromatin bodies,” which are today better known as extrachromosomal DNA. Thanks to modern sequencing and imaging techniques, researchers now know that these tiny bits of circular DNA play a big role in cancer outcomes.
In this episode, Niki Spahich from The Scientist spoke with Lukas Chavez, an assistant professor in the Cancer Genome and Epigenetics Program at the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, to learn more...2024-05-2921 min
The Scientist SpeaksScience Philosophy in a Flash: Understanding the Symphony of Human Brain DevelopmentAs the Golub Family Professor of stem cell and regenerative biology at Harvard University, Paola Arlotta seeks to understand how the human brain is formed and what makes it unique. After being inspired by her high school science teacher, Antonio Vecchia, Arlotta pursued a research path that led to her current work exploring the cerebral cortex by growing human organoids in 3D cell culture and investigating their development with single cell sequencing techniques.
In this Science Philosophy in a Flash podcast episode, The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Arlotta to learn more about her path fr...2024-04-3003 minThe Scientist SpeaksExplainable AI for Rational Antibiotic DiscoveryResearchers now employ artificial intelligence (AI) models based on deep learning to make functional predictions about big datasets. While the concepts behind these networks are well established, their inner workings are often invisible to the user. The emerging area of explainable AI (xAI) provides model interpretation techniques that empower life science researchers to uncover the underlying basis on which AI models make such predictions.
In this month’s episode, Deanna MacNeil from The Scientist spoke with Jim Collins from Massachusetts Institute of Technology to learn how researchers are using explainable AI and artificial neural networks to gain mech...2024-04-2415 minThe Scientist SpeaksNatural Trip: Endogenous Psychedelics and Human PhysiologyThe field of psychedelics research has exploded in recent years, as scientists dig deeper into the neuroscience and pharmacology of hallucinogens and how their unique properties can be harnessed to understand and treat depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and neurodegenerative diseases. Remarkably, the human body produces its own endogenous psychedelics, the reasons for which have implications for understanding the ordinary and extraordinary states of human consciousness, from creativity and dreaming to near death experiences.
In this episode, Iris Kulbatski from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Steven Barker, a professor emeritus at L...2024-03-2733 minThe Scientist SpeaksEpigenetics in a DishEvery cell within the human body contains the same DNA, but not all cells look and act alike. The key to cellular diversity lies in which genes the cells express or shut down. Cells convey this information to the appropriate machinery through epigenetic modifications. In this episode, Charlene Lancaster from The Scientist spoke with Jonathan Weissman from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Luke Gilbert from the University of California, San Francisco to learn about making epigenetic changes in vitro and the application of these tools in research and the clinic.
The Scientist Speaks is a podcast...2024-02-2816 minThe Scientist SpeaksVirtual Laboratories for Remote Benchwork and BreakthroughsCloud-based systems enable remote science experiments, allowing researchers to accomplish experimental breakthroughs from virtually any location with computer access. Remote labs and cloud-connected instruments are revolutionizing the way researchers approach benchwork, improving scientific discovery and education by enabling accessible and automated workflows.
In this episode, Deanna MacNeil from The Scientist spoke with Mohammed Mostajo-Radji from the University of California, Santa Cruz; Brandon Sutherland from University of Toronto’s Accelerator Consortium; and Dana Cortade from Align to Innovate, to learn about connecting experiments to the cloud with remote research technologies.
The Scientist Speaks is a...2024-01-3123 minThe Scientist SpeaksThe Art and Science of Synthetic BiologyResearchers apply the principles of synthetic biology to address some of the most pressing human health challenges. In what some consider a science and an artform, scientists use bacterial components in creative ways to create synthetic cells for cancer research.
In this episode, Iris Kulbatski from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Kate Adamala, an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota and a synthetic biologist working on engineering synthetic cells, to learn more about the latest advances in using synthetic biology for cancer therapy applications.
The Scientist Speaks is a podcast produced by...2023-11-2918 minThe Scientist SpeaksSmart Gateways into the Lab of the FutureAs bioengineers incorporate smart technology into more aspects of the scientific process, these updates promise to digitize and automate laborious, repetitive research tasks while simultaneously transforming the laboratory into a more accessible and connected environment. This episode highlights cutting-edge smart technologies that allow scientists to take their research to the next level by streamlining common experimental workflows.
In this month’s episode, Deanna MacNeil from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Sofie Salama and David Haussler, professors at the University of California, Santa Cruz, to learn more about the smart technology behind growing brain organoids.
2023-09-2721 minThe Scientist SpeaksFecal Microbiota Transplants: From Gut Infections to Psychiatric DisordersFecal transplantation is an established procedure for controlling recurrent Clostridium difficile infection by replenishing healthy bacteria in the gut. Researchers explore novel applications of fecal transplantation for treating other conditions, including psychiatric disorders. In this episode, Iris Kulbatski from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Ian Carroll, an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Kylie Reed, a PhD candidate in Carroll’s laboratory, to learn how the current understanding of treating infectious disease with fecal transplantation drives new applications of this therapy for psychiatric conditions such as e...2023-07-2823 min
The Scientist SpeaksScience Philosophy in a Flash: Starting with Human Cell SystemsXitiz Chamling is an assistant professor of ophthalmology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. From vision research to the pursuit of multiple sclerosis treatments, his philosophy of science centers human-based systems to study the neuroprotective layer called myelin, which surrounds and insulates nerves cells.
In this episode, Deanna MacNeil from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Chamling to learn more about his latest work combining stem cell and CRISPR-Cas9 technologies to break away from conventional high throughput drug screening platforms that rely on rodent cells.
To learn more about Chamling's research, please ch...2023-07-2402 minThe Scientist SpeaksTargeting the UndruggableDisease-relevant molecules that cannot be pharmacologically targeted are sometimes referred to as undruggable, and in cancer, a number of proteins fall into this category. With innovation and new technologies, researchers make breakthroughs that turn evasive targets into druggable ones. Recent successes in establishing therapeutics against mutant oncoproteins, such as KRAS, transform the treatment landscape for patients and clinicians. A scientist who takes a unique approach to clinical trial design demonstrates how targeted small molecules are shifting drug discovery paradigms in oncology to better treat pancreatic cancer.
In this episode, Deanna MacNeil from The Scientist’s Creative Services Te...2023-05-3116 minThe Scientist SpeaksScience Philosophy in a Flash: Relevant Models Reflect Real-World NeedsJie Sun is a professor in Infectious Diseases and International Medicine at University of Virginia School of Medicine and associate director for Scientific Programs at the Carter Immunology Center. His philosophy of science prioritizes physiologically relevant infection models to tackle real-world clinical needs with research. In their latest work, Sun’s research team identified genetic and pharmacologic pathways that attenuate severe flu or COVID-19 infection and reduce blood glucose levels that spike after viral pneumonia.
In this episode, Deanna MacNeil from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Sun to learn more about his philosophy of scie...2023-05-3002 minThe Scientist SpeaksScience Philosophy in a Flash: Targeting a Genetic Accident to Treat DiseaseDavid Liu is a professor in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University. Liu’s lab has introduced breakthrough technologies to the field of genome editing, including base editing and prime editing, with the aim of treating genetic diseases. In their latest work, his research team took a “no stone unturned” approach to determine a one-time base editing strategy to treat the motor neuron disease, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).
In this episode, Deanna MacNeil from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Liu to learn more about his philosophy of science, which involves an appre...2023-05-0903 min
The Scientist SpeaksScience Philosophy in a Flash: A Surprising Way to Repair Scar TissueClaire Higgins is reader in the department of bioengineering at Imperial College London. Her philosophy of science involves a problem-solving approach to research, where she models tissue growth, development, and repair using human skin and hair follicles. In their latest work, her research team transplanted hair follicles into human skin scars in an attempt to make that tissue healthy again.
In this episode, Iris Kulbatski from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Higgins to learn more about how she takes an engineering-inspired, problem-solving approach to her research.
To learn more about Higgins's research, ch...2023-04-1102 minThe Scientist SpeaksGenomes Across the Tree of LifeScientists often refer to DNA as the blueprint of a cell. Whether the genetic material is single stranded or double stranded, linear or circular, organisms across the tree of life rely on their genomic blueprint for instructions on living, growing, and reproducing. Due to the amount of information carried by this blueprint, the size of the genome poses a biological dilemma; from humans to single-celled aquatic organisms, all eukaryotes must find a solution for organizing their DNA into a tiny nuclear space. In the quest for better tools to understand the 3D genomic architecture and the biological challenge of...2023-03-3024 minThe Scientist SpeaksA Way with Words: Using Genomics to Dispel Stuttering MythsMost mammals communicate vocally but humans are unique in their ability to communicate using spoken language. Humans are not born with an innate capacity to speak and understand language, but rather learn this skill as the brain develops. The complex interplay between neurobiology, genetics, and the environment shape vocal learning, but scientists do not understand the full extent to which each of these contribute to language development or to speech and language disorders. A recent study by a team of genetics and communication sciences researchers showed an association between specific gene variants and the susceptibility to developing early childhood-onset...2023-02-2721 minThe Scientist SpeaksImmune Cells and ALS: A Balance Between Life and DeathNeurodegenerative disorders progressively impair a patient’s ability to function. Scientists expect the prevalence of these conditions to increase as the world’s population ages, and their clinical, genetic, and pathological heterogeneity complicates disease diagnosis and prognosis. The link between the immune system and neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is becoming clearer thanks to improvements in immune cell profiling. A recent study by a team of ALS researchers showed that specific immune cells in blood and cerebrospinal fluid at the time of ALS diagnosis may help predict disease progression.
In this episode, Iris Kulbatski from...2023-01-3115 minThe Scientist SpeaksScience Philosophy in a Flash: Building Cancer Models with Creative CollaboratorsJennifer Munson is an associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics at Virginia Tech. Her overarching research goal is to find new therapeutic targets in the tumor microenvironment by examining cancer from an onco-engineering perspective. Munson’s work combines fluid mechanics, neuroengineering, tissue engineering, and translational cancer research. She creates personalized models of brain and breast cancer with patient-derived cells to examine the roles of interstitial fluid flow and cellular microenvironment components in cancer progression and treatment.
In this episode, Deanna MacNeil from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Munson to learn more...2022-12-0802 min
The Scientist SpeaksScience Philosophy in a Flash: Sharing Scientific Ideas in Disease GeneticsJukka Koskela, a senior researcher at the Finnish Institute for Molecular Medicine, studies the complex genetics of various diseases, including rare diseases such as pulmonary fibrosis. Koskela began pursuing research as a requirement of his clinical training at Helsinki University Central Hospital, and through discussions shared with other scientists, he became passionate about seeking genomic avenues for personalized disease risk assessment.
In this episode, Deanna MacNeil from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Koskela to learn more about what motivates him as a scientist.
To learn more about Koskela's research, check out this ar...2022-12-0202 minThe Scientist SpeaksThe Fight Against Time: Stem Cells and Healthy AgingDespite the genetic basis of healthy aging, diet plays an important role in preventing inflammation, diabetes, and cognitive decline. Yet, healthy food choices are just part of the equation. Researchers are discovering how fasting can undo some of the metabolic damage imposed by the overindulgences of the typical Western diet. The human body may be wired to function optimally when exposed to periods of fasting, which reawakens stem cell activity and the body’s intrinsic capacity to regenerate. The next frontier in this research field is the brain and the ways in which fasting may help improve age-related cognitive de...2022-11-3016 minThe Scientist SpeaksScience Philosophy in a Flash: Wired to RegeneratePaul George, an assistant professor of neurology and neurological sciences at Stanford University, taps into the bioelectrical language of the injured brain to reawaken the healing potential of neural stem cells. Inspired by his patients, he looks for innovative strategies that may one day help patients recover from neurodegenerative diseases such as stroke. In this episode, Iris Kulbatski from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with George to learn more about what being a scientist means to him.
For more on this topic, please see "Stem Cell Engineering for Tissue Regeneration."
Science Philosophy in a...2022-10-3102 minThe Scientist SpeaksExploring the Secrets to Longevity and Cancer Resistance in Mole-RatsAs humans age, cells often acquire defects that lead to cancer. However, this fate may not be set in stone, as certain animals can circumvent the ravages of time and keep their cells healthy.
In this episode, Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Vera Gorbunova, professor of biology at the University of Rochester and co-director of the Rochester Aging Research Center, to learn about her research on naked and blind mole-rat cancer resistance.
The Scientist Speaks is a podcast produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. Our podca...2022-10-2814 minThe Scientist SpeaksWhat Comes Up Must Go Down: Maintaining Hormone Balance Through RNA DecayTo regulate protein production, cells use sophisticated strategies to keep RNA levels in check. This balance is especially important for hormone production, particularly aldosterone—the master regulator of blood pressure. When this balance is disrupted, the risk for disorders including hypertension and cardiovascular disease increases.
In this episode, Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Neelanjan Mukherjee, assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular genetics at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, to learn more.
2022-09-3013 min
The Scientist SpeaksScience Philosophy in a Flash: Making Scientific Strides in the Produce AisleWelcome to Science Philosophy in a Flash, a mini podcast series produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. In this series, we highlight researchers’ unique outlooks on what it means to be a scientist.
Andrew Pelling, a professor at the University of Ottawa with appointments in the Departments of Physics and Biology, has a fresh approach to practicing science. He uses fruits and vegetables to create biodegradable scaffolds for tissue regeneration. His lab is a cross-pollinating hive of diverse disciplines, unencumbered by the rigidity of traditional approaches that favor a narrower focus. With the creative freedom to pu...2022-09-1302 minThe Scientist SpeaksFilling in the Gaps: Sequencing the Entire Human GenomeSequencing the human genome in the early 2000s was an incredible feat, but the sequence was incomplete. Recently, a consortium of researchers published a telomere-to-telomere assembly of a complete human X chromosome. This accomplishment was made possible by advances in sequencing technology, allowing researchers to address the previous technical difficulties in analyzing challenging genomic regions. Filling in these gaps of the human genome represents a breakthrough in human genetics and opens the door to a wealth of future studies that will undoubtedly advance our understanding of health and disease.
In this episode, Iris Kulbatski from The Scientist’s...2022-08-3111 minThe Scientist SpeaksScience Philosophy in a Flash: A Look at Aging Through Young EyesWelcome to Science Philosophy in a Flash, a mini podcast series produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. In this series, we highlight researchers’ unique outlooks on what it means to be a scientist.
Aimée Parker, a research scientist at the Quadram Institute’s Gut Microbes and Health Research Programme, looks to the gut as the fountain of youth. She studies how rejuvenating the microbiome can subdue chronic inflammation and prevent age-related tissue and organ dysfunction. Motivated by a commitment to collaboration and scientific discovery, her work casts a fresh perspective on aging gracefully. In this epi...2022-08-0801 minThe Scientist SpeaksRising from the Dead: How Soil Bacteria Absorb Antibiotic Resistance GenesScientists have known for a long time that microbes can take up extracellular DNA fragments, and they have leveraged this transformation process to genetically modify bacteria in the lab. However, transformation is quite fickle and depends on creating the right balance of reagent concentrations and cellular conditions. How this process takes place outside of the petri dish, in more natural bacterial environments such as soil, has proven more difficult to determine.
In this episode, Nele Haelterman from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Heather Kittredge, a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Connecticut, and Sa...2022-07-3113 minThe Scientist SpeaksScience Philosophy in a Flash: A Rising Star Launches Brain Power into Outer SpaceWelcome to Science Philosophy in a Flash, a mini podcast series produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. In this series, we highlight researchers’ unique outlooks on what it means to be a scientist.
Alysson Muotri, a professor at the University of California, San Diego and director of the Stem Cell program, pushes the boundaries of neuroscience research. He builds brains for a living, then sends them on missions to outer space. Motivated by curiosity and creativity, his work is advancing scientists’ understanding of brain development and aging. In this episode narrated by Niki Spahich, Iris Kulbats...2022-07-2701 minThe Scientist SpeaksMini Episode: Science Philosophy in a Flash - A Scientific Figure of SpeechWelcome to Science Philosophy in a Flash, a mini podcast series produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. In this series, we highlight researchers’ unique outlooks on what it means to be a scientist.
Beate Peter, a speech-language pathologist and associate professor at Arizona State University’s College of Health Solutions, practices science at the interface between genetics and speech-language pathology. She created a novel program for infants called Babble Boot Camp, which trains parents to proactively boost their children’s language skills before they begin to speak. In doing so, she hopes to improve the outcomes...2022-07-1102 minThe Scientist SpeaksVirulence Meets Metabolism: The Unique Evolution of Staphylococcus aureusStaphylococcus aureus is a versatile pathogen that infects many areas of the body and has a number of strategies for avoiding the immune response. In this episode, Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Anthony Richardson, an associate professor of microbiology and molecular genetics at the University of Pittsburgh, to learn how the bacterium fine-tunes its metabolism to survive in the host and why Staph’s metabolism makes it especially dangerous for people with diabetes.
2022-06-3011 minThe Scientist SpeaksTo Conserve and Protect: The Quest for Universal VaccinesViruses such as influenza and SARS-CoV-2 are constantly evolving to better infect their hosts. The appearance of new variants often diminishes the effectiveness of existing vaccines designed to induce immunity against pre-existing strains. In this episode, Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Patrick Wilson, a professor at the Gale and Ira Drukier Institute for Children’s Health at Weill Cornell Medicine, to learn about strategies for making universal vaccines that would impart long-lasting immunity in spite of pathogen evolution.
2022-05-2513 minThe Scientist SpeaksFinding that Sweet Spot: Understanding Gut Perception One Cell at a TimeTo understand how the gut perceives and communicates information to the brain, scientists are taking a deeper look at the sensory cells lining the gut using cutting-edge techniques such as single-cell sequencing. While there are challenges and limitations to single-cell sequencing, researchers are becoming more adept at integrating the latest sequencing technology with complementary research techniques to answer complex research questions, advance our understanding of health and disease, and develop new treatment approaches.
In this episode narrated by Niki Spahich, Iris Kulbatski from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Maya Kaelberer, a sensory neuro-gastroenterologist and as...2022-04-2916 minThe Scientist SpeaksPreventing the Next Pandemic with Organ ChipsIn search for strategies to curb pandemics, scientists strive to understand how pathogens slip past the immune system and wreak havoc on the body. To achieve this goal, researchers study viral infection in models that mimic how different cell types interact with each other, the immune system, or the environment. Organ-on-a-chip models combine tissue engineering with microfluidics to replicate an organ’s biological and biomechanical context. Lung chips have proven instrumental for studying viral evolution, identifying drug-resistant variants, and screening for new drugs that could prevent these variants from initiating the next pandemic.
In this episode, Nele Ha...2022-03-3014 minThe Scientist SpeaksDIY Cells: Understanding Life with a Synthetic Minimal CellThe cell is a fundamental unit of life that is capable of metabolism, synthesizing biological molecules, harnessing energy, and replicating. To understand how life works, researchers elucidate every detail related to cellular function and determine which processes are essential. With this information, scientists constructed the first synthetic minimal cell that encoded only the genes necessary for life in laboratory conditions. In this episode, narrated by Niki Spahich, Sejal Davla from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with John Glass, a professor and leader of the synthetic biology & bioenergy group at the J. Craig Venter Institute, about how his te...2022-03-0117 minThe Scientist SpeaksModeling Epilepsy in a DishEpilepsy is one of the most common neurological conditions, affecting over 65 million individuals worldwide, and is characterized by recurrent, spontaneous, and uncontrollable seizures. Seizures commonly arise in the epileptic brain after a sudden burst in neurological activity. While many anti-epileptic drugs control seizures, one-third of patients with epilepsy fail to respond to them. Managing drug-resistant epilepsies poses a challenge to scientists and clinicians alike.
In this episode, narrated by Niki Spahich, Sejal Davla from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Evangelos Kiskinis, an assistant professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, about his work mo...2022-02-0115 minThe Scientist SpeaksLipids Predict a Slippery Path Towards Parkinson’s DiseaseAs neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease wreak havoc on the brain and on our aging society, scientists race to identify factors that trigger neuronal demise and figure out how to stop them. Because neurons can’t be replaced, it is important to detect signs of stress in the brain early, before brain cells pass the point of no return. Scientists recently combined lipidomics with genetics and discovered that lipids are an underestimated player in neurodegeneration. In this episode narrated by Niki Spahich, Nele Haelterman from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Melissa Vos, a n...2021-12-1517 minThe Scientist SpeaksAncient Secrets of the PlagueAs we know, far too well, infectious disease pandemics have the power to reshape the world. Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are observing pathogen evolution in real time as more variants arise and spread in waves. Another infamous infectious disease pandemic, simply called “the plague,” has popped up multiple times in history. How it changed the ancient world has intrigued both historians and scientists. In this episode, Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Simon Rasmussen, an associate professor at the University of Copenhagen, to learn about his work tracking ancient plague-causing bacteria.
2021-11-3015 minThe Scientist SpeaksMolecular Farming: The Future of PharmaceuticalsPlant biotechnology is becoming an accepted avenue for pharmaceutical development. Researchers have engineered plants to grow biomolecules that can be made into therapeutics, including vaccines and monoclonal antibodies. These new technologies hold the promise of more readily bringing treatments to low-to-middle-income countries and providing rapid responses to future pandemics. In this episode, Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Julian Ma, the director of the Institute for Infection and Immunity and professor of molecular immunology at St. George’s Hospital Medical School, to learn more.
The Scientist Speaks is a podcast produ...2021-11-1718 minThe Scientist SpeaksHoming in on New Anticancer TargetsCancers are diverse and adaptable. That is why a staggering 97% of cancer drugs in clinical trials fail to receive FDA approval. Researchers try to stay one step ahead of cancer by studying the mechanisms that lead to drug resistance, finding new drug targets, and developing novel therapies, such as immunotherapeutics. In this episode narrated by Niki Spahich, Sejal Davla from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Jason Sheltzer, an assistant professor in the Department of Genomics, Genetics, and Epigenomics and Yale Cancer Center at the Yale School of Medicine, about his work on drug resistance in cancer, ch...2021-09-3017 minThe Scientist SpeaksThe Reality of Regenerative MedicineAn estimated 107,000 people in the United States are currently on the waiting list for organ transplantation. These patients face waiting times of 3-5 years or longer before receiving an organ. Even after receiving a donated organ, organ-transplant patients face a high risk of tissue rejection. Regenerative medicine promises the possibility of laboratory-grown organs, specially tailored to the biology and needs of individual patients, but how close is this technology to reality?
In this month’s episode, we discuss the potential of regenerative medicine to replace damaged organs and tissues and cases where stem cell and regenerative medicine in...2021-09-0117 minThe Scientist SpeaksThe Brain Behind the Bark: fMRI Imaging Our Canine CompanionsMany secrets are locked inside the brain, including fundamental questions of how individuals perceive the world. Some researchers are seeking answers by mapping brain activity in response to stimuli. This work typically involves human subjects, but certain scientists are branching out to understand the minds of other animals. Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Gregory Berns, a neuroscientist at Emory University who scans the brains of dogs trained to enter MRI machines, to learn more.
The Scientist Speaks is a podcast produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services team. Our podca...2021-07-2316 minThe Scientist SpeaksThieves on the Inside: Viral Control of Host Gene ExpressionViral genomes are small, but their products have large consequences for their hosts. During infection, viruses reshape the host gene expression landscape through clever mechanisms that promote viral replication and survival. Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Britt Glaunsinger, a professor in the departments of plant microbial biology and molecular and cell biology at the University of California, Berkeley, to learn more.
More on this topic
Transforming Virology Research with Cryo-EM
Predicting the Immune Response with Single-Cell Analysis: Autoimmunity, Vaccination, and COVID-19
The Sci...2021-06-0119 minThe Scientist SpeaksAt the Breaking Point: Mitochondrial Deletions and the BrainThe brain requires a lot of energy generated by mitochondria to function properly. Researchers suspect that mutations and deletions in the mitochondrial genome have a bigger effect than previously appreciated, with implications for neurological disorders, such as major depressive disorder, Alzheimer’s disease, and beyond. Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Brooke Hjelm, assistant professor of clinical translational genomics at the Keck school of medicine at the University of Southern California, to learn more.
The Scientist Speaks is a podcast produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services team. Our podcast is by s...2021-03-3117 minThe Scientist SpeaksThe Epigenetic Origins of Allergy and AsthmaSince the 1950s, there has been a rapid rise in the incidence of allergic diseases, particularly in western countries. Experts agree that the rapid increase in cases is not due to increased awareness, and the genetics behind allergies have not changed. But the environment has changed. Genetic predisposition affects the likelihood of developing allergies, but the environment acts on genetic background.
In this month’s episode, we discuss the epigenetic origins of allergies and asthma and explore the environmental exposures that affect our generation and the next. Tiffany Garbutt from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with...2021-02-2622 minThe Scientist SpeaksThe Long Haul: Improving Cardiac Cell Therapy PersistenceCell therapies treat and repair the body using stem cells or their derivatives. These cells possess great therapeutic potential, but their beneficial effects often fade away over time. In this episode, we explore strategies to improve the persistence of stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes in the effort to remuscularize hearts after cardiac infarction. Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Sara Nunes Vasconcelos, an assistant professor at the Institute of Biomaterials & Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, and a scientist at the Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, to learn more.
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In this month’s episode, we explore the world of odor and how scientists use the sense of smell to better understand the human brain, disease, and behavior. Tiffany Garbutt from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Noam Sobel, Sela Professor of Neurobiology and Director of the Azrieli National Center for Human Brain Imaging and Research at the Weizmann Institute of Science, to le...2020-12-2218 minThe Scientist SpeaksCancer Immunotherapy: CRISPR Reveals Targets In VivoWelcome to The Scientist Speaks, a podcast produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. Our podcast is by scientists and for scientists. Once a month, we bring you the stories behind news-worthy molecular biology research.
This episode is brought to you by 10x Genomics. 10x Genomics builds solutions to interrogate biological systems at a resolution and scale that matches the complexity of biology. Their rapidly expanding suite of products, which include instruments, consumables, and software, has enabled customers to make fundamental discoveries across multiple research areas, including cancer, immunology, and neuroscience.
While T cell im...2020-12-0813 minThe Scientist SpeaksA Path Back to Health: Immune Tolerance to Infectious DiseaseMost infectious disease research focuses on the battle between host and pathogen. While an individual’s abilities to resist infection and combat microbes are important, this process is only half of the story. Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with David Schneider, professor of microbiology and immunology at Stanford University, to learn why it is crucial to consider how organisms tolerate disease, and to explore how he maps the paths individuals take through infection and back to health.
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Tiffany Garbutt from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Michael Jewett, Walter P. Murphy Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering in the McCormick School of Engineering and director of the Center for Synthetic Biology at Northwestern University, to learn more.
The Scientist Speaks is a podcast produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services team. Our podcast is by scientists and for scientists. Once a month...2020-09-3018 min
The Scientist SpeaksBonus LabTalk Episode: Myeloid Cells in Cancer and Science Advocacy: A Conversation with Miriam MeradThe Scientist is bringing you a new podcast series of special edition episodes! Get a sneak peek here and subscribe to the The Scientist's LabTalk channel for access to additional science stories.
The Scientist’s LabTalk podcast is produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. We explore topics at the leading edge of innovative research.
This episode is brought to you by Keystone Symposia. Don’t miss their upcoming virtual eSymposium on myeloid cells and innate immunity in solid tumors on September 21-23, 2020. Find more information at http://keysym.us/Myeloid21Scientist
O...2020-09-1612 minThe Scientist SpeaksExperimental Cures for Fragile Patients: Prenatal Stem Cell and Gene TherapiesFor a long time, scientists have searched for cures for genetic diseases. As stem cell and gene therapies proved to be viable therapeutic options, researchers turned to prenatal applications to see if they could develop ways to bring fetuses with life-threatening conditions to term. Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Amy O’Connell, a neonatologist at Boston Children’s Hospital, and Tippi MacKenzie, a Professor of Surgery at the University of San Francisco Medical School, to learn more.
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The Scientist SpeaksA Game of Cancer and Evolution: Scientists leverage the principles of evolution to outwit cancer at its own gameThe Scientist Speaks, is a podcast produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. Our podcast is by scientists and for scientists. Once a month, we will bring you the stories behind news-worthy molecular biology research.
In this month’s episode, brought to you by The Scientist and sponsored by 10x Genomics, we discover how scientists use the principles of evolution to model tumor dynamics and develop new treatment strategies for cancer. Tiffany Garbutt from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Robert Gatenby, chairman of the radiology department and co-director of the Center for Excellence for Evoluti...2020-08-0717 minThe Scientist SpeaksBrains in the Palm of Your Hand: 3D Organoid Cell CultureResearchers are developing a new set of tools for studying previously intractable diseases by differentiating and growing stem cells into 3D organ-like structures called organoids. In this month’s episode, we discuss using brain organoids to understand neurological conditions, such as autism spectrum disorder. Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Sergiu Pasca from the Department of Psychiatry at Stanford University and the Uytengsu Director of the Stanford Brain Organogenesis Center, to learn more.
The Scientist Speaks is a podcast produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. Our podcast is by scien...2020-07-2914 minThe Scientist SpeaksUnusually Wired: Human Brains are Attuned to Appreciate Musical PitchIn this month’s episode, we learn that human brains differentiate musical pitch a way that macaque monkeys do not. In fact, speech and music shaped the human brain’s hearing circuits. Researchers are studying these circuits with an eye on developing treatments for neurological disorders. Kathryn Loydall from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Bevil Conway, an Investigator at the NIH's National Eye Institute, to learn more.
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If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to The Scie...2020-04-2817 minThe Scientist SpeaksTackling Antibiotic Resistance: Viruses to the RescueAntimicrobial resistant infections are a major threat to global public health. In this month’s episode, we explore using bacteriophages to combat these deadly infections. Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Jason Gill, associate director of the Center for Phage Technology at Texas A&M University, and Steffanie Strathdee, associate dean of Global Health Sciences at the University of California, San Diego, to learn more.
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The Scientist Speaks is a podcast produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. Our podcast is by scientists and for scientists. Once a month, we will bring you the stories behind news-worthy molecular biology research.
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