The Scientist Speaks

Science Philosophy in a Flash: Targeting a Genetic Accident to Treat Disease

David 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 appreciation of fundamental principles in chemistry and evolution.

To learn more about Liu's research, check out this article.

Science Philosophy in a Flash is a series of mini podcasts produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. With a focus on the people behind the science, this podcast highlights researchers’ unique outlook on what motivates their pursuit of science and what it means to be a scientist.

Science Philosophy in a Flash: A Surprising Way to Repair Scar Tissue

Claire 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, check out this article.

 

Science Philosophy in a Flash is a series of mini podcasts produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. With a focus on the people behind the science, this podcast highlights researchers’ unique outlook on what motivates their pursuit of science and what it means to be a scientist.

Genomes Across the Tree of Life

Scientists 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 chromosome folding, a team of biochemistry and systems biology researchers investigated the unique genomic organization of unicellular marine plankton, dinoflagellates.

In this episode, Deanna MacNeil from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Job Dekker, a systems biology professor at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School and an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, 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, we bring you the stories behind news-worthy molecular biology research. This month's episode is sponsored by Arima Genomics.

A Way with Words: Using Genomics to Dispel Stuttering Myths

Most 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 stuttering.

In this episode, Iris Kulbatski from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Jennifer Piper Below, an associate professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Division of Genetic Medicine, and Dillon Pruett, a postdoctoral fellow in her lab, 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, we bring you the stories behind news-worthy molecular biology research.

Immune Cells and ALS: A Balance Between Life and Death

Neurodegenerative 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 The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Caroline Ingre, a physician and neurologist at Karolinska University Hospital, and Solmaz Yazdani, a PhD candidate at the Karolinska Institute, 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, we bring you the stories behind news-worthy molecular biology research.

Science Philosophy in a Flash: Building Cancer Models with Creative Collaborators

Jennifer 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 about how she built her bioengineering lab.

To learn more about Munson's research, check out this ebook.

 

Science Philosophy in a Flash is a series of mini podcasts produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. With a focus on the people behind the science, this podcast highlights researchers’ unique outlook on what motivates their pursuit of science and what it means to be a scientist.

Science Philosophy in a Flash: Sharing Scientific Ideas in Disease Genetics

Jukka 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 article.

 

Science Philosophy in a Flash is a series of mini podcasts produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. With a focus on the people behind the science, this podcast highlights researchers’ unique outlook on what motivates their pursuit of science and what it means to be a scientist.

The Fight Against Time: Stem Cells and Healthy Aging

Despite 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 deficits.

In this episode, Iris Kulbatski from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Valter Longo, a professor of gerontology and biological sciences at the University of Southern California and the director of the USC Longevity Institute, 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, we bring you the stories behind news-worthy molecular biology research. This month's episode is sponsored by ATCC.

Science Philosophy in a Flash: Wired to Regenerate

Paul 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 Flash is a series of mini podcasts produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services team. With a focus on the people behind the science, this podcast highlights researchers’ unique outlook on what motivates their pursuit of science and what it means to be a scientist.

Exploring the Secrets to Longevity and Cancer Resistance in Mole-Rats

As 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 podcast is by scientists and for scientists. Once a month, we bring you the stories behind news-worthy molecular biology research. This month's episode is sponsored by Mettler Toledo.