The Scientist’s LabTalk

Synthetic Screens, Genes, and De Novo Proteins: Training AI Models with More Sequence Diversity to Improve Hits

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 09:00:00 -0400

Synthetic technologies allow scientists to venture into uncharted waters, asking unique research questions and finding previously unattainable solutions to some of life’s biggest mysteries. From gene editing to protein engineering, synthesized DNA libraries enable researchers to grasp once unreachable high-throughput screening applications and dismantle barriers between experimental ideation and execution. In this podcast series, Synthetic Screens, Genes, and De Novo Proteins, The Scientist’s Creative Services Team talks to experts about their experiences implementing Twist Bioscience’s synthesized long double-stranded gene pools, called Multiplexed Gene Fragments, for high-throughput screening.

In this episode, Deanna MacNeil from The Scientist spoke with Pierce Ogden, co-founder and chief scientific officer of Manifold Biotechnologies, about the power of pairing large gene fragment pools with AI-designed libraries for better therapeutic discovery and delivery.

Synthetic Screens, Genes, and De Novo Proteins: Multiplexed Gene Fragments Drive De Novo Protein Design

Tue, 03 Sep 2024 10:06:57 -0400

In this episode, Niki Spahich from The Scientist spoke with Jeffrey Chang, a graduate student in Nick Polizzi’s laboratory at Harvard Medical School and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, about designing ligand-binding proteins from scratch and testing them in a high-throughput manner using synthetic DNA libraries.

Synthetic Screens, Genes, and De Novo Proteins: Engineering Gene Regulation through Creative Experimental Design

Tue, 20 Aug 2024 16:33:55 -0400

In this episode, Deanna MacNeil from The Scientist spoke with Josh Tycko, a neurobiology postdoctoral researcher in Michael Greenberg's laboratory at Harvard Medical School, about investigating gene regulation with synthetic DNA libraries.

Science Philosophy in a Flash: Demystifying Cell Culture Through Oxygen Analysis

Mon, 01 Jul 2024 09:00:00 -0400

With a track record of invention and translating technology into practical solutions, Walker Inman continues to drive innovation in the life sciences field. Inman is currently the cofounder and CEO of Lucid Scientific Inc., a company that develops cellular analysis tools.

In this Science Philosophy in a Flash podcast episode brought to you by Lucid Scientific, The Scientist spoke with Inman about the challenges of measuring oxygen concentration in cell culture and how his real-time oxygen monitoring technology, Resipher, overcomes these problems.

Learn more about Lucid Scientific and Resipher.

Science Philosophy in a Flash is 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. This episode is brought to you by Lucid Scientific.

Science Philosophy in a Flash: Curiosity and Compassion Fuel Rare Disease Research

Tue, 02 Jan 2024 08:00:00 -0500

Lauren Drouin is the director of analytical development and the Genomic Medicine Unit at Alexion AstraZeneca Rare Disease. As a dynamic scientist with unique expertise in current research and industry trends for gene therapies, Drouin is passionate about driving progress within the rare disease field and advancing products from preclinical development into the clinic and beyond.

In this Science Philosophy in a Flash podcast episode brought to you by Bio-Rad, The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Drouin to learn more about her interest in adeno-associated virus (AAV) biology, and what motivated her journey from academia to patient-focused analytical development research.

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. This episode is brought to you by Bio-Rad.

Hijacking Viruses: Optimizing Lentivirus-Based Cell Engineering

Wed, 20 Dec 2023 09:00:00 -0500

Researchers commonly employ lentiviruses to modify cells genetically. However, they must overcome several challenges when using these viruses in the laboratory or clinic. In this episode, Charlene Lancaster from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Filippo Rossignoli, instructor in neurosurgery at the Center for Stem Cell and Translational Immunotherapy at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, about using lentiviruses to engineer cell therapies and the troubleshooting process he undertook to optimize viral production and infection.

More on this topic: https://www.the-scientist.com/infographics/viral-vector-platforms-for-gene-therapy-70941

LabTalk is a special edition podcast produced by The Scientist's Creative Services Team, where we explore topics at the leading edge of innovative research. This month’s episode is sponsored by Mirus Bio.

Molecular Diagnostics: An Eye Toward the Future - Real Time Diagnostics: Improving HPV Screening with PCR

Tue, 24 Oct 2023 09:00:00 -0400

Scientists continuously develop new assays to fill unmet diagnostic needs. While methods such as quantitative PCR have emerged as essential tools in molecular diagnostics, scientists developing and administering these assays still must overcome technical challenges. In this podcast series, The Scientist’s Creative Services Team talks to experts about their experiences designing and implementing assays and protocols for future molecular diagnostics.

In this episode, Deanna MacNeil from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Gregory Tsongalis, medical director for the Center for Clinical Genomics and Advanced Technology at Dartmouth Health, about the benefits of PCR-based DNA testing for HPV screening.

Welcome to Molecular Diagnostics: An Eye Toward the Future, a special edition podcast series produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. This series is brought to you by Thermo Fisher Scientific, a world leader in serving science. Their mission is to enable customers to make the world healthier, cleaner, and safer. Whether their customers are accelerating life sciences research, solving complex analytical challenges, and improving clinical research workflows, Thermo Fisher Scientific is here to support them.

Molecular Diagnostics: An Eye Toward the Future - Considerations for Oncology Biomarker Testing

Tue, 29 Aug 2023 09:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Deanna MacNeil from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Ming-Sound Tsao, a senior scientist and clinician at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, about considerations and variables for choosing appropriate assays in precision lung cancer treatment, including biomarkers, internal controls, test sensitivity, and specificity.

Molecular Diagnostics: An Eye Toward the Future - Modernizing Molecular Diagnostics, from Assay Development to Routine Testing

Tue, 27 Jun 2023 09:00:00 -0400

Scientists commonly use qPCR applications in molecular diagnostics to detect pathogens, assess viral loads, or uncover mutations. While the qPCR assay itself may seem straightforward, other aspects such as data collection and security, and following regulatory guidelines, present challenges.

In this episode, Gloria Lam, the associate director of qPCR software for Thermo Fisher Scientific, discusses concerns surrounding molecular diagnostic data collection, analysis, cybersecurity, and more.

Molecular Diagnostics: An Eye Toward the Future - The Simple Solution of Saliva

Wed, 31 May 2023 09:00:00 -0400

Welcome to Molecular Diagnostics: An Eye Toward the Future, a special edition podcast series produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. This series is brought to you by Thermo Fisher Scientific, a world leader in serving science. Their mission is to enable customers to make the world healthier, cleaner, and safer. Whether their customers are accelerating life sciences research, solving complex analytical challenges, improving patient diagnostics and therapies, or increasing productivity in their laboratories, Thermo Fisher Scientific is here to support them.

Scientists continuously develop new assays to fill unmet diagnostic needs. While methods such as quantitative PCR have emerged as essential tools in molecular diagnostics, scientists developing and administering these assays still must overcome technical challenges. In this podcast series, The Scientist’s Creative Services Team talks to experts in assay development about their experiences designing and implementing assays and protocols for future molecular diagnostics.

In this episode, Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Anne Wyllie, a research scientist in epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health, about the development of SalivaDirect—a quantitative PCR protocol, authorized by the FDA under an emergency use authorization, that detects SARS-CoV-2 in saliva.

Building Bridges for Translational Research - Supporting mRNA Therapeutic Development and Beyond

Wed, 19 Apr 2023 09:00:00 -0400

Translational research cannot be conducted in a vacuum. For a translational researcher to be successful, they need to build strong relationships with individuals, companies, and institutions that will provide useful support and expertise. In this episode, Linda Mathiasson, Strategic Customer Leader for Nucleic Acid Therapeutics at Cytiva, discusses the flourishing translational field of mRNA therapies and opportunities for researchers to form worthwhile partnerships that support their therapeutic endeavors.

Welcome to Building Bridges for Translational Research, a special edition podcast series produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. This series is brought to you by Cytiva, a global provider of technologies and services that advance and accelerate therapeutic development, manufacturing, and delivery.

To take preclinical concepts to the market, translational researchers must build strong relationships and forge fruitful partnerships that support their work. In this podcast series, Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team talks to groundbreaking translational researchers and industry experts about their experiences developing technologies and therapies for improving human health and our world at large.

Building Bridges for Translational Research - Bringing Gene Therapy Closer to the Clinic

Wed, 12 Apr 2023 09:00:00 -0400

In this episode, Guangping Gao, professor and director of the Horae Gene Therapy Center at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, speaks about developing human gene therapies using recombinant adeno-associated viral vectors, scaling up these therapies, and the future of translational research.

Building Bridges for Translational Research - The Secrets to Start-Up Success

Wed, 05 Apr 2023 09:00:00 -0400

In this episode, serial entrepreneur George Church, professor of genetics and leader of synthetic biology at Harvard’s Wyss Institute, talks about his gene editing research and his strategy for spinning translational projects into start-up companies.

Understanding the Blood Cancer Genomic Landscape

Tue, 13 Dec 2022 16:00:00 -0500

Immunotherapies are promising as a holy grail for cancer treatment, but patient responses to these interventions are often variable in both solid tumors and blood cancers.

In this episode, Iris Kulbatski from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Olli Dufva, a physician and doctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki’s Hematology Research Unit, about his work analyzing the genomic landscape of hematological cancers. Coupling next-generation techniques with traditional methods such as flow cytometry, he aims to better understand the complex range of immune characteristics in different cancer subtypes and use that data to predict patient outcomes.

Exposed: Environmental Echoes in Health - How Toxins Leave Their Cancerous Marks

Wed, 19 Oct 2022 09:00:00 -0400

Through epigenetic mechanisms, some environmental toxicants, such as heavy metals, reversibly alter gene expression patterns that then drive cancer progression. In this episode, Yvonne Fondufe-Mittendorf discusses her work studying environmental toxicants and their effects on DNA methylation and chromatin structure.

Welcome to Exposed: Environmental Echoes in Health, a special edition podcast series produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. This series is brought to you by Van Andel Institute, an independent biomedical research institute devoted to improving human health for generations to come.

While the human body’s cells all use the same set of instructions, they can end up with wildly different features and functions. Beyond the information stored in DNA, factors within a person’s environment, including chemicals, microbes, and their diet, change how cells work. In this series, Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team talks to researchers from Van Andel Institute who investigate how the environment and behavior change cellular functions through epigenetic processes.

Exposed: Environmental Echoes in Health - Are We What Our Parents Eat?

Wed, 12 Oct 2022 09:00:00 -0400

Substances that enter the body, such as food or chemicals, can make epigenetic changes in the germline that become inherited, affecting the health of future generations. In this episode, Heidi Lempradl discusses her work studying the effects of parental diet on their offspring.

Exposed: Environmental Echoes in Health - Epigeneticist Turned Microbe Hunter

Wed, 05 Oct 2022 09:00:00 -0400

Microbes surround us, and they can have surprising effects beyond infection. In this episode, Nick Burton discusses his work discovering new environmental bacteria in backyards and how exposure to both bad or good bugs can affect an organism’s offspring.

The New Era of Neurodegeneration Research

Wed, 28 Sep 2022 11:19:27 -0400

The brain’s intractable nature makes neurodegenerative disorders challenging to study, but modern assays and technologies give scientists a fresh look at this complex organ. In this episode, Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Erdem Gültekin Tamgüney, a professor in the Institute of Physical Biology at Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf, about technologies driving modern neuroscience research and his own work exploring the link between ischemic stroke and Parkinson’s disease.

LabTalk is a special edition podcast produced by The Scientist's Creative Services Team, where we explore topics at the leading edge of innovative research. This month’s episode is sponsored by PerkinElmer.

Transporting Laboratories into the Future with Smart Technology

Mon, 23 May 2022 12:02:00 -0400

As smart devices become commonplace in many homes, they also enter life science laboratories with the promise to enhance productivity, simplify collaborations, and produce reliable results. In this episode, Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with experts from MilliporeSigma about how smart devices change research for the better.

Phagocidal Macrophages: A New Battle Tactic Against Resistant Cancers

Mon, 29 Nov 2021 16:41:43 -0500

Cancer immunotherapies are saving lives, but researchers still have a long journey ahead of them. Many cancers that are initially sensitive to immunotherapy acquire resistance over time, while others are resistant from the beginning.

In this episode, Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Stephanie Dougan, an associate professor of immunology at Harvard Medical School and a principal investigator at Dana Farber Cancer Institute, about her research developing new immunotherapies for resistant tumors.

LabTalk is a special edition podcast produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team, where we explore topics at the leading edge of innovative research. This month’s episode is sponsored by 10x Genomics.

Hijacking Genes: Uncovering the Cause of Lineage Ambiguous Leukemia

Sat, 30 Oct 2021 23:30:40 -0400

Childhood cancer is devastating. Every year over 15,000 children in the United States are diagnosed with cancer, with leukemia accounting for 28% of all childhood cancers in children under the age of 15. Leukemia, however, is not a single class of cancer. There are numerous forms of leukemia each with its own distinct cause.

In this episode, Tiffany Garbutt from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Charles Mullighan, member of the department of pathology and deputy director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, about the search for the molecular drivers underlying lineage ambiguous leukemias, a diverse subclass of leukemias with unknown origins.

LabTalk is a special edition podcast produced by The Scientist Creative Services Team, where we explore topics at the leading edge of innovative research. This episode is brought to you by 10x Genomics, which builds solutions for interrogating biological systems at a resolution and scale that matches the complexity of biology. Their rapidly expanding suite of products, which includes instruments, consumables, and software, enables fundamental discoveries across multiple research areas, including cancer, immunology, and neuroscience.

Understanding Microglial Response in Alzheimer’s Disease

Sat, 31 Jul 2021 01:00:00 -0400

A diverse population of microglial cells resides in the brain. Similar to immune cells, microglial cells respond to minute changes in their environment. Sometimes this response is beneficial and other times detrimental. Scientists are working to tease apart the dynamic role of microglial response in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease.

In this episode, Tiffany Garbutt from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Samuel Marsh, a postdoctoral research fellow in the laboratory of Beth Stevens at Boston’s Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, about how he uses single cell technology and spatial transcriptomics to better understand the role of microglia in Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis.

The Promise of Spatial Transcriptomics in Exploring Chronic Liver Disease

Wed, 30 Jun 2021 10:12:58 -0400

The liver performs approximately 500 separate functions in the human body. With liver disease on the rise, scientists are developing treatments to save this irreplaceable organ.

In this episode, Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Prakash Ramachandran, a clinician scientist at the Centre for Inflammation Research at the University of Edinburgh, about mechanisms of scarring that lead to chronic liver disease and what he hopes to learn from biobanked patient liver samples.

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 10x Genomics.

Discovering the Secrets of Motor Neurons with Single Cell Sequencing

Wed, 05 May 2021 11:06:26 -0400

Motor neurons originating in the spine control both voluntary and involuntary movements. Even though they have an essential function, they are notoriously difficult to study.

In this episode, Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Jacob Blum, a graduate student in Aaron Gitler’s laboratory at Stanford University, about his work understanding the diversity of spinal motor neurons using single cell transcriptomics.

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 10x Genomics.

A Modern Trojan Horse: Delivering Combination Immunotherapies to Solid Tumors

Tue, 27 Apr 2021 21:02:48 -0400

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell immunotherapies hold great promise for cancer treatment, but they are not very effective against solid tumors. Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Katie McKenna, postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Malcolm Brenner at the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy at Baylor College of Medicine, about her work developing a combination CAR T cell immunotherapy and oncolytic virotherapy to treat solid tumors.

LabTalk is a special edition podcast produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team, where we explore topics at the leading edge of innovative research. This episode was sponsored by IsoPlexis.

Bugs with Drugs: Repurposing a Pathogenic Bacteria’s Weapon

Sat, 17 Apr 2021 12:01:20 -0400

LabTalk is a special edition podcast produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team, where 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 eSymposia Synthetic Biology: At the Crossroads of Genetic Engineering and Human Therapeutics on May 3-4, 2021.

One of the eSymposium’s speakers is Cammie Lesser, an associate professor at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Lesser about her research developing designer probiotics to deliver protein-based therapeutics to the gut.

Predicting the Immune Response with Single-Cell Analysis: Autoimmunity, Vaccination, and COVID-19

Wed, 31 Mar 2021 14:11:03 -0400

The human immune system is highly complex and variable. Some people mount robust responses to infection, vaccination, or immunotherapy, while others fail to react appropriately. These differences have obvious implications for health and disease, and they have been especially appreciated during the COVID-19 pandemic as some individuals show no symptoms after contracting SARS-CoV-2 while others experience severe, life-threatening disease.

In this episode, Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with John Tsang, co-director of the National Institutes of Health Center for Human Immunology about how he uses innovative single-cell technology to discover early predictors of an individual’s immune response to stresses such as vaccination, autoimmunity, and SARS-CoV-2 infection. Notably, his team identified signatures of severe COVID-19 connected to a late wave of inflammation.

John Tsang expresses his own opinions in this episode, and they do not necessarily represent the views or policies of the NIH.

LabTalk is a special edition podcast produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team, where we explore topics at the leading edge of innovative research. To keep up to date with this podcast, follow The Scientist on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to our podcast channel wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was sponsored by 10x Genomics.

The Past, Present, and Future of Gene Therapy: How to Scale-up Successfully

Fri, 11 Dec 2020 13:52:19 -0500

The Scientist’s LabTalk is a special edition podcast produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team where we explore topics at the leading edge of innovative research.

In this episode, Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Josh Snow, Director of Business Development and Marketing Strategy at Mirus Bio, about the past, present, and future of gene therapy, with a focus on how researchers can transition their successful therapies to clinical trials and the market, and the costs involved.

This episode is brought to you by Mirus Bio. Mirus Bio pioneered scientific breakthroughs in non-viral gene delivery and continues to produce world-class transfection reagents. Now as a global leader in transfection technology, Mirus Bio provides life scientists with the most advanced tools for gene expression, biotherapeutic protein production, virus manufacturing and genome editing.

Halting the Tuberculosis Epidemic with Research and Diagnostics: A Conversation with David Alland

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 14:32:58 -0500

Welcome to The Scientist’s LabTalk, a special edition podcast produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team where 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 eSymposia Tuberculosis: Science Aimed at Ending the Epidemic on December 2-4, 2020.

One of the symposium’s co-organizers and keynote speaker is David Alland, Chief of Infectious Disease and Director of the Center for Emerging Pathogens and the Center for COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Alland about his journey to develop a rapid, point-of-care tuberculosis diagnostic and his current research on mutations that lead to drug resistance.

Surviving Stress: The Mysteries of Neuronal Survival and Neurodegeneration

Mon, 19 Oct 2020 22:31:18 -0400

Welcome to The Scientist’s LabTalk, a special edition podcast produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team where we explore topics at the leading edge of innovative research.

In this episode, we explore how neurons withstand stress by looking at three cutting edge technologies: CRISPR, stem cell technology, and single-cell sequencing. Tiffany Garbutt from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Martin Kampmann, associate professor at the University of California San Francisco, Chan Zuckerberg Biohub investigator, and Paul G. Allen Distinguished Investigator to learn more.

This episode is brought to you by 10x Genomics. 10x Genomics builds solutions for interrogating biological systems at a resolution and scale that matches the complexity of biology. Their rapidly expanding suite of products, which includes instruments, consumables, and software, enables customers to make fundamental discoveries across multiple research areas, including cancer, immunology, and neuroscience.

Myeloid Cells in Cancer and Science Advocacy: A Conversation with Miriam Merad

Thu, 10 Sep 2020 16:44:12 -0400

Welcome to The Scientist’s LabTalk, a special edition podcast produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team where 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. http://keysym.us/Myeloid21Scientist

One of the eSymposium’s speakers is Miriam Merad, a professor in Cancer immunology and the Director of the Precision Immunology Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Merad about her research investigating how antigen presenting cells enhance anti-tumor immune responses, and her recent advocacy work fighting against the foreign scholar visa ban.