Discovery Matters – Details, episodes & analysis

What does 'the body as a bioreactor' mean? In this discussion how scientists use the body's machinery to produce therapeutic proteins. Scott Ripley, General Manager of Nucleic Acids at Cytiva, explains that traditional bioprocessing uses external bioreactors, while the new approach leverages the body's natural processes. This method offers benefits like longer protein half-life and the ability to express multiple proteins simultaneously. Justin Eyquem, assistant professor at University of California San Francisco, discusses the potential of in vivo CAR T cell therapy, which could simplify manufacturing and reduce costs. Both approaches face challenges in quality assurance and regulatory approval but hold promise for personalized and more effective treatments.

We're diving into advanced therapies with industry leaders. Emmanuel Abate, President of Genomic Medicine at Cytiva discussed the strategies to accelerate clinical work and reduce costs. Nathaniel Wang, CEO and Co-Founder of Replicate Bioscience highlighted their ground breaking self-replicating RNA technology, showcasing impressive clinical results for a rabies vaccine. Both experts emphasized the momentum in biotech, the potential of AI in advancing science, and the importance of making innovative therapies accessible globally. Stay tuned for these insights.

Show notes

• Beneath Everest, a lone caretaker struggles to keep one of the world’s highest laboratories alive
• Integrating human endogenous retroviruses into transcriptome-wide association studies highlights novel risk factors for major psychiatric conditions

Keywords: vaccines, advanced therapies, mRNA, manufacturing, technology, patients, innovation, new modalities.

Join Conor and Dodi in the latest episode of Discovery Matters, as they explore the wonders of ground-breaking scientific discoveries from multidisciplinary collaboration. MIT's Professor Pete Dedon expresses how multidisciplinary approaches and unique combinations of experiences can help to produce unexpected results. Professor James Evans of the University of Chicago then brings in the concept of surprise and hypergraphs to uncover the connections between different fields of knowledge. With insights from their guests, the latest episode of Discovery Matters dives deep into the mechanics behind groundbreaking discoveries. Jump in and listen to discover new ways to think about innovations and uncover the next amazing breakthrough!

Keywords: multidisciplinary, ideas, papers, surprise, science, combinations, teams, antibiotics, compounds, infectious diseases, malaria, space, serendipity.

Let’s explore the world of organoids and their potential to revolutionize disease treatment. Joined by Matthias Zilbauer and Roisin Owens, we look at the interplay of the gut-brain axis with organic electronic materials. Dive into the advances in organoid and microbial models used to develop treatments for illnesses such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Crohn’s Disease, and Ulcerative Colitis. Join Dodi and Conor to discover how bioengineering could change our understanding of health and disease - and our lives.

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Show notes

Shi, F., Evans, J. Surprising combinations of research contents and contexts are related to impact and emerge with scientific outsiders from distant disciplines. Nat Commun 14, 1641 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-36741-4.

Moon landing: India’s home-grown tech cut the costs (nature.com)

Keywords: microbiome, patient, model, cells, tissue, disease, gut, biological systems, microbes, biology, pediatric gastroenterology, science, organoids

In this episode of Discovery Matters, we discuss the exciting potential of lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) to deliver genetic material and therapeutics to target cells and tissues. We are joined by Lloyd Jeffs, Senior Director of Biopharma Services at Precision NanoSystems, and Prof Dan Peer, Director of the Laboratory of Precision Nanomedicine at Tel Aviv University. Dan shares how his team has developed siRNA LNPs to deliver treatment more efficiently for ovarian cancer patients. From Dan's unique perspective, learn why this technology is cutting-edge, and why it may help defeat one of mankind’s biggest enemies— cancer.

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Therapeutic gene silencing of CKAP5 leads to lethality in genetically unstable cancer cells | Science Advances

Neuroscientists decoded a Pink Floyd song using people’s brain activity (sciencenews.org)

Nutrients | Free Full-Text | Does Pizza Consumption Favor an Improved Disease Activity in Rheumatoid Arthritis? (mdpi.com)

Keywords: ovarian cancer, nanoparticles, lipid nanoparticles, genomic medicine, tumour, nucleic acids, cells, chemotherapy, drug, mrna, patients, sirna, rna.

Challenges of improving access to healthcare in developing countries - it's a conversation we need to have. With the help of Dr Jerome Kim, Director General of the International Vaccine Institute, we discuss vaccination and immunization programs as a key aspect of public health and global development – especially in developing nations, where access to life-saving medicines is often limited or non-existent. Karen Heichman, Deputy Director of Diagnostics, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, takes us on a journey of the critical role of diagnostics in the fight against diseases. Tune in to hear how technology and innovation could help to bridge the gap in access to healthcare and potentially save lives in the process.

Through a discussion of combination therapies, Dodi and Conor delve into the mysterious power of the human microbiome, and antimicrobial resistance. With evidence of the microbiome being a key factor in fighting diseases, this episode highlights the importance of understanding and treating the microbiome and its potential to improve lives. Tune in to find out more and explore the possibilities of the microbiome with Dr Saman Maleki, and the power of serendipity with Prof Pete Dedon!

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Show notes

Routy, B., Lenehan, J.G., Miller, W.H. et al. Fecal microbiota transplantation plus anti-PD-1 immunotherapy in advanced melanoma: a phase I trial. Nat Med 29, 2121–2132 (2023).

A novel combination therapy counters antibiotic-resistant Mycobacterium abscessus infections (MIT news)

'Blight' warns that a future pandemic could start with a fungus (sciencenews.org)

Hildebrandt, T., Peyser, D. The gut microbiome in anorexia nervosa. Nat Microbiol 8, 760–761 (2023).

Keywords: microbiome, patients, immunotherapy, immune system, cancer, study, people, combination therapy, tumor, immuno-oncology, fungus, fecal transplant, anorexia nervosa, oncology, higher bmi

In this episode, we dive into the potential of liquid biopsies as a method to detect deadly diseases. We speak with three experts – Marta Herreros, Rik Bryan, and Doug Ward – to learn more about the non-invasive nature of liquid biopsies and the process of detecting biomarkers within a patient sample. Rik and Doug discuss their GALEAS Bladder test, which can identify key mutations present in 96% of bladder cancer patients. Tune in to learn more about the potential of liquid biopsies and the importance of early detection!

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Show notes

• GALEAS Bladder test – Galeas Bladder
• BBC and hybrid working – Internal Communications Europe 2023 — BBC
• Identification by ears – Ear identification: A multi-ethnic study sample - ScienceDirect

Keywords: bladder cancer, patient, liquid biopsy, urine, cells, bladder, urine test, urine sample, mutations, tumor, DNA, cancer, clinical trials, sequencing, samples, biomarkers.

Why do China and US have different government regulations? Why can’t we do business above the fray?

These are just some of the struggles biopharma executives report impacting their business. Our guests are of the same view – the industry needs fixing.

Yingke He, CEO and Co-Founder of Forecyte Bio, explains how China's industrialized experience is limited and in its early stages compared to the US.

Listen to this episode to understand the industry tensions and areas showing promise.

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Show notes

The Biopharma Resilience Index - Biopharma Resilience | Cytiva (cytivalifesciences.com)

Pessimists Archive - Pessimists Archive

Caesarean babies and their mother’s microbiome - 'Vaginal seeding' boosts the development of babies born by C-section | New Scientist

Keywords: talent, industry, manufacturing, collaboration, pandemic, therapies, challenges, government, regulators, biopharma resilience index, policies, solutions, companies, China, genomic medicine, cell and gene therapy.

In this episode of Discovery Matters, we explore the incredible advances in precision medicine enabled by organoid technology. Vicky Marsh Durban and Oksana Sirenko contribute to the conversation, talking about how machine learning and robotics are used to scale up organoid culture and analyse data, as well as the potential of organoids to revolutionise regenerative medicine. Listen to this episode for an insightful and informative deep dive into the potential of organoids for transforming the face of modern medicine.

Transcript

Keywords: patient, cells, tissues, cardiac, drugs, assays, cancer, organoids, data, technology, stem cells, tumors, automation, ai.