Petri Dish – Details, episodes & analysis

On this second episode about drug discovery, we discuss small molecule drug libraries and the challenges behind rational design! Don't know what that means? Tune in to find out!

References:

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fcell.2019.00107/full

https://next.cancer.gov/discoveryresources/resources_ndl.htm

https://www.molbiolcell.org/doi/10.1091/mbc.E22-08-0377

https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-gene-therapy-treatment-certain-patients-duchenne-muscular-dystrophy

https://www.goodrx.com/health-topic/gene-therapy/crispr-therapeutics-vertex-exa-cel

https://www.broadinstitute.org/what-broad/areas-focus/project-spotlight/crispr-timeline

Hey everyone! Today's episode is about getting into the nitty gritty of drug discovery. We often benefit from the research and development that goes into the creation of drugs we use to treat illnesses without really understanding what goes into that process. In this first part, we will discuss how you conceptually begin the process.

References:

https://www.nature.com/articles/nrd2399

https://www.fda.gov/vaccines-blood-biologics/zolgensma

https://cancerci.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12935-019-0806-1

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519062/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128191828000338

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0006291X89926788?via%3Dihub

https://www.nature.com/articles/362841a0

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305737220300554

In February, a train was partially derailed while carrying a number of chemicals. The subsequent attempt at containment resulted in the release of many thousands of gallons of these chemicals. What were those chemicals? What are the risks involved in their release?

References:

• https://www.nytimes.com/article/ohio-train-derailment.html
• https://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/NR20230214.aspx
• https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0002889718506429
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412007001390
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304389421030533
• https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/es1013664#https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/20/3/617
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935105001921
• https://news.wosu.org/2023-03-01/could-dioxins-be-in-the-soil-after-the-east-palestine-train-derailment-experts-weigh-in

Last episode we discussed the basics of plasma, fusion power, and a design called the tokamak. This week we dive into some of the dark horse fusion power plant designs that are hoping to reach the power in -- power out breakeven point faster than ITER and the other tokamaks, designs like the stellarator, z-pinch, and more!

Featuring a promo for Play Comics Podcast, a pod about comic book universes and games based off them!

Email us at petridishpod -at- gmail.com. On twitter @dishpodcast and instagram @petridishpodcast.

References:

• https://www.zapenergyinc.com/
• https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15361055.2019.1622971?journalCode=ufst20
• https://www.power-technology.com/features/hb11-the-australian-start-up-pursuing-a-new-form-of-fusion/
• https://hb11.energy/our-story/
• https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/laser-and-particle-beams/article/road-map-to-clean-energy-using-laser-beam-ignition-of-boronhydrogen-fusion/8BE057DC1BC9E0A588FB3ABAA993078C

Fusion power has been just beyond the horizon for 60 years -- when are we going to get there?! Join us as we learn the fundamentals of how fusion power works! In this part 1, we also discuss a specific fusion plant design, the tokamak! Next time we'll discuss some other designs.

Featuring a promo for The Jury Room Podcast!

Coincidentally, March is Endometriosis Awareness Month! Maybe up to 10% of women ages 15-50 have endometriosis (over 170 million people worldwide), with a staggering array of potential symptoms (and a variety of severities). Due to its complexity and our long history of sexism in science and medicine, endometriosis is something we still have a lot to learn about, but we cover a lot of what we do know in this week's episode, so that you can know it too!

This episode features a promo for Everything I Learned From Movies, a movie discussion podcast (with beer involved too)! Check it out at https://www.ageofradio.org/everythingilearnedfrommovies

Email us at petridishpod -at- gmail.com. On twitter @dishpodcast and instagram @petridishpodcast.

References:

https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev-pathmechdis-012419-032654

http://endometriosis.org/resources/articles/facts-about-endometriosis/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S000293781930002X

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1471491418301436

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41574-019-0245-z

*Special Note* This episode contains a trailer for an upcoming series of episodes on the True Crime podcast Riddle Me That -- the trailer contains mentions of pretty disturbing stuff, so we want listeners to be aware that it is there -- it is in the episode from the 17:00 to 19:30 minute mark.

Wine! A fermented fruit drink that now has a mind bogglingly large market with bigtime cultural impact. But is wine actually as complex as winemakers and sommeliers say? Is there a scientific basis to whatever 'terrior' is? What are organic and biodynamic wines? Sulfites?!  SULFITES!?

Aside from the trailer mentioned above, this episode also features a promo for Talking Bugs, an interview podcast with entomologists!

Email us at petridishpod -at- gmail.com. On twitter @dishpodcast and instagram @petridishpodcast.

References:

• https://www.asevcatalyst.org/content/catalyst/1/1/27.full.pdf
• https://www.extension.iastate.edu/wine/wine-yeast
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128166819000114
• https://www.nature.com/articles/s41438-019-0163-1
• https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/13/3/3492/htm
• https://www.pnas.org/content/108/9/3530.full
• https://science.sciencemag.org/content/285/5433/1562.abstract
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168952506002253
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308814617308178
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5646858/
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4017440/
• https://winefolly.com/tips/terroir-definition-for-wine/
• https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11306-020-01673-3
• https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/jf062446q
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0308814619311355
• https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2013/01/08/organic-101-organic-wine
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652613005660
• https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0169257
• https://www.dovepress.com/an-overview-of-the-biodynamic-wine-sector-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-IJWR

We have a special kind of episode for y'all this week! Nathan and Sean dive into the scientific work of the first Black chemist inducted into the National Academy of Science in the United States, Dr. Percy Lavon Julian! A true chemistry powerhouse, with accomplishments spanning nearly all of the 20th century, Dr. Julian helped with the scale-up manufacturing of natural products, ranging from treatments for glaucoma to birth control pills!

This episode has a PARTNER EPISODE! The podcast One Mic: Black History (https://www.onemichistory.com/) is putting out a biographical episode on Dr. Percy Lavon Julian to accompany ours! Check it out, we purposefully went light on the biography here so that they could do a more dedicated look at his life!

This episode has features a promo for Papa PhD Podcast, a podcast about life and careers after getting that sweet PhD! Check it out at @PapaPhDPodcast!

Email us at petridishpod -at- gmail.com. On twitter @dishpodcast and instagram @petridishpodcast.

References:

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK545261/
• https://academic.oup.com/labmed/article/41/11/688/2504925?login=true
• https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/article/S0025-6196(11)64699-5/abstract
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2609845/
• https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.3184/003685017X14876775256129
• https://www.sciencehistory.org/historical-profile/percy-lavon-julian

Last episode we discussed the history of antibiotics and alluded to RESISTANCE, the ability of bacteria to adapt to antibiotics to the point where the drugs aren't effective anymore. This is a huge, global problem, one that requires changes in policy and individual behavior, but all that other stuff is for some other time -- we're going to talk about the science of antibiotic resistance and what sorts of things scientists are cooking up to try to fight back!

This episode has features a promo for Sips, Suds, and Smokes, a podcast about whiskey, beer, and cigars! Check them out on twitter @sipssudssmokes!

Email us at petridishpod -at- gmail.com. On twitter @dishpodcast and instagram @petridishpodcast.

References:

https://www.cdc.gov/drugresistance/solutions-initiative/index.html

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/antibiotic-resistance

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6924a2.htm?s_cid=mm6924a2_w

https://www.pnas.org/content/118/5/e2016886118

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2018.02928/full

https://www.cell.com/cell/pdf/S0092-8674(18)30162-4.pdf

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/367/6474/200

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18843302/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6380099/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6188119/

https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2018/04/02/antibiotic-use-is-rapidly-increasing-in-developing-countries

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959652619322085

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2019.00633/full

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0966842X1730210X

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-018-0181-x

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5573035/

https://www.pnas.org/content/113/51/14477

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00018-3

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1665-6

What do ancient Anglo-Saxons, scientists in Nazi Germany, and moldy petri dishes have in common? They all were working hard to kill bacteria using antibiotics! What are antibiotics and what is the history of their use? Find out this week on Petri Dish!

This episode has two promos! One for Cast Junkie, a monthly show that highlights indie podcasts (find them at castjunkie.com). The other is for Pomegranates and Pitchforks, a horror and true crime podcast! Find them on twitter @PomPitchPod!

Email us at petridishpod -at- gmail.com. On twitter @dishpodcast and instagram @petridishpodcast.

References:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369527419300190

https://www.jstor.org/stable/1260294?seq=1

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3589797/

https://mbio.asm.org/content/6/4/e01129-15.full

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-69273-8

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6478456/

https://artsci.case.edu/dittrick/2013/11/08/of-syphilis-and-salvarsan-the-danger-and-promise-of-cure/

https://www.nature.com/articles/nrd2201