Penn Undergraduate Biotech Society (PUBS) Podcast

In this episode, we invite Dr David Schlesinger to speak with Lara Mizne about his experience as co-founder and CEO of Mendelics, the largest genomics lab in Latin America, exploring how it functions on a day-to-day basis, its growth over the past decade, and the impact of AI: both on the lab itself as well as on medicine as a whole.

In this episode, Jason Fang, an undergraduate at the University of Pennsylvania, sits down with Dr. Nicholas Balderston, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine, to explore the science behind Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and its role in modern psychiatry. Dr. Balderston talks about his career path, from his early research interests to his ongoing work studying brain stimulation and anxiety disorders. They discuss how TMS compares to traditional treatments, the evolving landscape of psychiatric research, and what it could mean for the future of mental health care.

In this episode, the CEO of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, Mr. Kevin Mahoney, sits down with undergraduate Divyash Shah to discuss his unique position in controlling one of the largest health systems nationally. While discussing the responsibilities he holds, he also discusses the effort required to create a health care system that promotes innovation and translational research while also ensuring healthcare equality. In the conversation, Mahoney describes his vision for his health system and hospitals nationally as he aims to make changes that will inspire others to follow his footsteps.

In this episode, Neil Tangal and Dr. Christoph Thaiss, Assistant Professor of Microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania, sit and discuss the idea of the microbiome as a switchboard for the human body. Dr. Thaiss talks about his work exploring gut-brain signaling and interoception, as well as Spyridon Biotechnology, his new startup. Potential therapeutics are discussed, where this gut-brain axis could be used in widespread applications such as obesity and addiction. Thaiss then emphasizes the need for whole body research as opposed to more niche specializations.

In this episode, Siddharth Adda and Dr. Sampath Rangasamy, Research Associate Professor at the Translational Genomics Research Institute sit down to discuss his journey researching therapeutics for diabetic retinopathy. Dr. Rangasamy, a lifelong Type-I diabetic, reveals how the disease motivated him to conduct research on angiopoietin-2, and contribute towards a potential therapeutic.

In an age of such rapid innovation, we are often so wrapped up in excitement for new science and flashy discoveries that we forget the implications of the technology itself and whom it affects: stakeholders, end users, and all those involved in its creation.    Dr. Brit Shields is a senior lecturer of Bioengineering and leader of the University of Pennsylvania's Engineering Ethics Initiative. In this episode, Claire Kang and Dr. Shields discuss her engineering ethics curricula for the Bioengineering course sequence, as well as the importance of educating young scientists that they must think on a larger moral and societal scale when creating technology.  

In this episode, Risa Garg speaks with distinguished virologist, lead scientist, and entrepreneur Dr. Rupsa Basu. Dr. Basu has a deep passion for exploring the intersections of science, business, and advocacy. In addition to her groundbreaking research at Humane Genomics, she is deeply committed to advancing women's leadership. She serves as the Director at Large and Regional Vice President for the Healthcare Businesswomen's Association (HBA) New York Chapter, where she focuses on expanding communications and building relationships among women leaders in the industry.

In this podcast, Columbia University graduate student Sophia Windemuth sits down with Mary Zawalick and explains her journey in biomedical engineering, as well as how she became interested in this field of research. After completing her undergraduate degrees in BME and computer science at Cornell, she is now researching how bacteria can be genetically modified to target and cure glioblastomas. We will discuss her current research, how she chose to embark on this project, and advice for young scientists looking to learn more about biomedical engineering.

In this episode, pediatric hematologist-oncologist Dr. Anjulika Chawla sits down with undergraduate Anisa Sharma to discuss her journey combatting sickle cell anemia through both clinical and biotech approaches. While practicing at Brown University, Chawla also leads sickle cell clinical research at bluebird bio, a Cambridge-based biotech developing gene therapies. The company's therapy for sickle cell anemia received FDA approval this past year in December. Chawla addresses her experience shifting her focus from treating patients directly to overseeing medical research at bluebird. She also considers bluebird's future in further improving their therapy's impact.

On this episode, Jerry Cai and Dr. Fajgenbaum discuss his personal journey with his health and towards medicine. The conversation also covers the challenges facing rare disease therapeutics, the power of AI in drug discovery, and the current efforts of Castleman Disease Network. Please join us for this exclusive episode and conversation with our very own Dr. David Fajgenbaum. Dr. Fajgenbaum, who has almost died five times from the rare disorder idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease, which he developed while in medical school, is now a physician and assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Fajgenbaum has led research efforts into a cure for Castleman, discovering a drug that has kept him disease-free for eight years and is helping other patients. Dr. Fajgenbaum co-founded the CDCN in 2012 to accelerate research and treatments for Castleman disease through a ‘Collaborative Network Approach,' a business-inspired approach to biomedical research, which has become a blueprint for advancing rare disease research

In this episode, Catherine Tang and Dr. Ravi Parikh, the Director of the Human-Algorithm Collaboration Lab at Perelman School of Medicine, discuss the opportunities and challenges of AI in medicine and offer potential policy solutions. 

In this episode, Risa Garg discusses biotech with Peter Weijmarshausen, CEO of Humane Genomics, a pioneering biotechnology startup dedicated to developing viral therapies for cancer. Peter, originally a physicist and tech startup founder, shares his journey into the biotechnology sector and discusses the interplay between technology and biotech. He also provides insights into the startup culture craze that is currently taking over young people, particularly in academic environments like the University of Pennsylvania, and offers valuable advice for college students interested in launching their own ventures. Join us to hear about Peter's unique perspective on innovation and entrepreneurship in the biotech landscape.

In this episode, Divyash Shah and Mr. David Cronan delve into the complicated web that is insurance-hospital relationships and the role technology plays in addressing the problems the current healthcare system faces. David Cronan is the Vice President of Reimbursement Strategies at the Children's Hospital of Pennsylvania (CHOP) but has also spent years leading insurance companies as well. With his dual expertise, he spends time discussing how technology has helped advance health systems to where they are now but also discusses the shortfalls that still need to be addressed. It is well known that healthcare lags behind other fields in terms of modernization and this episode talks about what the future may hold to improve patient experience. 

Medical technology, like MRI machines and specialized surgical kits, has become such a ubiquitous part of healthcare delivery that one often takes it for granted. However, who makes the decision to phase out older technology and bring in newer devices? Physicians? Payers? What goes into these decisions? In this episode, Neil Tangal and Dr. Guy David will delve into trends in medical technology adoption, disadoption, and the reasoning behind all of this. Dr. Guy David is the esteemed chair of the Healthcare Management department at the Wharton School of Business and a professor of medical ethics and health policy at the Perelman School of Medicine.

ToxiSense is genetically engineering a greener world by developing bioluminescent plants to detect endotoxin on medical products and drinking water. Biopharmaceutical products and drinking water must be tested for endotoxins, the sickness-causing molecule from bacteria. The current method relies on expensive horseshoe crab blood and is environmentally damaging. ToxiSense genetically engineered the Arabidopsis plant to luminesce at different intensities based on the endotoxin concentration applied to it, serving as a sustainable, cost-effective solution.

Dr. Ben Doranz co-founded Integral Molecular in 2001. He has led all aspects of the company's growth since its inception, bringing 5 different technologies from research to market and growing the company into a profitable commercial entity. He is an inventor on over 10 of the company's patents, the principal investigator on over 30 NIH grants, and an author on over 100 publications, including articles published in Cell, Science, and Nature. Dr. Doranz is an established life science entrepreneur, previously responsible for directing the biotechnology program at the Port of Technology business incubator in Philadelphia and helping create startups at the Center for Technology Transfer at the University of Pennsylvania. He earned a Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology at the University of Pennsylvania, where he led the discovery of the coreceptor CCR5 for HIV. He holds an MBA from the Wharton School of Business, where he co-founded the Penn Biotech Group and won the Wharton business plan competition, and a B.A. from Cornell University.

In this episode, Grace Dai and founder of Nucleus Kian Sadeghi (who studied Computational Biology at Penn!) delve into a discussion about the power of thinking forward as an entrepreneur, staying inspired and passionate as a Penn student, using genetic testing to give people more power over their personalized health, and raising money as a biotechnology startup.

In this special episode, Jerry Cai and Dr. Thomas Mallouk, a renowned Professor of Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania, explore current approaches to scaling up hydrogen fuel production and long-term storage, desalination approaches to supplement potable water, and Dr. Mallouk's interests in guitars and glassblowing.

Join Dzung Than and Dr. Ping Wang, professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine, for a discussion on next-generation technologies that advance precision diagnosis and prognosis using bioengineering, nanotechnology, chemistry, and microfluidics.

In this podcast, Special Initiative members Advait Thaploo and Roshan Pillai chat with Dr. Marco Ruella of the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies to discuss coming up in the CAR-T space, spinning off a biotech company, and advice and outlook for the future of biotechnology.

University of Pennsylvania undergraduates Grace Dai, Alisha Kumar, and Ishaan Jindal sit down with Vital Start CEO Kirthika Parmeswaran to explore entrepreneurship and innovation in maternal mental health.

In this episode, SI committee member Sylvanne Braganza speaks with Dr. Dominic A. Sisti about what constitutes and how to address the most relevant issues in the field of mental health ethics and the possibilities for mental health research going forward in the future.

In Episode 1, co-hosts John Ainslie and Chunda McCain sit down with Riju Datta and Sanya Mehta to discuss Biogen's Aducanumab in the news. Episode recorded 11/27/20.