POPULARITY
Categories
Pancreatic cancer is among the most deadly forms of cancer, and it can be difficult to catch early. But there's some good news: Clinical trials of a new drug called daraxonrasib found that it doubled the survival time of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. And some oncologists are calling it a game changer—not just for pancreatic cancer, but potentially other forms of cancer too. Ira talks with oncologist Zev Wainberg, who led a clinical trial for the drug. Plus, ALS is a degenerative disease that causes patients to lose their ability to walk, swallow and eventually to breathe. Now, there's a drug for a rare genetic form of ALS that can slow the progression or even reverse some of these symptoms. Ira talks with New York Times health and science reporter Pam Belluck about this new treatment. Guests: Dr. Zev Wainberg is a co-director of UCLA Health's GI Oncology Program. Pam Belluck is a health and science reporter for The New York Times. Other episodes you may enjoy: mRNA Vaccine For Pancreatic Cancer Continues To Show Promise How do clinical trials work, and who can participate? Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Follow our show on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Bluesky @scifri and sign up for our newsletters. Got a science question that's keeping you up at night? Call us: 877-472-4374 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Episode Description: Everyone is calling it nature's Ozempic. That is marketing. And it is doing a total disservice to what berberine actually does. Berberine is not a GLP-1 drug. It does not work the same way. The weight loss outcomes are not comparable. And if you are taking it expecting to drop 15% of your body weight, you are going to be disappointed. But here is what the research actually shows, and why Dr. G takes berberine every single day. The clinical evidence on berberine for blood sugar, cholesterol, insulin resistance, and gut health is genuinely compelling. A three month randomized controlled trial in newly diagnosed type two diabetics showed reductions in HbA1c, fasting blood glucose, and post-meal blood glucose that were comparable to metformin. A 2022 meta analysis confirmed it hits triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL, blood pressure, and insulin resistance markers simultaneously. And the gut microbiome research is a piece almost nobody is talking about.In this episode, you will learn: • What berberine actually does in the body through the AMPK pathway, why it is not a GLP-1, and what to realistically expect from it • Why standard berberine has a major absorption problem, what dihydroberberine is and why it may deliver 2 to 4 times more into circulation at a fraction of the dose • Exactly how to buy berberine intelligently, what standardization means on a label, which forms to choose, and what to avoid Dr. G's recommended berberine brands linked in the show notes.Product reviews assess both brand transparency and product quality. If a company doesn't respond to our outreach, it doesn't automatically mean their product is low quality but it does mean they're failing their customers on transparency and communication. We reach out multiple times. No response isn't an oversight, it's a choice. And consumers deserve better. Timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 1:44 - How Berberine Works in the Body (And Why It's Not a GLP-1 Drug) 3:24 - The Weight Loss Reality: What Berberine Can and Can't Do 4:48 - Blood Sugar and Insulin Resistance: Where the Evidence Is Strongest 6:30 - Comparable to Metformin in Some Trials — What That Actually Means 7:42 - Cholesterol, Triglycerides & Cardiovascular Risk: Berberine's Strongest Evidence Base 9:44 - How Dr. G Uses Berberine in His Own Daily Routine 10:38 - Berberine's Underrated Effect on the Gut Microbiome 12:30 - The Big Absorption Problem With Standard Berberine (And the Solution) 14:22 - Dihydroberberine: 2-4x More Bioavailable in Human Trials 15:18 - How to Buy Berberine Intelligently: Standardization, Form & Third-Party Testing 17:00 - Who Should Take Berberine (And Who Shouldn't) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
About this episode: Research on the potential impacts of certain medications, vaccines, and interventions on pregnant people and their fetuses is lacking. Much of this is due to culturally perceived risks associated with pregnancy and fears of litigation. In this episode: Ruth Faden, an expert in bioethics, explains how this gap in data can fuel other risks and how to ethically and responsibly include pregnant people in clinical trials. Note: This conversation builds on a recent episode of playing god?, the podcast from the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics. Listen to that episode here. Guest: Ruth Faden, PhD, MPH, is the Philip Franklin Wagley Professor of Biomedical Ethics and the founding director of the Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics. Host: Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs. Show links and related content: Two Bodies, One Prescription—playing god? COVID-19 Vaccines and Pregnancy—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health The second wave: Toward responsible inclusion of pregnant women in research—International Journal of Feminist Approaches to Bioethics Weighing the Risks and Benefits of Medication Use During Pregnancy—Public Health On Call (October 2025) Transcript information: Looking for episode transcripts? Open our podcast on the Apple Podcasts app (desktop or mobile) or the Spotify mobile app to access an auto-generated transcript of any episode. Closed captioning is also available for every episode on our YouTube channel. Contact us: Have a question about something you heard? Looking for a transcript? Want to suggest a topic or guest? Contact us via email or visit our website. Follow us: @PublicHealthPod on Bluesky @PublicHealthPod on Instagram @JohnsHopkinsSPH on Facebook @PublicHealthOnCall on YouTube Here's our RSS feed Note: These podcasts are a conversation between the participants, and do not represent the position of Johns Hopkins University.
In 2020, Emily Mendenhall drove from Washington, DC to Okoboji, Iowa, a town of 800 that swells to 200,000 every summer, and walked into a pandemic that looked nothing like the one dominating national headlines. Inside gas stations and bars, masks marked you as an outsider. In one stop, a man told her family they would not be served if they kept theirs on. Her 6 year old daughter cried, confused. Mendenhall, a medical anthropologist at Georgetown University, did what she always does. She started asking questions. Over months, she interviewed neighbors, former classmates, and local officials, including her own brother in law who helped lead the local COVID response. The result became Unmasked, a case study in how community identity, economics, and politics shaped public health decisions in real time. That work led directly into her latest book, Invisible Illness: A History, from Hysteria to Long COVID, where she tracks a much older problem. Patients with chronic illness, especially women, often fail to meet medicine's demand for proof. Without a clear diagnosis, they lose access to care, insurance coverage, and legitimacy. Mendenhall argues that long COVID did not create this failure. It exposed it.This conversation centers on how healthcare systems reward certainty and punish complexity. Long COVID clinics send patients to 17 specialists without resolution. Insurance structures require diagnoses that many conditions cannot provide. Medical training still struggles to integrate trauma, mental health, and chronic disease into a coherent model of care.Mendenhall brings lived experience into the conversation. After COVID, she dealt with months of fatigue and escalating anxiety that altered her baseline health. She does not claim the label of long COVID, but she understands how quickly the system becomes harder to navigate once symptoms stop fitting clean categories. The stakes are not theoretical. In the United States, access to healthcare, disability benefits, and treatment still depends on whether a condition can be measured, coded, and reimbursed. For millions living with invisible illness, the burden of proof becomes the illness itself.RELATED LINKSEmily MendenhallInvisible Illness: A History, from Hysteria to Long COVIDScience PoliticsGeorgetown UniversityFEEDBACKLike this episode? Rate and review Out of Patients on your favorite podcast platform. For guest suggestions or sponsorship email podcasts@matthewzachary.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In this episode of ACRO's GCP, Tinaya Gray (Executive Director, Site Engagement & PACE at ICON plc), Jan Hewett (SVP, FDA Regulatory Advisor at Advarra), and Jackie Kent (Independent Advisor) unpack the work of ACRO's dive team on representative, generalizable clinical trial data at the 2025 Innovation Network Gathering. Together, they explore why clinical trial populations still fail to reflect real-world patients, and what's been holding the industry back from meaningful progress.The conversation goes beyond identifying the problem. The group shares how a diverse set of stakeholders were able to align around practical, implementable solutions. They also discuss how industry can pilot new approaches, engage broader stakeholders, and turn promising ideas into standard practice. This episode offers a candid and solutions-oriented look at how to generate clinical data that truly supports better decision-making for all patients.
Josh Stent, CEO of Momentum Clinical Research, joins Jimmy Bechtel to share how his 19-site network in Australia and New Zealand is using AI and automation to cut administrative burden, improve data accuracy, and get more time back for patients. From centralized data reporting to automated invoicing and smarter recruitment funnels, this episode breaks down what practical AI adoption actually looks like at the site level.
How do you choose who to trust? And how do you show others that you are trustworthy?
Has modern lifestyle changed how our bodies process hormones? Do more pregnant women need to be in clinical trials? Have your seasonal allergies gotten worse? Does our DNA know our future? Facebook: ingoodhealthpodX: @ ingoodhealthpodIG: @ingoodhealthpodYouTube: @ingoodhealthpodSpotify Apple Podcast In Good Health PodcastSubscribed to the newsletterFull ArchiveContact UsBecome an Affiliate Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Lion’s Mane Mushroom and Brain Health: What Four Clinical Trials Actually Found Many stroke survivors and people managing cognitive decline more broadly eventually ask the same question: Is there anything beyond physiotherapy and medication that can actively support brain healing? Not symptom management. Actual repair. Lion’s Mane mushroom (Hericium erinaceus) is one compound that has gathered genuine clinical attention. It is not a cure, the human trial evidence is still limited in scale, and it is not a replacement for the fundamentals of brain health. But the mechanism is unusual, the safety profile is consistently good, and for anyone serious about their brain, the research warrants an honest look. Why Lion’s Mane Is Neurologically Unusual Most supplements that claim to support brain health cannot cross the blood-brain barrier, the tightly regulated membrane that controls what enters the brain. Without crossing it, any direct effect on brain tissue is limited. Lion’s Mane contains two families of bioactive compounds found almost nowhere else in nature. Hericenones come from the fruiting body, the visible mushroom. Erinacines come from the mycelium, the root-like underground network. Both stimulate the production of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) and Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF). These are proteins the brain uses to grow new neurons, maintain existing ones, and strengthen the connections between them. Crucially, erinacine A, one of the key mycelium compounds, has been confirmed in preclinical studies to cross the blood-brain barrier. That is not a trivial distinction. It is one of the reasons researchers have taken this mushroom seriously. “These are proteins your brain uses to grow new neurons, maintain existing ones, and build and strengthen the connections between them. They are, in a very real sense, your brain’s repair and maintenance crew.” — Bill Gasiamis What the Human Clinical Trials Found Four published human clinical trials have examined Lion’s Mane. Here is what each found: Mori et al. (2009): In a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 30 older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) took Lion’s Mane supplement or placebo for 16 weeks. The Lion’s Mane group showed significantly better cognitive function scores at weeks 8, 12, and 16. When supplementation stopped, scores declined again within four weeks, suggesting the effect was tied to ongoing intake, not a placebo response. Saitsu et al. (2019): A multicenter RCT tested 12 weeks of oral Lion’s Mane in older adults. Participants in the treatment group showed significant improvement on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) compared to placebo. No adverse effects were observed. Nagano et al. (2010): A 4-week RCT using Lion’s Mane-enriched cookies found significant reductions in self-reported depression and anxiety in women compared to placebo, suggesting effects extend beyond cognition to mood and emotional regulation, possibly via the gut-brain axis. Docherty et al. (2023): A double-blind pilot study from Northumbria University tested 41 healthy young adults aged 18–45. After a single dose, participants performed significantly faster on the Stroop task, a measure of cognitive processing speed and flexibility. After 28 days, there was a trend toward reduced subjective stress. This was a small study, and results should be interpreted cautiously, but it suggests Lion’s Mane effects are not limited to populations already experiencing cognitive decline. The Stroke-Specific Preclinical Data For stroke survivors, the preclinical research adds another dimension. In a 2014 animal study, erinacine A reduced brain infarct volume by 22–44% in ischemic stroke models (depending on dose), and significantly lowered pro-inflammatory cytokines, including IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α markers of the neuroinflammatory cascade that follows stroke. A 2022 study found that erinacine A helps preserve glutamate clearance in the brain after ischemic injury. Excess glutamate is one of the key mechanisms of neuronal death after stroke, so anything that helps regulate it post-injury is clinically relevant. These are animal studies. They do not translate directly to human outcomes. But they provide a biological rationale that supports why clinical researchers are now investigating Lion’s Mane in neurological recovery contexts. What the Research Does Not Yet Tell Us The limitations matter, and any honest assessment must include them. All four human trials are relatively small, none exceeds 100 participants. We do not yet have large-scale, long-term RCTs in stroke survivor populations specifically. The optimal dose, duration, and form (fruiting body vs mycelium vs dual extract) have not been established in human trials. Direct confirmation that erinacines cross the blood-brain barrier in humans rather than in animal models does not yet exist. Bill says it directly in the video: “The human trial data is still relatively limited in scale. We need larger, longer trials.” Practical Questions to Raise with Your Doctor If you are considering Lion’s Mane supplementation, the following questions are worth raising with your neurologist or GP: Is it safe alongside my current medications? Theoretical interactions exist with anticoagulants (warfarin, aspirin, clopidogrel) and antidepressants, not confirmed in human trials, but worth disclosing. Anyone on blood thinners following a stroke should have this conversation before starting. What form should I look for? Products should specify standardised hericenone content (fruiting body extract) or erinacine A content (mycelium extract). Products listed only as “mycelial biomass on grain” typically contain very low levels of active compounds and high levels of starch from the growth substrate. If the label does not specify active compound content, treat that as a quality flag. Are there any trials I could join? ClinicalTrials.gov lists current recruiting studies for Hericium erinaceus and cognitive function worth checking if you are interested in contributing to the evidence base. More information: https://recoveryafterstroke.com/book | Support the podcast: https://patreon.com/recoveryafterstroke *This blog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Please consult your doctor before making any changes to your health or recovery plan. The post Can a Mushroom Help Your Brain Heal? The Science Says Maybe appeared first on Recovery After Stroke.
In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Jennifer Thorne to discuss the many considerations in setting up and running an NIH-sponsored clinical trial in uveitis. We additionally discuss the recently published results of the ADVISE study.The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.
Promising oral treatment moves closer for Stargardt patients.
In this episode of the Bench to Bedside podcast, Dr. Roy Jensen, vice chancellor and director of The University of Kansas Cancer Center, talks with Dr. Lauren Nye, medical oncologist and breast cancer prevention specialist, about cancer prevention clinical trials and how they differ from treatment trials by aiming to lower cancer risk or detect cancer earlier in healthy, high-risk individuals. Dr. Nye explains who may qualify based on family history, genetics, prior precancerous biopsies, or lifestyle factors, and highlights prevention successes, such as tamoxifen and the HPV vaccine. They discuss current research exploring well-tolerated, affordable options including GLP-1 receptor agonist, the heightened safety expectations for prevention studies, and why multi-agent approaches can be limited by toxicity. Dr. Nye also shares how she communicates risk—especially absolute versus relative risk—and encourages listeners to ask their doctor about risk assessment, genetic counseling, and high-risk clinics at KU Cancer Center. 00:00 Prevention Trials Intro 01:17 What Prevention Trials Are 02:08 Who Is High Risk 03:03 Why Prevention Matters 03:55 New Prevention Strategies 04:39 Drug Development Challenges 06:19 Patient Concerns and Safety 08:12 Why Not Combine Agents 10:10 Future of Prevention Research 11:53 Talking About Risk 13:24 Relative vs Absolute Risk 15:08 Next Steps and Wrap Up Links from this Episode: · Learn about cancer prevention and risk reduction options at KU Cancer Center · See open cancer prevention clinical trials at KU Cancer Center · Learn about Dr. Lauren Nye · Read about breast cancer genetic counseling and testing at KU Cancer Center To ensure you get our latest updates, follow us on the social media channel of your choice by searching for KU Cancer Center.
At 25, Jace Yawnick was building a career in health and wellness sales, chasing growth, status, and the usual young adult fantasy of getting somewhere fast. Then his body stopped cooperating. Fatigue turned into chemotherapy. The diagnosis was primary mediastinal B cell non Hodgkin lymphoma, and the rest of his life split into before and after. Now in remission, he talks about cancer the way people actually live it, not the way nonprofits package it. He gets into survivorship, mental health, young adult isolation, and the deadening absurdity of prior authorization. One of the sharpest parts of the conversation lands on a simple American insult disguised as policy: treatment innovation means very little when insurance can still deny the scan, the drug, or the next step. Jace has seen that firsthand, including during routine monitoring after active treatment. This episode tracks what happens when a young cancer patient becomes a public voice and refuses to play mascot. It covers oncology, insurance, remission, advocacy, and the long mental hangover that follows survival. It also names the part too many institutions dodge: the system works great right up until it doesn't, and when it fails, patients get handed the bill, the panic, and a camera if they want anyone to care. RELATED LINKSJace Beats CancerJace Yawnick on LinkedImConquer Cancer ArticleCURE Today ArticlePyure BrandsFEEDBACKLike this episode? Rate and review Out of Patients on your favorite podcast platform. For guest suggestions or sponsorship email podcasts@matthewzachary.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Resistance training is one of the most powerful interventions for preserving muscle, supporting metabolic health, and promoting healthy aging—but many patients still find it intimidating or confusing. In this episode, Dr. Kara Fitzgerald sits down with exercise physiologist Brad Currier, PhD, to unpack the newly updated ACSM resistance training guidelines and discuss practical approaches for prescribing exercise across the spectrum, from sedentary adults to elite athletes. In partnership with Timeline, they also review the latest clinical research on Urolithin A, mitochondrial function, muscle recovery, protein, and creatine, offering actionable insights for functional medicine practitioners. Full show notes + references: https://www.drkarafitzgerald.com/fxmed-podcast/ GUEST DETAILS Dr. Brad Currier is Manager of Clinical Trials at Timeline, a Swiss biotech company at the forefront of longevity science for over 15 years. With a background in elite athletics, he went on to earn a PhD in muscle physiology, where his research focused on how exercise and nutrition influence aging and performance. Brad has led numerous clinical trials conducted around the world and published extensively in peer-reviewed journals. He is also the lead author of the American College of Sports Medicine's new position stand on resistance training prescription, helping shape global guidelines for strength training and healthy aging. THANKS TO OUR SPONSOR TIMELINE: http://Pro.timeline.com At the core of Timeline is Mitopure®, a pure and patented form of Urolithin A, shown to improve mitochondrial dysfunction. Learn more & Sign up for a Healthcare Practitioner account at http://Pro.timeline.com Email: care@timeline.com CONNECT with DrKF Want more? Join our newsletter here: https://www.drkarafitzgerald.com/newsletter/ Or take our pop quiz and test your BioAge! https://www.drkarafitzgerald.com/bioagequiz YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/hjpc8daz Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drkarafitzgerald/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrKaraFitzgerald/ DrKF Clinic: Patient consults with DrKF physicians including Younger You Concierge: https://tinyurl.com/yx4fjhkb Younger You Practitioner Training Program: https://www.drkarafitzgerald.com/trainingyyi/ Younger You book: https://tinyurl.com/mr4d9tym Better Broths and Healing Tonics book: https://tinyurl.com/3644mrfw
Are you a dermatologist curious about clinical research — or a seasoned trialist looking to reignite your passion? In this episode of the Science of Skin Podcast, Dr. Ted Lane (Austin, TX) sits down with Dr. Jason Hawkes, Chief Scientific Officer at Oregon Medical Research Center, to pull back the curtain on what it really means to build a career in dermatology clinical trials. From navigating the growing complexity of modern trial protocols to reframing the pharma-physician relationship, Ted and Jason share candid insights that only experienced clinical trialists can offer. They discuss how running trials makes you a sharper diagnostician, why medical dermatology remains one of the most rewarding specialties, and how industry partnerships open unexpected academic and commercial doors. You'll also hear their honest takes on mentorship — including the must-read JAMA article Mentorship Malpractice — and why thinking of your career as a lattice, not a ladder may be the most liberating shift you can make. Whether you're five years into practice or just starting out, this episode is packed with hard-won wisdom on building a meaningful, intellectually stimulating career in dermatology.
Artificial intelligence is reshaping clinical research, but its impact extends far beyond automation. In this episode of ACRO's Good Clinical Podcast, host Sophia McLeod is joined by Paulo Limgenco (VP, Business Operations at YPrime) and Michael Tucker (VP, Patient Experience - Commercial at Medidata) to explore how AI and digital technologies are helping the industry build more sustainable, efficient, and patient-centered clinical trials.From protocol optimization and site selection to localization and decentralized trial models, the conversation examines how AI can reduce operational burdens, minimize waste, and expand access to research opportunities for underrepresented populations. The discussion also highlights the importance of responsible AI adoption, including strong governance frameworks, data stewardship, and human oversight.Tune in for an insightful conversation on how the industry is balancing innovation and responsibility while working toward a future where clinical trials are more efficient, inclusive, and sustainable for patients, sites, sponsors, and communities worldwide.
In this episode of Communicable, Emily McDonald and Josh Davis are joined by Roger Lewis (USA) and Ian Marschner (Australia) to compare and contrast Bayesian and frequentist statistical approaches. The panel discusses the fundamental principles of both methods, common misconceptions, and the extent to which they are often more similar than many realise. Together, they explore their use in clinical trial design, analysis, and reporting, including adaptive trials and sequential learning. Additional topics include sample size misconceptions, regulatory versus clinical thresholds, and the challenges of interpreting post hoc reanalyses of negative trials.This episode was edited by Kathryn Hostettler and the executive producer of Communicable is Angela Huttner. Further reading:Berry SM, et al. Bayesian Adaptive Methods for Clinical Trials (Chapman & Hall/CRC Biostatistics Series). Boca Raton (FL): CRC Press; 2010. FDA Guidance Document: Use of Bayesian Methodology in Clinical Trials of Drug and Biological Products FDA, 2026, https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/search-fda-guidance-documents/use-bayesian-methodology-clinical-trials-drug-and-biological-productsLee TC, et al. Contextualizing the use of corticosteroids in severe Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia through a Bayesian lens. CMI Comms 2025, https://www.cmi-comms.org/article/S2950-5909(25)00082-4/fulltextLivingston EH and Lewis RJ. JAMA Guide to Statistics and Methods, https://jamaevidence.mhmedical.com/Book.aspx?bookId=2742Marschner I. Confidence distributions for treatment effects in clinical trials: Posteriors without priors. Stat Med 2024, doi: 10.1002/sim.10000.Whitehead J. The design and analysis of sequential clinical trials. Revised 2nd ed. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons; 1997.
What are the warning signs of a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), and how is medical innovation changing how we treat blood clots today? In this episode of The Heart of Innovation, hosts Kim McNicholas and interventional cardiologist Dr. John Phillips sit down with Richard Davis, an engineer and medical developer whose life was completely rewritten after being hit by a truck at 23 years old. Richard shares his gripping story of survival—from being pinned inside a vehicle to developing life-threatening blood clots, surviving severe pulmonary embolisms, and ultimately transitioning his expertise into creating vascular medical devices that save lives. Discover how modern medical advancements are moving beyond standard medical therapy to actively remove clots and restore blood flow safely. TIMESTAMPS & CHAPTERS 0:00 - The Accident That Changed Everything 2:15 - Living with an Undiagnosed Clotting Disorder 4:40 - Facing a Life-Threatening Pulmonary Embolism 7:10 - Moving Beyond Medication: Advanced Clot Removal 9:35 - How Patient Participation Drives Medical Innovation 12:00 - The Next Generation of Vascular Care GET FREE MEDICAL SUPPORT & ACCESSIBLE RESOURCES If you or someone you know is dealing with deep vein thrombosis, severe leg pain, swelling, or vascular complications, find absolute support with our completely free community connections: Free Vascular Resources & Specialist Connections: https://www.padhelp.org Learn More About Enrolling in Clinical Trials: https://www.padtrials.org Call the Leg Saver Hotline: 1-833-PAD-LEGS (1-833-723-5347) Join the Private Facebook Support Group: http://www.PADsupportGroup.org Stream Live Radio Every Saturday Morning on AM 1220 KDOW or visit: https://www.theheartofinnovation.org #PulmonaryEmbolism #VascularHealth #BloodClotSurvival #MedicalInnovation #TheHeartOfInnovation #PatientAdvocacy #DVTPrevention
Clinical trials save lives but why does it often take years before a study can enroll its first patient? In this episode of The Lebanese Physicians Podcast, Dr. Khalil Diab sits down with oncologist, physician executive, author, and Chief Medical Officer of Ryght AI, Chadi Nabhan, to explore how artificial intelligence is transforming clinical trial site selection, feasibility assessments, and study activation. Dr. Nabhan explains why so many clinical trials struggle with enrollment, how traditional site selection methods often rely on relationships rather than data, and how AI-powered "digital site twins" may help identify the best-performing research centers worldwide. The discussion also explores the future of clinical research, reducing trial delays, increasing diversity in enrollment, and accelerating access to life-saving therapies. Topics discussed include: ✅ Why clinical trials often take 10–12 years to complete ✅ The hidden costs of poor site selection ✅ How AI-powered site twins work ✅ Clinical trial feasibility and site activation ✅ Enrollment prediction and trial performance ✅ Community practices vs academic medical centers ✅ Diversity, equity, and bias in AI-driven research ✅ The future of AI in clinical trials and drug development ✅ How faster trials could bring treatments to patients sooner Whether you're a physician, researcher, clinical trial professional, healthcare executive, or simply interested in the future of medicine, this conversation offers a fascinating look at how AI may reshape clinical research for years to come.
Professor of ophthalmology Daniel Palanker is a physicist who has combined his skills in optics and electronics to create PRIMA – the Photovoltaic Retinal Implant. Inserted beneath the retina, it restores vision to patients blinded by retinal degeneration, allowing them to read and write – and with the next-generation software, to recognize faces. PRIMA's photovoltaic pixels act like tiny solar panels, converting light into electricity to stimulate the remaining retinal neurons. Better yet, the growing field of brain-computer interfaces may have implications beyond ophthalmology. “Unlike medicine, where the road ends with curing a disease or restoring lost function, the prospects for brain-machine interfaces may be infinite,” Palanker tells host Russ Altman on this episode of Stanford Engineering's The Future of Everything podcast. Have a question for Russ? Send it our way in writing or via voice memo, and it might be featured on an upcoming episode. Please introduce yourself, let us know where you're listening from, and share your question. You can send questions to thefutureofeverything@stanford.edu. Episode Reference Links: Stanford Profile: Daniel Palanker Connect With Us: Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything Website Connect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / Mastodon Connect with School of Engineering >>> Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook Chapters: (00:00:00) Introduction Russ Altman introduces guest Daniel Palanker, a professor of ophthalmology and electrical engineering at Stanford University. (00:03:17) Path into Ophthalmology How Palanker's background in physics and optics led him to vision research. (00:04:33) How Vision Works A primer on the eye, retina, photoreceptors, and the neural code of sight. (00:08:50) Retinal Degeneration How diseases like macular degeneration and inherited retinal disorders damage vision. (00:13:18) The PRIMA Implant How a photovoltaic retinal implant converts light into electrical stimulation. (00:15:05) Augmented Reality Glasses How camera-equipped glasses amplify and project images to power the implant. (00:17:42) From Reading to Face Recognition Why grayscale vision is the next step toward recognizing faces. (00:20:18) Implanting the Device How the wireless chip is placed under the retina and powered by light. (00:21:45) Replaceable Vision Technology How future generations of implants could be swapped in for higher resolution. (00:22:28) Limits of Resolution Why geometry and proximity to neurons determine how small pixels can get. (00:24:00) Moving to 3D Electrodes How pillar-shaped electrodes help neurons move closer to the implant. (00:26:28) Clinical Path Forward The status of European trials, FDA discussions, and future patient access. (00:28:10) Safety and Real-World Use What trials reveal about surgical risks, durability, and patients using implants at home. (00:30:11) Future In a Minute Rapid-fire Q&A: neural coding, brain-machine interfaces, and restoring vision. Connect With Us:Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything WebsiteConnect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / MastodonConnect with School of Engineering >>>Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
At 20 years old, newly arrived from Puerto Rico and trying to build a future in science, Benjamin Suarez Jimenez found himself sitting in front of two senior faculty members accused of plagiarism. He knew the material. He had done the work. His mistake came from failing to cite class notes during an exam because nobody had told him that was expected. In a matter of minutes, he watched what felt like his entire career flash before him.On this episode of Standard Deviation, host Oliver Bogler examines the hidden architecture of academic science through the experiences of Dr. Benjamin Suarez Jimenez, Assistant Professor at the University of Rochester and a neuroscientist studying PTSD, anxiety, trauma, and spatial cognition through virtual reality and video game environments.Benjamin traces his path from Puerto Rico to the mainland United States, through the NIH, Columbia University, and eventually to leading his own laboratory. Along the way, he encountered a series of barriers that had little to do with scientific ability and everything to do with access to unwritten rules. From academic gatekeeping to grant writing expectations, he learned that success in biomedical research often depends on knowledge that never appears in a textbook.Oliver explores how those invisible obstacles shape careers, influence research funding, and determine who gains access to opportunity. The conversation also examines the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Program at the Life Science Editors Foundation, which pairs scientists from underrepresented backgrounds with experienced scientific editors. Through that mentorship, Benjamin transformed a critical grant proposal into a successful pilot award that helped launch an NIH R01 application.The discussion extends beyond one scientist's experience. Benjamin describes helping a former mentee navigate dissertation roadblocks that threatened her graduation, illustrating how institutional bureaucracy can delay careers and discourage talented researchers. Together, they explore the hidden administrative burden, cultural barriers, and bias that many scientists carry alongside their research, and what happens when someone who receives support turns around and opens the door for others.RELATED LINKSLife Science Editors FoundationBenjamin Suarez Jimenez LabDr. Benjamin Suarez JimenezBenjamin Suarez JimenezFEEDBACKLike this episode? Rate and review Out of Patients on your favorite podcast platform. For guest suggestions or sponsorship email podcasts@matthewzachary.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
STRONGER BONES LIFESTYLE: REVERSING THE COURSE OF OSTEOPOROSIS NATURALLY
In this eye-opening conversation, Debi Robinson and Dr. John Neustadt expose a fundamental flaw in how we approach bone health: we've been focusing on bone density instead of actual fracture risk.Drawing from 20+ years of research and clinical practice, Dr. Neustadt reveals that only four nutrients have been proven in clinical trials to reduce fractures—calcium, vitamin D, vitamin K2 (MK-4 specifically), and magnesium. He challenges the one-size-fits-all approach to supplementation and explains why popular supplements like MK-7 and strontium fall short of their marketing claims.The episode deep-dives into why bone density tests are poor predictors of fracture risk, how supplement companies mislead consumers with marketing claims that don't align with clinical data, and the critical role of gut health, sleep, hormones, and lifestyle in fracture prevention.Most importantly, Debi and Dr. Neustadt provide actionable, evidence-based strategies that women can implement immediately to actually protect their bones—without fear-based messaging.WHAT YOU'LL LEARN✓ Why bone density scores are not reliable predictors of fracture risk✓ The 4 nutrients with clinical trial evidence for fracture reduction (and the doses that actually work)✓ Why MK-7 vitamin K2 doesn't improve bone strength (and why MK-4 does)✓ How to assess YOUR individual calcium needs (most women are over-supplementing)✓ The vitamin D target range for optimal fracture protection✓ Why strontium supplements mislead consumers (and the hidden risks)✓ The role of melatonin receptors in bone health and sleep deprivation's link to fractures✓ How gut health directly impacts bone strength✓ The importance of serotonin, melatonin, and the gut-bone axis✓ HRT and testosterone replacement as part of a comprehensive bone health strategy✓ How to evaluate supplement companies and ensure they have fracture outcome data✓ Red flags when choosing bone health supplements✓ The gap between conventional medicine's approach (DEXA + medication) and integrative bone health✓ Why doctors are confused about osteoporosis (and how to advocate for yourself)ACTION STEPSGet your vitamin D tested. Aim for 30–44 ng/mL for optimal fracture protection (different from immune health recommendations).Assess your dietary calcium intake before adding supplements. If you're eating well, you may only need 400 mg as a supplement, not the standard 1,200 mg recommendation.Switch MK-7 supplements to MK-4. If you're taking a vitamin K2 supplement, verify it's MK-4 at 45 mg per day in divided doses. MK-7 doesn't reduce fractures.Check your supplement labels for strontium. If it's there, especially if the company markets it as "proven to improve bone density," consider switching to a formula without it.Prioritize gut health. Work with a practitioner to run stool tests if you have bloating, constipation, postnasal drip, or other GI symptoms. Gut inflammation accelerates bone loss.Track your sleep quality. Sleep deprivation is linked to 17% of fractures. If you're sleeping less than 6 hours nightly, prioritize this.Ask supplement companies the right questions:"Do you have fracture outcome data from clinical trials?""Will you provide a certificate of analysis showing purity and potency?""What guarantee do you offer?"Evaluate your medications. Check with your doctor: Are any of your current prescriptions contributing to bone loss? (SSRIs, certain blood pressure meds, proton pump inhibitors, corticosteroids, etc.)Consider HRT or bioidentical hormone replacement, especially if you're post-menopausal. Research shows a 40% reduction in osteoporotic fracture risk with appropriate hormone therapy.Build lifestyle foundations: Prioritize whole-food nutrition, strength training, stress management, and community connection. Oxytocin (released through physical contact) supports bone health.RESOURCES & LINKSDr. John Neustadt's Website: nbihealth.com and book Fracture-Proof Your Bones: A Comprehensive Guide to OsteoporosisDebi's website: https://debirobinson.comHealthy Gut Healty Bones Program: https://debirobinson.com/healthy-gut-healthy-bones-program-v2/Join the Community: https://debirobinson.com/the-stronger-bones-lifestyle-community/Yoga Therapy MasterClass: https://debirobinson.com/yoga-therapy-for-bones-health-mc/28-Day Stronger Bones Method: https://debirobinson.com/28-day-stronger-bonesmorning-method/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/debirobinsonwellness/Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@debirobinsonwellness/DEBI'S TAKEAWAY"Fracture-proofing your bones isn't about chasing a higher DEXA score. It's about building the internal biochemical balance that actually prevents fractures. You have the research, you have the tools, and you have the power to take control of your bone health naturally. Use that power."
In this episode of SurgOnc Today, Dr. Christina Angeles, surgical oncologist and Chair of the SSO Research Committee, sits down with two experienced surgical investigators, Dr. Andrew Lowy and Dr. Craig Slingluff, to discuss one of the most challenging steps in advancing surgical research: securing funding for pilot clinical trials. Drawing from their real-world experience designing and running surgical trials, our guests share practical strategies for identifying funding sources, building a competitive application, and navigating setbacks along the way. Whether you are a junior faculty member with your first research idea or a mid-career surgeon looking to expand your trials program, this episode delivers actionable advice to help you turn your clinical observations into funded research.
What does it really take to thrive as a first-time fund manager in today's challenging investment landscape, especially when you're building a venture fund from scratch while championing diversity and innovation? This episode delves into the real experiences behind the headlines, inviting listeners to consider the often unseen hurdles and triumphs that define entrepreneurial journeys. Our guest, Laurel Mintz, is the founder of Fabric VC—a new venture capital fund spun out of her extensive 17-year run as the leader of a successful marketing agency. With a background that includes corporate M&A law, entrepreneurship, and marketing, Laurel Mintz brings a unique and practical perspective to the venture capital world. Her approach blends deep sector knowledge with a commitment to supporting underrepresented founders and championing women's health, fintech, and consumer tech sectors. In this update, listeners get an inside look at the nuts and bolts of raising and deploying Fabric VC's first fund—just under $8 million, already largely deployed across 23 portfolio companies. Laurel Mintz shares candid insights on the emotional rollercoaster of fundraising, the critical importance of diversity, and the creative approaches to supporting women-led companies, such as accepting investments via donor-advised funds and retirement accounts. This episode is a must-listen for aspiring investors, founders, or anyone interested in how real change is being made within venture capital. It's raw, motivating, and packed with unfiltered advice on how to show up, take risks, and put capital to work for the next generation. To get the latest from Laurel Mintz, you can follow her below! LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurel-mintz/ https://www.fabricvc.com/ Laurel's first appearance on The Angel Next Door Sign up for Marcia's newsletter to receive tips and the latest on Angel Investing! Website: www.marciadawood.com Learn more about the documentary Show Her the Money: www.showherthemoneymovie.com And don't forget to follow us wherever you are! Apple Podcasts: https://pod.link/1586445642.apple Spotify: https://pod.link/1586445642.spotify LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/angel-next-door-podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theangelnextdoorpodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@marciadawood
Two recent studies have shown remarkable advances in HIV cure research: (1) a Norwegian man who achieved long-term HIV remission after a stem cell transplant from his brother and (2) a Phase 1 trial testing CAR-T cell therapy. On this episode, Antonio Urbina, MD, Medical Director for CEI's HIV Primary Care and Prevention Center of Excellence, dives into these studies and puts them into clinical context, including how to discuss cure research with patients. Related Content: CEI Line: 1-866-637-2342 https://ceitraining.org/ Clinicaltrials.gov
Dr. Sarah Matt trained as a burn surgeon, working in a field where patients arrive with catastrophic injuries and survival depends on speed, skill, and resources. She left the bedside after confronting a limit that medicine does not like to admit. One physician can only see so many people in a day. The system surrounding those patients decides the rest. She moved into health technology, held leadership roles in startups, and built global infrastructure at Oracle to scale care across populations. Then she watched billions of dollars in digital health and AI initiatives stall out when they hit real clinical environments.This episode follows that pivot from surgeon to strategist and back into direct patient care in rural New York, where she now treats uninsured patients, migrant workers, and communities pushed to the margins. The conversation centers on a persistent failure across healthcare systems. Products get built for regulators, executives, and investors instead of the people who use them. The result shows up in failed adoption, broken workflows, prior authorization delays, and rising physician burnout.The discussion cuts through health policy language and lands on lived consequence. The system rewards speed over usability, scale over trust, and compliance over care. Patients absorb the fallout. Physicians carry the liability. The incentives remain intact.RELATED LINKSDr. Sarah MattThe Borderless Healthcare RevolutionThe Clinical RealistJessica FedererSovatoFEEDBACKLike this episode? Rate and review Out of Patients on your favorite podcast platform. For guest suggestions or sponsorship email podcasts@matthewzachary.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Clinical Trial Shows Effectiveness of Silver Diamine Fluoride for School-based CariesBy Today's RDH ResearchOriginal article published on Today's RDH: https://www.todaysrdh.com/clinical-trial-shows-effectiveness-of-silver-diamine-fluoride-for-school-based-caries/Need CE? Start earning CE credits today at https://rdh.tv/ce Get daily dental hygiene articles at https://www.todaysrdh.com Follow Today's RDH on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TodaysRDH/Follow Kara RDH on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DentalHygieneKaraRDH/Follow Kara RDH on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kara_rdh/
If you experience severe, sharp burning at the vaginal opening, you know how frustrating the journey to a clear diagnosis can be. In this episode, world-renowned pelvic pain expert Dr. Jill Krapf joins Dr. Rachel Pope to share a massive milestone in neuroinflammatory vulvar pain research: a gold-standard, 3-month clinical trial testing a brand-new topical Ketotifen cream.Ketotifen is a mast cell stabilizer historically used for allergies, but it has never before been formulated into a topical cream for pelvic pain. This breakthrough treatment directly targets the "neuroinflammatory zone," calming hyper-reactive mast cells and hypersensitive nerve endings.Key Takeaways: The Clinical Protocol: To track improvement, the trial uses two precise baseline tests: a specialized Q-Tip pressure monitor at the vestibule (requiring a 5/10 pain score to qualify) and a gentle dilator insertion test. Patient comfort is the absolute priority; tests stop immediately if pain thresholds are hit. A Pure Passion Project: Funding for localized vulvar pain is notoriously low. Backed by a small grant from the National Vulvodynia Association (NVA), this trial is a true labor of love by Dr. Krapf, Dr. Andrew Goldstein, and Dr. Chailee Moss to provide a non-surgical alternative for patients. How to Get Screened: Active trials are currently recruiting. Reach out directly to the site closest to you:The Centers for Vulvovaginal Disorders Research Details & Locations: Duration: Approximately 3 months (only 4 short in-person study visits). Locations: Tampa (FL), Washington D.C., and New York City.Tampa, (FL): donyaresearch1@gmail.com Lichen Scelorus research: researchjkmd@gmail.comVulvodynia Research: Washington, DC- research.cvvd@gmail.com New York City, NY- research.cvvd@gmail.comExclusion Criteria: Individuals with active pudendal neuralgia or a diagnosed vulvar dermatosis (such as Lichen Sclerosus or Lichen Planus) are unfortunately excluded.How to Get Screened: If you are interested in participating or traveling to one of the three sites, check the screening contacts listed. Even if you can't participate, sharing this study on social platforms helps show investors and pharmaceutical companies that women's health research is highly valued and desperately needs funding!
External control arms are becoming increasingly important in drug development, but creating valid comparisons requires more than matching patient populations. In this episode, I speak with Ben Ackerman, Director of Real-World Biostatistics at GSK, about one of the most overlooked challenges in external control arm studies: endpoint bias. We discuss why differences in how outcomes are measured can influence study results, what researchers should consider when designing studies, and how the field is evolving to address these challenges. If you work with real-world evidence, causal inference, or innovative clinical trial designs, this episode offers valuable insights into improving the credibility and transparency of external control arm analyses.
Send us Fan MailS4E4 The Oncology Journal Club Podcast In this special ASCO 2026 edition of The Oncology Journal Club, Craig Underhill, Chris Jackson and Kate Clarke unpack some of the meeting's most talked-about studies and discuss what they could mean for clinical practice.From the PROTEUS trial in high-risk prostate cancer and promising advances in RET fusion-positive lung cancer, to a rare sarcoma study demonstrating the potential of CDK4 inhibition, the team explores the data behind the headlines and highlights the challenges of translating trial results into real-world care.The episode also dives into what many are calling the breakthrough study of the meeting – the RESOLUTE-302 trial of daraxonrasib in previously treated pancreatic cancer. With a striking overall survival benefit in a disease that has seen few meaningful advances, the results sparked excitement throughout the oncology community.Along the way, the panel reflects on the atmosphere at ASCO, emerging trends in precision oncology, and how new therapeutic approaches such as KRAS inhibitors, bispecific antibodies and antibody-drug conjugates are reshaping the future of cancer treatment.The Oncology Journal Club Podcast is hosted by Professor Craig Underhill, Dr Kate Clarke and Professor Chris Jackson, and proudly produced by The Oncology NetworkVisit oncologynetwork.com.au for Show Notes, to send us Voice Notes and more information. And to download your bingo card if you'd like to play along with the team!
A headline like “weight loss drugs may reduce breast cancer risk” grabs attention fast, but the real story lives in the fine print. We take you through a new Penn Medicine study that observed lower breast cancer rates among women with overweight or obesity who used GLP-1 medications, then we translate what that finding actually means in plain language. Observational data can reveal a signal worth studying, but it cannot prove the medication caused the outcome, and that distinction matters for your decisions and your expectations. We also zoom out to the bigger why: obesity is not just about body size. Fat tissue is biologically active, shaping chronic inflammation, estrogen exposure after menopause, insulin resistance, and even how well the immune system spots abnormal cells. Those pathways help explain why obesity is linked to many cancers, including postmenopausal breast cancer, and why researchers are curious whether effective obesity treatment could shift risk over time. Then we get practical. We review what stronger evidence from randomized controlled trials says so far: GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound do not appear to increase breast cancer risk in the available trial data, even though most trials were not designed to study cancer outcomes for many years. We also discuss why newer studies seem most suggestive for hormone receptor positive breast cancer, along with the leading theories: weight loss itself, improved metabolic health and insulin signaling, reduced inflammation, and the still-unclear possibility of direct GLP-1 effects in cancer biology. If you like evidence-based medicine with real-world context (and a little Philly-life banter), subscribe, share this episode with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What question do you want answered next about GLP-1s, obesity treatment, or cancer risk?ReferencesRisk for Cancer With Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists and Dual Agonists : A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Ko A, Chang YC, Bahar F, et al. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2025;. doi:10.7326/ANNALS-25-02237.Do GLP-1 Receptor Agonists Increase the Risk of Breast Cancer? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Piccoli GF, Mesquita LA, Stein C, et al. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2021;106(3):912-921. doi:10.1210/clinem/dgaa891.Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Receptor Agonists and Cancer Risk: The Good, the Bad and the Unknown. Mannucci E, Dicembrini I. Nature Reviews. Clinical Oncology. 2026;23(6):459-470. doi:10.1038/s41571-026-01135-0.GLP-1 Agonists Are Associated With a Significant Reduction in Breast Cancer Incidence in Women. McDonald ES, Gillis LB, Gabriel P, et al. JCO Oncology Practice. 2026;:101200OP2600485. doi:10.1200/OP-26-00485.GLP-1 therapy and hormone receptor–positive breast cancer risk and survival: A real-world analysis.. Shah Z, Hundal J, Afridi S, et al. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2026;44(Suppl 16):10548. doi:10.1200/JCO.2026.44.16_suppl.10548.Survival and Recurrence With GLP-1 Receptor Agonists in Breast Cancer. Tatum KL, Dahman B, Stevenson A, et al. JAMA Network Open. 2026;9(5):e2612133. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.12133.Association of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists With Risk of Cancers-Evidence From a Drug Target Mendelian Randomization and Clinical Trials. Sun Y, Liu Y, Dian Y, et al. International Journal of Surgery (London, England). 2024;110(8):4688-4694. doi:10.1097/JS9.0000000000001514.GLP-1 receptor agonists and breast cancer risk in type 2 diabetes.. Guo Cheng and Amanda Ward. Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2025;43(Suppl 16):10557. doi:10.1200/JCO.2025.43.16_suppl.10557.Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Analogues and Risk of Breast Cancer in Women With Type 2 Diabetes: Population Based Cohort Study Using the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink. Hicks BM, Yin H, Yu OH, et al. BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.). 2016;355:i5340. doi:10.1136/bmj.i5340.GLP-1 Receptor Agonists and Cancer: Current Clinical Evidence and Translational Opportunities for Preclinical Research. Valencia-Rincón E, Rai R, Chandra V, Wellberg EA. The Journal of Clinical Investigation. 2025;135(21):e194743. doi:10.1172/JCI194743.Send us a (voice ) message with this link, we would love to hear from you. Standard message rates may apply.Support the showProduction and Content: Edward Delesky, MD, DABOM & Nicole Aruffo, RNArtwork Rebrand and Avatars:Vantage Design Works (Vanessa Jones) Website: https://www.vantagedesignworks.com/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vantagedesignworks?igsh=aHRuOW93dmxuOG9m&utm_source=qrOriginal Artwork Concept: Olivia Pawlowski
What does it take to run successful clinical trials across borders? Tune in as Chris Boone (Group VP, Research, Health & Life Sciences at Oracle) and Alicia Baker McDowell (VP & Head of Global Regulatory Strategy at Fortrea) explore the shift from transactional outsourcing to truly co-created partnerships.They discuss how sponsors, CROs, and tech partners are redefining collaboration, tackling data fragmentation, and striking the right balance between global consistency and local execution to deliver more effective clinical trials worldwide.
Drs. Saver and Sanossian discuss ISC 2026 data highlighting neurologists' frequent inaction on markedly uncontrolled hypertension in high‑risk stroke patients and the need for specialists to “own” blood pressure management at every visit. They also review refinements in patent foramen ovale (PFO) risk stratification, including Pascal algorithm-defined “possible” PFO cases, and explore how a “clinical trial effect” may lower stroke risk through greater patient engagement.
Good morning from Pharma Daily: the podcast that brings you the most important developments in the pharmaceutical and biotech world. Today, we delve into the evolving landscape of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, where scientific advancements, regulatory updates, and strategic business decisions are reshaping the future. A significant development in this dynamic arena is the strategic withdrawal by Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim from planned investments in Germany. Both companies have decided to cut at least $1 billion each from their investments, a direct response to Germany's healthcare reforms targeting reduced branded drug prices. This decision highlights how governmental policy can significantly influence pharmaceutical investment strategies, prompting companies to be more cautious in markets with strict pricing controls. Another critical area of focus is clinical trials, where ADC Therapeutics has encountered a significant challenge. The company's antibody-drug conjugate, Zynlonta, which was granted accelerated FDA approval in 2021, recently reported three times as many deaths in its study arm compared to the control group. This raises important questions about the safety profile of antibody-drug conjugates, a class of drugs celebrated for their potential in targeted cancer therapy. The situation underscores the ongoing struggle to balance efficacy with safety in innovative cancer treatments. Regulatory oversight remains a pivotal aspect of the industry. The FDA recently issued a warning letter to Medline over recurring issues with toxic bacteria in finished products, emphasizing the critical need for compliance and safety within the medical device sector. Additionally, an untitled letter was sent to QOL Medical for potentially misleading promotional communications regarding Sucraid. Such actions demonstrate the FDA's vigilance in monitoring marketing practices that could mislead healthcare providers or patients. In drug approval news, AbbVie's Qulipta and Amgen's Imdelltra have secured approvals in Europe. These milestones are part of a broader strategy by pharmaceutical companies to expand geographically and enhance product portfolios through new indications. Meanwhile, Axsome Therapeutics successfully defended its narcolepsy medication Sunosi against generic competition until 2040 by settling patent litigation with a prospective generic manufacturer. This move reflects the intense patent battles common in the industry to extend product lifecycles and maintain market exclusivity. Turning to geopolitical influences, there is heightened scrutiny on China's biotech sector following calls from U.S. lawmakers for increased oversight. The potential application of the Comprehensive Outbound Investment National Security Act to Chinese biotech investments signals escalating tensions and could significantly impact international collaborations and investments. This reflects growing concerns over intellectual property protection and biotechnological advancements within international trade dynamics. In financial developments, Parabilis Medicines is preparing for an IPO with aims to raise $476 million to fund Phase 3 trials of its desmoid tumor drug candidate. This move illustrates continued investor interest in oncology innovations despite broader economic uncertainties. On the scientific front, Autobahn Therapeutics is making strides with its thyroid hormone receptor stimulator, showing efficacy in reducing depression symptoms in bipolar disorder during Phase 2 trials. This success paves the way for pivotal trials and highlights how hormone mimics can offer new therapeutic avenues for neuropsychiatric disorders. Meanwhile, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals has entered into a groundbreaking $2 billion agreement with Inceptive Nucleics to incorporate artificial intelligence into small interfering RNA design. By leveraging AI-driven methodologies, Alnylam aims to enhance precision and efficacy in siRNA therapies, potentially speeding up drug discovery processes. Operational challenges are also evident as companies navigate complex markets like Japan, underscoring the importance of integrating regulatory and strategic planning early on to mitigate risks and ensure market feasibility. These developments paint a vivid picture of a vibrant pharmaceutical and biotech landscape where scientific innovation is rapidly advancing alongside strategic partnerships and regulatory oversight. Breakthrough technologies such as AI-driven drug design hold promise for more targeted therapies while emphasizing personalized medicine approaches. However, these advancements come with challenges like safety concerns and regulatory compliance that demand constant vigilance and adaptability from industry stakeholders. The implications for patient care are significant as these scientific breakthroughs promise new treatment avenues for complex diseases while highlighting personalized medicine approaches. As these industries continue to evolve, staying informed about scientific innovations and regulatory landscapes will be crucial for stakeholders aiming to drive future growth and improve global health outcomes. Thank you for tuning into Pharma Daily. Stay informed and stay ahead with us as we continue to bring you the latest insights from around the pharmaceutical and biotech world.Support the show
Kert Viele, PhD, director and senior statistical scientist at Berry Consultants, discusses "Interpretation of Clinical Trials That Stopped Early" with JAMA Statistical Editor Roger J. Lewis, MD, PhD. Related Content: Interpretation of Clinical Trials That Stopped Early
Can turmeric really sharpen memory within hours?
What does a recovering clinical research market actually look like in 2026?In this episode, Joel White, Owner of Market Cap Consulting, and Ryan Gifford, Vice President, Global Laboratory Services, Business Development & Client Management at CTI, join us to unpack the state of the industry—from the rebound in biotech funding to the growing importance of execution, site relationships, and smarter trial design.We explore how increasing complexity is shaping partnerships, how labs and decentralized models are evolving, and what it will take to keep trials on track. Looking ahead, the conversation offers a practical perspective on what the next 12–18 months could bring. 01:00 Guest backgrounds: Joel White (Market Cap Consulting) and Ryan Gifford (CTI) 02:45 Market recovery and funding trends05:15 Trial success: early collaboration and site relationships08:15 Funding challenges and execution impacts 10:30 Reducing site burden through lab operations and logistics 14:15 Decentralized trials and patient experience16:25 Regulatory shifts, AI, and growing data complexity19:30 Future outlook: partnerships and global trial expansion 23:30 Key takeaways and rapid-fire insights
In the late 1980s, a child exposed to fallout from the Chernobyl disaster lay in a hospital bed while doctors told his family there were no clear answers and no reliable path forward. Decades later, that same child, Yan Leyfman, walks into exam rooms as a hematology oncology fellow, expected to deliver clarity inside a system that still runs on delay, uncertainty, and institutional self preservation.This episode traces the throughline from early life shaped by radiation exposure and hospice level uncertainty to a career inside academic medicine, translational research, and oncology media. Yan built his identity around survival and usefulness, moving from patient to physician while carrying the memory of what it feels like to sit on the other side of the table. He helped launch MedNews Week during the COVID crisis to push back on misinformation and expand access to medical knowledge, stepping into a public role while still in training.The conversation stays grounded in the friction between personal narrative and system reality. Clinical training demands efficiency, hierarchy, and emotional distance. Cancer care demands time, clarity, and human connection. Those forces collide in real patient encounters where prior authorization delays, insurance barriers, and fragmented care pathways shape outcomes as much as any treatment protocol.Yan speaks openly about mentorship, belonging, and the drive to make meaning out of survival. The discussion pushes further into what the healthcare system actually rewards, what it quietly strips away, and how quickly empathy can erode under institutional pressure. The episode also examines the role of medical media, where education, industry influence, and narrative control often blur together.This is a conversation about identity under construction, about what happens when someone who remembers powerlessness steps into a role that carries authority, and about whether that memory can survive long enough to change anything.RELATED LINKSYan Leyfman on LinkedInYan Leyfman on InstagramSurviving ChernobylFEEDBACKLike this episode? Rate and review Out of Patients on your favorite podcast platform. For guest suggestions or sponsorship email podcasts@matthewzachary.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Contrary to historical processes, clinical trials do not have to be limited to large academic centers or homogeneous populations. On this episode, host Alex Maiersperger speaks with Dr. Mimi Fenton, CEO of Cedar Health Research, a community based clinical research organization using AI to bring trials into trusted local care settings.Drawing on her experience across academia, pharma, CROs and retail health, Dr. Fenton explains why access, education and patient support remain major barriers to participation. She discusses how Cedar embeds research into trusted community settings. The conversation also explores how AI and large language models help connect the right patients to the right trials while preserving the human relationships that drive trust and retention.
Dr. Abud Bakri, MD, is a board-certified internal medicine physician and expert in the science and clinical use of peptides. We discuss the history, uses, sourcing and safety of BPC-157, GHK-Cu, pinealon, epithalon, GLP-1s, retatrutide, melanotan and growth hormone-promoting peptides. We discuss the gap that exists between animal and human data and meaningful differences in the sources for different peptides. For those interested in peptides, Dr. Bakri provides a grounded look at the science, risks and uncertainties shaping the field today. Read the show notes at hubermanlab.com. Thank you to our sponsors AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman Eight Sleep: https://eightsleep.com/huberman Lingo: https://hellolingo.com/huberman Function: https://functionhealth.com/huberman LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman Timestamps (00:00:00) Abud Bakri (00:03:33) What are Peptides?, Receptors (00:06:26) BPC-157, Discovery, Animal Proteins (00:11:19) BPC-157, Animal Data, Regeneration (00:12:27) Sponsors: Eight Sleep & Lingo (00:14:51) BPC-157, Regeneration & Healing, Neurological Effects (00:19:27) Adverse Events, Clinical Trials & Legality of BPC-157 (00:29:41) GLPs & Compounding Pharmacy; Peptides & Gray Market (00:35:25) Manufacturing, Compounding Pharmacies, Gray Market, Black Market (00:41:32) Peptides & Tumor Growth?; Angiogenesis (00:45:17) Sponsor: AG1 (00:47:01) Pharmaceutical Patents, Clinical Trials for BPC-157, Potential Outcomes (00:54:19) BPC-157 Healing, Patient Experiences (01:01:22) Physician Counsel, FDA Legality, Malpractice (01:07:25) Pinealon, Epithalon, Discovery; Sleep & Cognitive Performance, Risks (01:18:17) Sponsor: Function (01:19:55) Pineal Age Deterioration, Epithalon, Eye Health (01:29:38) Thymus, Age Shrinkage; Thymosin Alpha-1, Immune Function (01:38:13) TB-500; Pet Health; Thymic Peptide Doses, Thymulin, Zinc (01:49:13) Sponsor: LMNT (01:50:33) GHK-Cu (Copper GHK), Collagen (01:55:32) Illness Recovery, Thymic Score, Tool: Blood Test & Immune Cell Counts (02:04:01) Growth Hormone Secretagogues, Age Decline, Cancer Risk, Insulin (02:15:36) GHK-Cu, Topical Cream, Red Light Therapy (02:20:25) GLPs, Discovery, Physical & Cognitive Long-Term Effects, Fertility (02:33:53) Retatrutide; Drug Patents & Nomenclature (02:39:03) Peptides: Women Reproductive Disorders; TBI, Neurologic Effect; Safe Sources (02:45:34) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow, Reviews & Feedback, Sponsors, Protocols Book, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter Disclaimer & Disclosures Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping the landscape of rare disease research -- but how close are we to realizing its full potential? In this episode, Tanya Binette (Director of Therapeutic Expertise, Rare Disease at ICON plc) and Roz Round (SVP of Operational Strategy, Patient and Site Engagement at Precision for Medicine) explore how AI is being applied across the rare disease clinical trial lifecycle, from drug discovery and protocol design to patient identification and engagement.The discussion highlights both the promise and complexity of using AI in a research space defined by small patient populations, fragmented data, and unique ethical considerations. Guests emphasize the importance of patient trust, regulatory alignment, and responsible innovation, while also identifying opportunities to accelerate trials, improve access, and empower patients through AI-enabled tools.
“Behind every breakthrough are countless failures no one ever sees—but that's exactly what makes progress possible.” Dr. Thomas Kaiser. When I have scientists on the podcast: they're some of the coolest, smartest, funniest people, and they're always willing (and excited) to explain what they do in ways you can actually understand. Dr. Tom Kaiser is no exception. He lives and works in Durham, North Carolina, and brings together an impressive mix of scientist, physician, and entrepreneur. His work focuses on designing better medicines using cutting-edge technology. He began his career at Emory University in Dennis Liotta's lab, working on antiviral drug discovery, and later helped pioneer early machine learning approaches in drug design. His research spans RSV, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases, and he went on to earn his medical degree from the University of Oxford. Tom is now the co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Avicenna Biosciences, where he's leading the development of innovative therapies aimed at improving and saving lives. And my favorite detail from his bio? He ends it by mentioning the love of his life, his wife. I'll be honest, when I first met him, I told Dr. Kaiser he seemed like someone who must have been in a movie. He's just that cool. His Company: Dr. Thomas Kaiser shares the story behind his company's name, Ibn Sina, also known as Avicenna a true Renaissance figure of the Islamic Golden Age. A physician, philosopher, and scientist, Ibn Sina embodied the kind of multidisciplinary thinking that still drives innovation today. It's a powerful reminder that the roots of modern medicine, and the spirit of discovery stretch back centuries. The Part We Don't Talk About Enough Science is not a straight line. Not even close. Experiments fail. Clinical trials don't work. Hypotheses fall apart after years of effort. Funding can disappear. Progress can stall in ways that are frustrating and sometimes heartbreaking especially when patients are waiting. Dr. Kaiser speaks about this with a clarity and calm that really stayed with me. Because the truth is: scientists have to keep going anyway. They carry the weight of those disappointments and start again. They adjust, rethink, rebuild, and try again. Over and over. And that persistence? That's where breakthroughs come from. From the outside, it's easy to celebrate the wins ... the new drug, the successful trial, the headlines. But behind every one of those moments are countless failures no one ever sees. For families like ours, waiting, hoping, advocating it matters to understand that this difficult process is also what makes progress possible. Living the Dream What if you actually got to live the dream you had as a kid? In this conversation, Dr. Thomas Kaiser shares something surprisingly personal: he feels lucky to be doing exactly what he dreamed of as a child. That early curiosity grew into a career designing new medicines and pushing the boundaries of science. From imagination to impact, his journey is a reminder that sometimes those childhood passions really can shape the future. Go to Dr. Kaisers website: https://www.avicenna-bio.com Like, subscribe, and comment on our podcasts!Please consider making a donation: https://thebonnellfoundation.org/donate/The Bonnell Foundation website:https://thebonnellfoundation.orgEmail us at: thebonnellfoundation@gmail.com Watch our podcasts on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@laurabonnell1136/featuredNew: Shop our merchandise! https://thebonnellfoundation.org/product-shop/Thanks to our sponsors:Vertex: https://www.vrtx.comViatris: https://www.viatris.com/enRead us on Substack: https://substack.com/@lstb?utm_campaign=profile&utm_medium=profile-pageWatch our trailer of Embracing Egypt: https://youtu.be/RYjlB25Cr9Y
Matthew Zachary is a brain cancer survivor, healthcare advocate, founder of Stupid Cancer and We the Patients, and host of Out of Patients. In April 2026, he returned to the stage at Merkin Hall near Lincoln Center for his first solo public piano concert in almost 22 years while launching his debut book, We the Patients: Understanding, Navigating, and Surviving America's Healthcare Nightmare.What unfolded became far larger than a concert.Over 2 hours, survivors, clinicians, advocates, nonprofit founders, journalists, pharmaceutical sponsors, and healthcare insiders gathered in one room to reflect on 30 years of survivorship, institutional failure, accidental advocacy, and the emotional afterlife of cancer. The evening moved through original piano performances, live chapter readings, and deeply personal conversations about infertility, disability, financial toxicity, insurance denials, grief, burnout, and what happens when patients spend decades navigating systems designed around transactions instead of continuity.Guests including Wendell Potter, Maimah Karmo, Craig Lustig, Shelly Fuld Nasso, Tamika Felder, and others reflected on how the modern cancer advocacy movement emerged largely because patients built parallel systems where healthcare infrastructure failed to meet human needs. The conversation explored how prior authorization, reimbursement incentives, administrative fragmentation, and institutional distrust continue shaping the patient experience across oncology and survivorship.The performance also marked a deeply personal milestone. After brain cancer compromised his left hand at age 21, Zachary spent 6 months rehabilitating both hands to return to public performance for the first time in over 2 decades. The result became part concert, part civic gathering, and part historical record of a generation of survivors who refused to disappear quietly.RELATED LINKSMZLIVE Official WebsiteMZLIVE YouTube VideoFEEDBACKLike this episode? Rate and review Out of Patients on your favorite podcast platform. For guest suggestions or sponsorship email podcasts@matthewzachary.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Dr. Gregg Day and Drs. Sonia Vallabh and Eric Minikel discuss scientific insights and the future of prion disease treatment, highlighting the importance of early diagnosis, personalized medicine, and hope for affected families. Learn about the clinical trial. Learn more about the Prion Alliance. Show transcript: Dr. Gregg Day: This is Gregg Day with Neurology Minute. I've just been speaking with Eric Minikel and Sonia Vallabh, a husband and wife team at the heart of the PRiSM trial, a first-in-human study of a prion protein-lowering, divalent, small-interfering RNA for patients with symptomatic prion disease. Eric and Sonia, could you provide us with a brief overview of the PRiSM trial and what this first-in-human study seeks to accomplish? Dr. Eric Minikel: The PRiSM trial is testing a short interfering RNA designed to bind the RNA that encodes the prion protein. That is the protein that causes Prion disease. We are at the heart of what causes this disease. Through doing this, we hope to make prion disease a treatable and preventable condition. We both want to stabilize symptomatic patients and prevent the disease in people who are at genetic risk. This is a personal mission for us. Sonia is a carrier of a prion disease mutation that she inherited from her mother who died of prion disease, and we, along the way, aspire to be a different kind of sponsor. We want to create our own clinical data that are shareable learnings for the entire field. Dr. Gregg Day: This is Gregg Day with Neurology Minute. Thanks for listening.
Dr. Gregg Day talks with Drs. Sonia Vallabh and Eric Minikel about scientific insights and the future of prion disease treatment, highlighting the importance of early diagnosis, personalized medicine, and hope for affected families. Learn about the clinical trial. Learn more about the Prion Alliance. Disclosures can be found at Neurology.org.
If Part 1 was about the field of sexual medicine, Part 2 is about the marriage at the center of it. Dr. Jenni Skyler and Daniel Lebowitz return to their conversation with Dr. Irwin and Sue Goldstein, and this time, the questions get more personal. How do you stay married for fifty years? What does great sex actually look like across the decades? And what happens when a woman who has spent her career in sexual medicine starts experiencing low desire herself? Sue Goldstein opens up about her own journey through peri-menopause and the slow erosion of her libido- what she calls "duty sex", and the medications that brought not just her sex drive back, but a playfulness in her marriage she hadn't realized had gone missing. She walks listeners through her menopause toolbox of five treatments, explains why she's "76 and feels like she's in her 50s", and dismantles the lingering fears from the Women's Health Initiative that have kept generations of women in what she calls hormone prison. Dr. Irwin shares his own daily protocols for sexual health, why he believes most older men are leaving capacity on the table, and the surprising data from their own clinic- that more than half the Vyleesi prescriptions they write are off-label for men. They explore why dopamine is dopamine, regardless of gender. The reality of persistent genital arousal disorder. And a remarkable story of a teenage horseback rider whose chronic arousal turned out to be a herniated disc. This episode is full of practical wisdom, clinical innovation, and one of the most real conversations about long-term love you'll hear all year. The Goldsteins' secret to fifty years of marriage? Best friends, good sex, and the willingness to keep trying new things — including a chocolate sauce on the day before you change the sheets. Irwin Goldstein, MD, IF (he/him/his). Director, San Diego Sexual Medicine 5555 Reservoir Drive, Suite 300, San Diego, CA 92120, Director, Sexual Medicine, UC San Diego Health East Campus, San Diego, CA. Clinical Professor of Urology, University of California at San Diego. Voluntary Clinical Professor of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Services Past President, International Society for the Study of Women’s Sexual Health. Past President, Sexual Medicine Society of North America. Editor Emeritus, Sexual Medicine Reviews, The Journal of Sexual Medicine, International Journal of Impotence Research. Phone: 619 265-8865 - Mobile: 619 987-7432. Email: dr.irwingoldstein@gmail.com. http://www.sandiegosexualmedicine.com. Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SDSexMed. X: http://twitter.com/SDSexualMedSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In December 1996, a 37 year old pharmaceutical executive sat in a Borders bookstore reading medical textbooks on the floor, trying to understand a disease she had never heard of. Multiple myeloma carried a three year prognosis. Her daughter was 18 months old. Her father had just died of cancer. Within weeks, she pushed her doctors to say the quiet part clearly. This would likely end her life before her child entered kindergarten.Kathy Giusti refused to accept passive survival. She built a plan while the system offered fragments. She interviewed oncologists and fertility specialists at the same time. She pursued IVF to have a second child while preparing for treatment. She stayed employed to keep insurance coverage. Every decision carried financial, medical, and emotional risk.That same urgency exposed a deeper failure. Cancer research moved slowly. Academic centers guarded data. Clinical trials lacked coordination. Patients entered a system that demanded compliance without providing clarity. Giusti responded by building the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, not as a support group, but as an operating engine to accelerate drug development, fund research, and force collaboration across institutions.This episode tracks the tension between individual agency and systemic failure. Giusti describes how patients navigate diagnosis, insurance barriers, and fragmented care in real time. She explains how data, genomics, and clinical trials reshape cancer treatment while still leaving patients responsible for decisions they are not trained to make. She addresses disparities in access, the limits of early detection, and the reality that progress in oncology often depends on speed, funding, and alignment of incentives.The conversation moves between lived experience and structural critique. It names the cost of delay, the burden placed on patients to act as their own advocate, and the tradeoffs required to push a system forward that still protects itself first.⸻RELATED LINKSKathy GiustiMultiple Myeloma Research FoundationFatal to FearlessAmerican Society of Hematology⸻FEEDBACKLike this episode? Rate and review Out of Patients on your favorite podcast platform. For guest suggestions or sponsorship email podcasts@matthewzachary.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
We recently got a call from a SciFri listener in Florida who has autoimmune arthritis. He told us that over the years he'd taken 10 drugs, and each out eventually stopped working. He then tried to enroll in a clinical trial for a new drug for his condition, but he was rejected specifically because he was on his 10th drug. Today we're digging into clinical trials and how they work. Are there incentives for drug developers to leave out “problem children”? Or is it more complicated than that? Flora talks with lawyer and bioethicist Holly Fernandez Lynch about what clinical trials are designed to do, how participants are chosen, and where FDA regulation comes into play. Guest: Dr. Holly Fernandez Lynch is an associate professor of medical ethics and health policy at the University of Pennsylvania. Other episodes you may enjoy: Why so many studies can't be replicatedCan ‘Suggestion-Box Science' Make Public Health More Useful? Transcripts for each episode are available within 1-3 days at sciencefriday.com. Subscribe to this podcast. Follow our show on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Bluesky @scifri and sign up for our newsletters. Got a science question that's keeping you up at night? Call us: 877-4-SCIFRI Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
What if the anxiety, overthinking, people pleasing, emotional shutdown, hypervigilance, burnout, and relationship struggles you experience today… were never actually "you" to begin with? In this deeply personal and profoundly eye-opening solo episode, Darin Olien dives into the hidden nervous system programming formed between the ages of 0 and 8 that silently shapes our adult lives. Drawing from neuroscience, trauma research, attachment theory, epigenetics, somatic healing, and his own emotional breakthroughs, Darin explores how childhood experiences become subconscious operating systems that influence everything from relationships and stress responses to chronic disease and self-worth. This episode is a powerful roadmap toward healing. Darin breaks down the science behind trauma, the ACE study, nervous system dysregulation, emotional patterning, and neuroplasticity, while also sharing practical tools like somatic experiencing, expressive writing, EMDR, and Internal Family Systems to help listeners begin rewiring their emotional lives from the inside out. What You'll Learn How childhood experiences program the nervous system Why most adult emotional reactions are subconscious survival patterns The connection between trauma, stress hormones, and chronic disease How the nervous system stores emotional experiences in the body Why people pleasing, hypervigilance, burnout, and emotional shutdown develop The science behind neuroplasticity and rewiring the brain What the ACE Study revealed about childhood trauma and adult health How trauma impacts the amygdala, hippocampus, and stress-response systems Why emotional patterns are adaptations, not character flaws How epigenetics can pass trauma responses across generations The role of somatic experiencing in trauma healing Practical tools for emotional regulation and nervous system repair Chapters 00:00:03 – Welcome to SuperLife 00:00:32 – Sponsor: Bite Toothpaste and eliminating toxic plastic exposure 00:02:47 – Darin introduces emotional reactions and nervous system triggers 00:03:15 – A personal story about reacting vs responding in conflict 00:03:50 – Emotional shutdowns, rage, withdrawal, people pleasing, and overcorrection 00:04:19 – Darin's physical pain journey and emotional discoveries in 2025 00:04:42 – Birth trauma, childhood conditioning, and nervous system programming 00:05:04 – Why the ages of 0–8 are the most neurologically influential years 00:05:18 – Theta and delta brainwave states during childhood 00:05:55 – How children absorb emotional patterns without filters 00:06:22 – Childhood experiences becoming subconscious operating systems 00:06:44 – Adults unknowingly living through a 5-year-old nervous system 00:07:12 – Why this episode became deeply personal for Darin 00:07:35 – The neuroscience behind stress responses and emotional conditioning 00:08:17 – Brain development, neuroplasticity, and subconscious programming 00:09:13 – How the HPA axis, amygdala, and prefrontal cortex are shaped early in life 00:09:45 – Core childhood questions that program the nervous system 00:10:29 – Why adult stress responses originate in childhood environments 00:11:05 – Research showing childhood adversity alters brain structure and chemistry 00:11:18 – The ACE Study explained 00:11:49 – Why patients losing weight became emotionally overwhelmed 00:12:18 – The ten categories of adverse childhood experiences 00:13:02 – "The health crisis of America begins in childhood" 00:13:36 – How adverse childhood experiences increase disease risk 00:14:03 – Suicide, alcoholism, autoimmune disease, depression, and trauma correlations 00:14:37 – Chronic disease as a nervous system issue 00:15:04 – Survival mode, inflammation, hormonal dysregulation, and emotional scarcity 00:15:42 – Self-sabotage and emotional coping patterns explained 00:16:02 – Why your emotional patterns are not character flaws 00:16:22 – Childhood survival adaptations and nervous system intelligence 00:16:52 – Hypervigilance, people pleasing, rage, emotional shutdown, and fear 00:17:05 – Sponsor: Manna Vitality and frequency-based wellness 00:18:59 – Epigenetics and inherited trauma responses 00:19:22 – Cortisol regulation genes and hyperactive stress responses 00:19:51 – Holocaust survivors, inherited trauma, and generational nervous systems 00:20:19 – Why healing requires nervous system awareness—not just intellectual understanding 00:20:45 – "You were never supposed to get over it—you were supposed to heal from it" 00:21:01 – Real-life examples of subconscious nervous system programming 00:21:16 – Why receiving compliments can feel unsafe 00:21:30 – Darin's personal struggle with overachievement and scarcity programming 00:22:03 – Emotional neglect, chronic striving, and feeling "not enough" 00:22:16 – The nervous system roots of burnout and exhaustion 00:22:23 – Hair-trigger emotional reactions and hyperactive amygdala responses 00:22:38 – Chronic self-abandonment and losing personal boundaries 00:22:52 – Fear of intimacy, trust issues, and emotional safety 00:23:02 – "The body keeps the score" explained 00:23:22 – Trauma stored in posture, breath, digestion, immunity, and emotional regulation 00:23:43 – Harvard research on trauma-related brain changes 00:24:19 – The radical power of neuroplasticity and nervous system rewiring 00:24:48 – Why healing requires conscious participation 00:25:01 – Darin shares how healing changed decades of emotional pain 00:25:33 – Somatic Experiencing and Peter Levine's trauma work 00:25:57 – How animals discharge stress naturally 00:26:23 – Trauma as incomplete physiological responses frozen in the body 00:26:42 – Why humans suppress emotional discharge 00:27:16 – PTSD research and the effectiveness of somatic experiencing 00:27:41 – A step-by-step somatic grounding practice 00:28:14 – Why healing is more powerful with a regulated person beside you 00:28:38 – EMDR and reprocessing traumatic experiences 00:28:55 – Internal Family Systems and the "parts" inside the psyche 00:29:13 – Inner critics, overachievers, and nervous system adaptations 00:29:39 – Compassionately listening to emotional parts instead of suppressing them 00:29:51 – Expressive writing as a trauma healing practice 00:30:22 – The neuroscience behind emotional journaling 00:30:48 – A four-day expressive writing protocol for healing 00:31:05 – "You are not broken" 00:31:16 – Reprogramming the nervous system through love and safety 00:31:37 – Why deep healing happens in the presence of another regulated person 00:31:52 – Darin considers creating a future healing workshop 00:32:04 – Final reflections: "You are not what happened to you" 00:32:12 – Peace. Love. SuperLife. Thank You to Our Sponsors Bite Toothpaste: Go to trybite.com/DARIN20 or use code DARIN20 for 20% off your first order Manna Vitality: Go to mannavitality.com/ and use code DARIN12 for 12% off your order. Join the SuperLife Patreon: This is where Darin now shares the deeper work: - weekly voice notes - ingredient trackers - wellness challenges - extended conversations - community accountability - sovereignty practices Join now for only $7.49/month at https://patreon.com/darinolien Connect with Darin Olien: Website: darinolien.com Instagram: @darinolien Book: Fatal Conveniences Platform & Products: superlife.com New Show: Roadmap to Happiness Key Takeaway "The emotional patterns, fears, reactions, and coping mechanisms that run your adult life are often survival adaptations created by your nervous system during childhood. They are not your identity. They are not permanent. And through awareness, somatic healing, emotional processing, nervous system regulation, and conscious repetition, those deeply rooted patterns can be rewritten into something healthier, freer, and more aligned with who you truly are." Bibliography/Sources Neuroscience & Early Programming Agorastos, A., Pervanidou, P., Chrousos, G. P., & Baker, D. G. (2019). Developmental trajectories of early life stress and trauma: A narrative review on neurobiological aspects beyond stress system dysregulation. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10, Article 118. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00118 Bolton, J. L., Short, A. K., Simeone, K. A., Daglian, J., & Baram, T. Z. (2019). Programming of stress-sensitive neurons and circuits by early-life experiences. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 13, Article 30. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00030 Shonkoff, J. P., & Boyce, W. T. (2024). Toxic stress and developmental programming of the HPA axis. Annual Review of Developmental Psychology. https://www.annualreviews.org/journal/devpsych Teicher, M. H., & Ohashi, K. (2023). Childhood trauma and reduced hippocampal, anterior cingulate, and corpus callosum volumes. JAMA Psychiatry. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Viking / Penguin. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/313183/the-body-keeps-the-score-by-bessel-van-der-kolk-md/ ACE Study & Adverse Childhood Experiences Felitti, V. J. (2002). The relation between adverse childhood experiences and adult health: Turning gold into lead. The Permanente Journal, 6(1), 44–47. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6112216/ Felitti, V. J., & Anda, R. F. (2010). The relationship of adverse childhood experiences to adult health, well-being, social function, and healthcare. In R. Lanius, E. Vermetten, & C. Pain (Eds.), The impact of early life trauma on health and disease (pp. 77–87). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511777042 Hillis, S., Mercy, J., Amobi, A., & Kress, H. (2023). Economic burden of health conditions associated with adverse childhood experiences among U.S. adults. JAMA Network Open, 6(12). https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen Liu, Y., Croft, J. B., Chapman, D. P., et al. (2013). Associations between adverse childhood experiences and health outcomes in adults aged 18–59 years. PLOS ONE, 8(3), e58625. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0058625 Epigenetics & Trauma Baratta, M. V., et al. (2021). Epigenetics of childhood trauma: Long term sequelae and potential for treatment. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 132, 1049–1063. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.09.043 Jiang, S., Postovit, L., Cattaneo, A., Binder, E. B., & Aitchison, K. J. (2019). Epigenetic modifications in stress response genes associated with childhood trauma. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 10, Article 808. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00808 Provençal, N., & Binder, E. B. (2015). The effects of early life stress on the epigenome: From the womb to adulthood and even before. Experimental Neurology, 268, 10–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.expneurol.2014.12.001 Healing Modalities — Research Brom, D., Stokar, Y., Lawi, C., et al. (2017). Somatic experiencing for posttraumatic stress disorder: A randomized controlled outcome study. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 30(3), 304–312. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22189 Fratarolli, J. (2006). Experimental disclosure and its moderators: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 132(6), 823–865. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.132.6.823 Gilbert, P. (2009). The compassionate mind: A new approach to life's challenges. New Harbinger Publications. https://www.newharbinger.com/9781572248403/the-compassionate-mind/ Justice Resource Institute. (2022). Evaluation of the efficacy of Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy for trauma-related symptoms among complexly traumatized adults. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05155930. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05155930 Kuhfuß, M., Maldei, T., Hetmanek, A., & Baumann, N. (2021). Somatic experiencing — effectiveness and key factors of a body-oriented trauma therapy. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 12(1), Article 1929023. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2021.1929023 Levine, P. A. (2010). In an unspoken voice: How the body releases trauma and restores goodness. North Atlantic Books. https://www.northatlanticbooks.com/shop/in-an-unspoken-voice/ Neff, K. D., & Germer, C. K. (2013). A pilot study and randomized controlled trial of the Mindful Self-Compassion Program. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 69(1), 28–44. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.21923 Pennebaker, J. W. (1997). Writing about emotional experiences as a therapeutic process. Psychological Science, 8(3), 162–166. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.1997.tb00403.x Rodenburg, R., Benjamin, A., de Roos, C., Meijer, A. M., & Stams, G. J. (2009). Efficacy of EMDR in children: A meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 29(7), 599–606. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2009.06.008 Schwartz, R. C. (2021). No bad parts: Healing trauma and restoring wholeness with the Internal Family Systems model. Sounds True. https://www.soundstrue.com/products/no-bad-parts Shapiro, F. (2017). Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy: Basic principles, protocols, and procedures (3rd ed.). Guilford Press. https://www.guilford.com/books/Eye-Movement-Desensitization-and-Reprocessing/Francine-Shapiro/9781462532766