Podcasts about therapeutic sciences

Dr. Adam Abate is an Associate Professor in the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences at the University of California San Francisco. He is also a co-founder of the startup company Mission Bio. The overall goal of Adam's lab is to make biology a new kind of computer science. It is important to characterize the state of biological systems in detail so you can manipulate the system successfully to get the outcome you want. For example, a disease represents a problem with a biological system, and you have to understand the system and know what to change to successfully cure a disease. Adam builds technologies, focusing on microfluidics technologies, to allow us to comprehensively characterize cells in a system. When he's not doing science, Adam and his wife have been working on various home improvement projects around the house, including painting and installing new lighting. The instant gratification of remodeling is a refreshing contrast to work in the lab. Adam received his B.A. in Physics from Harvard College, his M.S. in Physics from the University of California Los Angeles, and his PhD in Physics from the University of Pennsylvania. Afterwards, Adam conducted postdoctoral research in Physics and Engineering at Harvard University, and during this time, his research became the foundation for the sequencing company GnuBIO. Adam is currently a member of the California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3) program that helps launch start-up companies on the UC campuses. He has received a number of awards and honors during his career, including the NSF CAREER Award, the NIH New Innovator Award, and the Presidential Early Career Award. Adam is here with us today to share stories about his life and science.

Our sixth episode features Dr. Tejal Desai, currently Deborah Cowan Endowed Professor and former chair of the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco, and the incoming Dean of Engineering at Brown University. She received her B.S. from Brown University in biomedical engineering in 1994 and was awarded a Ph.D. in bioengineering jointly from UCSF and UC Berkeley in 1998. Dr. Desai's research spans multiple disciplines including materials engineering, cell biology, tissue engineering, and pharmacological delivery systems to develop new therapeutic interventions for disease. She seeks to design new platforms, enabled by advancements in micro and nanotechnology, to overcome existing challenges in therapeutic delivery. She is a past President of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering and is a fellow of AIMBE, IAMBE, CRS, and BMES. In 2015, she was elected to the National Academy of Medicine and in 2019 to the National Academy of Inventors. Dr. Desai is also a vocal advocate for STEM education and outreach to women and underrepresented minority students. In this episode, we hear from Dr. Desai about the importance of bridging scientific communities for the benefit of both the people and scientific research, as well as balancing service commitments and leadership roles in an academic career.

In this episode, I converse with Prof. James Fraser at the University of California, San Francisco. James was an undergraduate at McGill University, where he worked in the lab of Dr. Francois Fagotto on Xenopus developmental biology. As a graduate student, with Tom Alber at UC Berkeley, James established room-temperature X-ray data collection techniques and electron density sampling strategies to define protein conformational ensembles essential for catalysis. Prior to starting an independent position at UCSF, he was a visiting EMBO Short Term Fellow in the lab of Dan Tawfik at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel and developed expertise in directed evolution and high-throughput assays of enzymatic or binding activity. In January 2011, James started his independent career as a QB3 at UCSF Fellow affiliated with the Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology. In January 2013, he was appointed as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences and the California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3) with promotion to Associate Professor in 2016, and Full Professor in 2020. James is also a Faculty Scientist in the Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division of Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. The long-term goals of James' research group is to understand how protein conformational ensembles are reshaped by perturbations, such as mutation and ligand binding, and to quantify how these perturbations impact protein function and organismal fitness. To accomplish these goals, they create new computational and biophysical approaches to study how proteins move between different conformational states. Additionally, the group uses two complementary approaches to study the relationship between protein conformational ensembles and function. To dissect consequences of mutations on organismal fitness, they use high-throughput systems biology and biophysical methods to analyze large sets of clinically or biophysically interesting mutations and to improve the ability to engineer new protein functions, they investigate changes to the conformational ensemble as new enzymatic and binding functions emerge from directed evolution studies. We indulge in a fascinating conversation on his enjoyable journey through science and life; foraying into academia from a family of non-academics; the thrill of methods development; the enormous influence of his brilliant mentors, friends, and collaborators; creating a more equitable, open, and just environment in science; and many more things!!

On this edition of the Black Doctors Speak Podcast, we are joined by Asthma Specialist, Dr. Esteban González Burchard to discuss Asthma in the 21st Century and how this impacts your health. Esteban González Burchard, M.D., M.P.H. is an American physician-scientist, specializing in pulmonary and critical care medicine, asthma, genetics, gene-environment interactions, pharmacology, epidemiology, and health disparities. He is the Founder and Director of the Asthma Collaboratory and the Center for Genes, Environment, and Health at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He is a distinguished tenured professor in the Schools of Pharmacy and Medicine at UCSF and holds dual appointments in the Department of Medicine and the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences. Dr. Burchard is best known for his work in the health disparities of asthma. Specifically, he founded and directs the largest study of minority children with asthma in the United States, called the Asthma Translational Genomics Collaborative (ATGC). This study involves whole genome sequencing of more than 15,580 minority children with and without asthma. All children with asthma have spirometry and bronchodilator drug response measures. Burchard is also affiliated with the UCSF Institute for Human Genetics and the UCSF Lung Biology Center.

Toward Molecular Genetic Dissection of Neural Circuits For Emotional and Motivational Behaviors, Identification of a brain center whose activity discriminates a choice behavior in zebrafish, Identification of environmental stressors and validation of light preference as a measure of anxiety in larval zebrafish, and Heritable natural variation of an anxiety-like behavior in larval zebrafish Prof. Su Guo is a Professor of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences at University of California, San Francisco. Her research is on understanding how the brain works: connecting molecules to systems. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/scientificsense/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/scientificsense/support

This episode features a session from the Precision Health Virtual Summit. The conversation includes insight from Atul Butte, MD, PhD, Chief Data Scientist, University of California Health System, Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics, Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, and Epidemiology and Biostatistics, UCSF This podcast is sponsored by hc1. 

What do you do when you can’t get the health care you need? When a science experiment literally almost explodes in your face? When you’re told, time and again, that you don’t have what it takes? In this episode, we hear from a psychiatrist, an immunologist, and an engineer with three very different stories about refusing to take “no” for an answer. [01:13] Story by Christina Mangurian, MD, MAS. Dr. Mangurian is the director and co-founder of the UCSF Public Psychiatry Fellowship program at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and a professor and vice-chair of diversity and health equity at the UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences.[09:00] Story by Max Krummel, PhD. Dr. Krummel is a professor of pathology and the co-founder and inaugural chair of the UCSF Bakar ImmunoX Initiative.[15:52] Story by Tejal Desai, PhD. Dr. Desai is a professor and chair of the UCSF Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences and the director of the Health Innovation Via Engineering (HIVE) initiative. Thank you to host Liz Neeley and to Matt Logan for providing his original song for the credits music. Mr. Logan helps hospitalized children manage pain, build resilience, and find joy as a board-certified music therapist for the Music Therapy Program at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco. Mentioned in This Episode:UCSF Public Psychiatry FellowshipUCSF Weill Institute for NeurosciencesUCSF Bakar ImmunoX Initiative2018 Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology for cancer immunotherapy researchUCSF Health Innovation Via Engineering (HIVE)Music Therapy Program at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco Explore More:UCSF: The CampaignUCSF MagazineFollow @ucsf on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook

Episode 22 Serena Tamura (ASIJ 2008) Scientist Serena explains to Nick how the COVID QPCR tests operate, and what her role entails in regards to the PCR testing in California as a volunteer scientist. Serena explains to Nick how many of the graduate students received an email in the spring asking volunteers to analyze the samples of COVID tests, and many have come through and are currently volunteering to help with the process of COVID-19 detection. The two discuss the frustrations of seeing people in the United States who do not wear masks, and yes. "WEAR MASKS PEOPLE!". Serena explains to Nick the topic of her doctoral research where she is developing genetic therapy for autism, and how she uses a tool called CRISPR, which allows scientists to look at genes, and research their mutation. The two discuss how Serena began to develop a true interest in biology in University, and how the study of psychiatric disorders and learning how to analyze the biology itself of those diseases gave her passion to seek treatment for what could be perceived often as "untreatable diseases" *the audio for this episode lags at times. Serena Tamura (ASIJ 2008) Serena Tamura graduated from ASIJ in 2008, after which she attended Stanford University where she majored in Human Biology with a concentration in Neurobiology and Behavior. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of California San Francisco in the Dept. of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences and is developing CRISPR based gene therapies for rare genetic disorders. She lives in San Francisco with her husband Andrew and two dogs. Timestamps 0:05 Introduction

This week we talk to Professor Judith Bruce who is the Head of the School of Therapeutic Sciences at WITS University about some of the complexities of managing the many different disciplines clustered under the School of Therapeutic Sciences in such a way they maintain their individual identities. We discuss literacy as a vital tool in people’s lives for earning potential and highlight the importance of a conducive environment for girls to excel in their learning paths. Prof. Bruce remarks on the influence that female leaders have on the career aspirations of women, but the number of women in leadership roles is far below critical mass. The intersection of patriarchy, poverty, gender are often impediments to women rising into leadership roles. However, today’s female leaders cannot passively wait for things to change, they have to develop self-reliance and agency to make things happen for themselves and in the process take other women forward with them. Tune in for more….

Dr. Adam Abate is an Associate Professor in the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences at the University of California San Francisco. He is also a co-founder of the startup company Mission Bio. Adam received his B.A. in Physics from Harvard College, his M.S. in Physics from the University of California Los Angeles, and his PhD in Physics from the University of Pennsylvania. Afterwards, Adam conducted postdoctoral research in Physics and Engineering at Harvard University, and during this time, his research became the foundation for the sequencing company GnuBIO. Adam is currently a member of the California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences (QB3) program that helps launch start-up companies on the UC campuses. He has received a number of awards and honors during his career, including the NSF CAREER Award, the NIH New Innovator Award, and the Presidential Early Career Award. Adam is here with us today to share stories about his life and science.

In this OA Week episode, Elizabeth Seiver speaks with James Fraser, Associate Professor at UCSF in the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences and a founding member of ASAPbio, about the scientist-driven mission to promote the use of preprints in the life sciences. The conversation covers the history of ASAPBio; the advantages of posting manuscripts to a preprint server; the impact preprints have on science journalism; and the relationship between Open Access and preprints.

Nadav Ahituv, assistant professor in the Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco, discusses the future of genomic sequencing. He explores the current methods for analyzing the human genome, and describes the potential benefits of knowing exactly how our DNA affects our health. We are in the midst of a renaissance in the biological sciences, which is spurring the growth of brand new fields like functional and comparative genomics. These new fields are revealing novel insights into evolutionary biology, medicine, developmental biology and many other areas, transforming the way scientists look at life. Join the California Academy of Sciences to learn about genomics, hear about compelling current research, and explore the future of this rapidly advancing field.

Ryan Hernandez is an assistant professor at UC San Francisco in the department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences. Playing sports was his top priority in high school, but encouragement from one of his teachers led him pursue a major in mathematics in college. As an undergraduate, Hernandez's interest in population genetics sprung from his curiosity about how and why his grandmother developed diabetes. He wanted to try to design a model to show the interaction between blood glucose, insulin and insulin receptors that leads to the onset of diabetes. Hernandez went on to earn his PhD in Biometry from Cornell University. The Hernandez lab at UCSF uses data from human genomes to study patterns of genetic variation between populations. This video is one of three in the Career Spotlight: Biotechnology series.

Monday, February 27, 2012 -  Our incredible special guest tonight is Dr. Ellen G. Feigal, Senior Vice President, Research and Development at the CIRM, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.  Prior to joining CIRM in January, 2011, she was Executive Medical Director, Global Development, at Amgen,where her primary focus was in clinical development of therapeutics in hematology/oncology. She also led the scientific/clinical interface with patient advocacy organizations, formalized the company's policy on expanded access to therapies for those with limited or no treatment options, and led the cross-functional teams to the company's first collaborative research and development agreement with the National Cancer Institute.    From 2007 until joining CIRM, Dr. Feigal was adjunct professor and founding Director of the American Course on Drug Development and Regulatory Sciences, UC San Francisco, School of Pharmacy. The course, developed under her leadership as a collaborative effort with the FDA, UCSF's Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences its' Center for Drug Development Sciences and the European Center of Pharmaceutical Medicine at the University of Basel was launched in 2007 and is taught in Washington, D.C. with a separate parallel course in San Francisco.   Wow, with such a diverse medical and professional background she is definitely a valuable asset to CIRM in many ways… www.cirm.ca.gov