Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta

Today’s podcast features two interviews about COVID19.  The first is an interview with Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Nikki Fried.  Commissioner Fried has been an outspoken critic of the state’s handling of the pandemic, she pulls no punches about the errors in policy, and discusses her efforts and vision for a COVID-free future. In the second half Brady Holmer discusses long COVID.  As the p...

 Many cancers are much more curable if detected early. However, the current suite of detection methods are slow, expensive and can’t detect a problem until it is advanced. Dr. Steven Quake of the Chan-Zukerberg Biohub is working with a group to perfect the liquid biopsy. Using just a patient’s blood, the test strive to identify cell-free RNA and /or DNA that often is shed into the bloodstream from...

Yay for gremlins!  Technical difficulties precluded the planned podcast, but that didn’t stop two good interviews from materializing a the last minute. Cameron Siggs is an attorney in south Florida.  He came into a conversation in a Whole Foods Market that demonstrated the power of engagement and kind dialogue. In the second half we visit with registered dietitian Leah McGrath about farmers market...

 The role of Cas9 as an editing/deletion nuclease has been well established, but can it be used to turn genes on?   Dr. Yiping Qi of the University of Maryland has developed a system where Cas9’s specificity is used to recruit gene expression activation factors to plant promoters.  The approach allows activation of sets of genes associated with disease resistance or other useful plant traits. # CO...

COVID19 is the spectrum of pathologies caused by the SARS-CoV2 virus.  While the pandemic moves well into its second year, the importance of detection in populations cannot be overstated.  However, testing methods typically include visiting testing centers, and it is hard to find a test that is both rapid and precise.  Dr. Peter Ngyuen is a scientist with the Wyss Institute that has designed weara...

 Cassava is a staple for one in ten people on earth, grown mostly by small famers tending a few acres. One of the challenges is insect-vectored virus Cassava Brown-Streak Virus that destroys the root.  Scientists from Africa and the Danforth Center in St. Louis MO, USA have collaborated to create a cassava line that is genetically engineered to suppress the virus. The approach is similar to what w...

 He jet-sets around the planet and writes letters to government officials, brandishing academic and military credentials. He speaks with authority as an affiliate of a land-grant university.  His claims rattle audiences and frighten regulators in the Developing World. Dr. Don M. Huber is a Professor Emeritus at Purdue University.  Over the last decade he has taken the point to denigrate agricultur...

 The Genetic Literacy Project is a popular science news website.  A diverse set of articles and viewpoints are presented, with original articles and news aggregated from the internet.  Over the last decade the website as been accused of simply being a “front” for the seed industry, even though there is no such tie to these businesses. Such accusations are levied by websites and NGOs that reject th...

 Jack Bobo has been studying food, farming and the associated psychology for decades, asking questions about the choices people make around food. His recent book Why Smart People Make Bad Food Choices addresses the psychology of value, risk and food choice. Follow Jack Bobo on Twitter :  @Jack_A_Bobo Futurity website here. # COLABRA Talking Biotech is brought to you by Colabra – an R&D platfor...

We have two major problems.  Vanilla is mostly produced in a narrow set of unstable economies and the supply chains are especially vulnerable.  There is massive demand for vanilla flavoring.  The other major problem is plastic bottles.  Plastic waste from PET bottles creates a massive environmental hazard, and is purely unsustainable.  What if those bottles could be used as a substrate to produce...

 Analysis of massive genomic DNA sequence data indicates that gene transfer between similar species actually happened, and did so at a surprising rate.  Today’s podcast with Dr. Luke Dunning of University of Sheffield discusses his recent findings that indicate grasses are sharing genes with each other. It is an interesting discussion about horizontal gene transfer, from its mechanism, to its outc...

 One of the major objections to genetic engineering is that a DNA segment is transferred to the crop, and lands in a somewhat random location.  That’s because genetic engineering largely uses Agrobacterium to perform the genetic exchange.  But Agrobacterium came from nature, and there is significant evidence that DNA transfer events have been happening for thousands to millions of years.  Dr. Leon...

 Dr. Dan Wilson is a rising star of science communication. His popular YouTube channel Debunk the Funk provides entertaining and evidence-based dissection of issues around science, vaccination and COVID19.  In this issue of the Talking Biotech Podcast we discuss science communication, his motivations, and the recent dissection of the Disinformation Dozen.  We cover recent vaccine disinformation as...

 Peptides have increasingly emerging roles in cellular signaling and anti-microbial applications. Peptioids are cousins of their active peptide analogs, only  synthesized with a durable bond that helps the molecule evade cellular turnover mechanisms.  Dr. Gill Diamond of the University of Louisville discusses the chemistry of peptoids and their applications as anti-virals, including targeting SARS...

 A solar-powered animal?  There are species of sea slugs that consume algae, then integrate the chloroplasts into their own digestive cells.  There they function to fix carbon and essentially power the organism.  This phenomenon is known as kelptoplasty- stealing the autotrophic capacities of one organism for the slug’s benefit. This week’s podcast is a conversation with Dr. Sonia Cruz, a Principa...

The basis of aging and long-term degenerative disease have been formidable questions for scientists. Over the last decade several “methylation clocks” have been devised to examine modifications of DNA that match well with developmental state and disease presentation.  Dr. Ekaterina Rogaeva from the University of Toronto studies methylation clocks, especially as they associate with specific neurode...

Last week’s episode covered Alpha Gal Syndrome, the tick-induced allergy to beef and pork.  The same immunological response could also limit a recipient’s access to xenography or xenotransplantation, that is, the introduction of pig and cow tissues and organs for human benefit.  From valves to tendons to organs, the use of non-human animal parts is becoming increasingly common, but so is the insta...

 You find a tick on your skin and remove it.  The next day you eat a sausage and wind up in the emergency room in anaphylaxis.  After that, you can’t eat beef or pork without experiencing an intense allergic reaction.  This is alpha-gal syndrome, an allergy induced by the saliva of ticks bearing a simple oligosaccharide (compound sugar), and the body mounts an immune response against it.  The same...

Today’s podcast is an interview with New Zealander of the Year Dr. Siouxsie Wiles.  Dr. Wiles’ program uses bioluminesence as a marker to follow bacterial growth and disease progression.  Her work seeks to identify new antimicrobial compounds.  However, Dr. Wiles has become a go-to person in the discussion of COVID19, and has led public discourse on the realities of the pandemic. Her written work,...

While genomics approaches have opened a universe of new compounds in plants, the vast majority remain uncharacterized. Brightseed has employed an artificial intelligence platform to scan for novel compounds, with a goal to identify new chemicals that may play a role in human health.  Today’s podcast features Dr. Jim Flatt, CEO and Co-Founder of Brightseed.  He discusses the company’s pilot product...

Your DNA contains all of the information that makes you, you. With increasing understanding of the genetic basis of disease, the information in every cell may help anticipate, correct, or otherwise treat latent medical issues. The good news is that the cost of obtaining your personal DNA sequence is now less than the cost of a couple of concert tickets. At the same time, how is that information sa...

The COVID19 vaccines were produced in record time, an amazing feat. However, additional challenges have been revealed in their distribution.  Perhaps the most formidable barrier is the very last one– executing the vaccination.  For years anti-vaccination groups have soiled the internet and public discourse with false or exaggerated claims of vaccine dangers. They have appealed to the emotional wea...

This week’s podcast is a dissection of another popular podcast that features self-proclaimed experts in genetic engineering (familiarly GMO), and the falsehoods they propagate. Podcasts are great conduits to spread scientific information, but non-scientific views thrive also.  It is amazing to listen to the bad information, and the participants’ willing acceptance and amplification that goes uncha...

At its core, gene editing works to break gene function by creating errors in a DNA sequence at a specific location. The process works by creating a precise cut that is repaired by the cell’s repair mechanisms, and those processes can be error prone.  Those errors are the basis of the gene’s disruption.  But in a population of cells, how do you account for and catalog all of the changes?  Kevin Blo...

One of the major failures of addressing the COVID19 pandemic is the breakdown of testing.  The NFL and White House were able to  maintain business as usual because of daily, accurate testing. When the disease is detected, its spread can be controlled.  Jo Bhakdi of Quantgene talks about testing and how his company has scaled up testing solutions to at least apply them commercially to businesses wi...