Biomedical Frontiers: Stories with Innovators in Healthcare

Why do so many promising scientific discoveries never become real medicines? In this episode of Biomedical Frontiers Dr. Mark Esser, Chief Scientific Officer of the Paul and Diane Manning Institute of Biotechnology at the University of Virginia, describes one of the biggest challenges in healthcare innovation: the translational valley of death . Dr. Esser explains how the Manning Institute is bein...

When every minute counts, inefficiencies in communication and data flow can cost lives. In this episode of Biomedical Frontiers , trauma surgeon Dr. Jamie Wisser and entrepreneur Robert Holton share how they’re using AI and interoperability to accelerate time to critical care. Dr. Wisser, founder of Actual Healthcare Solutions , describes how his experience performing 26-hour reconstructive surger...

Type 2 diabetes affects over 37 million Americans — but what if our standard treatment paradigm is all wrong? In this episode, Dr. Meagan Grega shares the science and strategy behind lifestyle medicine, a fast-growing movement that uses food, sleep, movement, stress reduction, and social connection to treat and even reverse chronic disease. Dr. Grega is the co-author of the first-ever Clinical Pra...

Dr. Stanley Crooke pioneered a new class of medicine—antisense oligonucleotides—and built a $5B biotech company, Ionis Pharmaceuticals, to prove it could work. Then he walked away to found a nonprofit, n-Lorem, to treat patients with one-in-a-billion genetic mutations—people no one else would help. In this episode, we explore: What nano-rare diseases are, and why they represent medicine’s next gre...

Why Is Your Prescription So Expensive? How Pharmacists Can Help Fix Healthcare 💊 Featuring: Vinay Patel, Pharmacist & Founder of MakoRx Did you know that prescription drugs now account for 40% of healthcare spending on many employer plans? Or that pharmacists were once forbidden from telling you about cheaper alternatives to the medications you take? In this eye-opening episode, pharmacist an...

What is it like to live with a rare genetic eye disorder? Join Dr. Abigail Fahim and Dr. Chris Moen as they discuss choroideremia—a progressive retinal disease—and how research, advocacy, and patient experience intersect to push for treatments and improve quality of life. Dr. Fahim shares her cutting-edge research into the cellular mechanisms driving this progressive condition, while Dr. Moen—a ph...

How do we tackle the rising epidemic of anxiety with tools that actually scale? Why aren’t traditional therapy models enough? And how can digital technologies like mobile sensing and cognitive bias modification help close the treatment gap in mental health? In this episode of Biomedical Frontiers , host Dasha Tyshlek sits down with Dr. Bethany Teachman, Professor of Psychology and Director of Clin...

Can medical devices improve patient care in rural healthcare systems? In this episode, Dr. Aileen Helsel, Director of Innovation at Carilion Clinic, shares how her team of engineers works with Carilion’s clinical teams to develop new medical devices that solve unique challenges in rural settings. Rural patients often travel long distances for care - making management of time sensitive emergencies...

How do groundbreaking biomedical innovations move from research labs to real-world applications? What challenges make healthcare such a complex industry for startups? What risks are worth taking when translating science into impactful solutions? In this episode host Dasha Tyshlek sits down with David Chen, Assistant Dean of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Partnerships, and Lisa Bowers, Director of...

Cartilage doesn’t heal easily—but what if it could? In this episode, we sit down with Ben Holmes Ph. D , CEO of Nanochon , to explore how his team is revolutionizing cartilage repair with 3D printing technology. Learn how Nanochon’s innovative material mimics natural cartilage and stimulates proper healing and repair. It may one day make knee replacements obsolete. Ben also shares his leadership j...

Genetic sequencing is the process of determining the exact order of the nucleotides in a DNA or RNA molecule. Sequencing provides the complete "blueprint" of an organism's genetic code, and it's a critical tool in genetics, molecular biology, and medical research. Dr. Jonathon Hill develops innovative genomic and bioinformatic methods for gene expression analysis which has tremendous applications...

What is innovation and why is it important to teach in an engineering program? Innovation has been defined as increasing value, which is increasing the benefits to cost ratio. Because innovation can be an ambiguous concept, it is important to develop a framework to guide the process. Since 2006, Dr. DiMeo has been coaching, consulting, and training processes of innovation, design thinking, and ent...

Microvessels are a crucial part of our body’s circulatory system. They're responsible for delivering the oxygen and nutrients to every cell in your body and are often devastated by diseases like Diabetes and Alzheimer's. Dr. Peirce-Cottler develops computational models and combines them with wet lab experiments to study how tissues heal after injury and to develop therapies for inducing tissue reg...

Investment is critical for advancing promising biomedical research out of the lab and into the hospital. Dr. Tom Skalak has worked widely on innovation ecosystems with the White House, U.S. Congress, and Fortune 500 CEOs and C-suites seeking cultures to advance creative ideation and implementation of innovations. He urges VCs to invest locally with research universities and shares his perspective...

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. Mark Hanson co-founded Heartbeat Health to make heart care more consistent and to ensure the patient gets the care when they need it, wherever they are. By transforming how heart care is delivered through technology, the Heartbeat Health team is accelerating access to quality cardiovascular care and improving patie...

Tissue engineering is an exciting field that promises to solve many health conditions, but there are several fundamental challenges that remain unsolved. Dr. Jennifer West is leading the field with research on novel techniques that promote vascularization (tissue blood supply) and mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM) for tissue engineering applications. Dr. West’s lab focuses on biomaterials, nano...

The human voice box is a delicate, complex and highly specialized structure that enables the fine control and wondrous beauty of speech and song. When vocal cords are damaged, recovery and healing are difficult and lengthy. At UVA, Dr. James Daniero established the Interdisciplinary Voice and Swallowing Clinic, specializing in surgeries of the airways and the vocal cords. He met Dr. Donald Griffin...

Muscles play a pivotal role throughout our bodies, not just in our day-to-day functions but also as foundational elements in our journey towards healthy aging. At the forefront of exploring this intricate system is Dr. Silvia Blemker and her dedicated team at the M3 Lab at the University of Virginia. Their innovative approach weaves together advanced imaging, hands-on experimentation, and sophisti...

An in-depth discussion with Dr. Natasha Sheybani, who is pioneering the use of Focused Ultrasound (FUS) in precision cancer treatment at the University of Virginia. Dr. Sheybani's research focuses on enhancing immunotherapy for brain and breast cancers through innovative, non-invasive techniques. Her efforts to improve glioblastoma patient outcomes by overcoming major treatment barriers, such as t...

In this episode we delve into the future of medicine with Dr. Nathan Price, Chief Science Officer at Thorne HealthTech and co-author of "The Age of Scientific Wellness." Dr. Price shares his visionary insights on the transformation of medicine through systems biology approaches, modeling and analytics, and practices centered in prevention. He shares how his research uses digital twins in predictin...