BioTech Nation ... with Dr. Moira Gunn

This week on Biotech Nation, Dr. Marianne De Backer, CEO of Vir Biotechnology talks about their Phase 2 clinical trials targeting hepatitis B and D co-infections. Vir's approach uses two drugs: tobevibart (an antibody) and elebsiran (an siRNA). These drugs prevent the virus from entering liver cells and stop it from replicating. Preliminary results are promising, showing a significant reduction in...

What’s next after Ozempic and Wegovy and the like? How about a drug in development which releases all the relevant hormones, and not just GLP-1. And doesn’t require injecting. Dr. Steffen-Sebastian Bolz from Aphaia (ah-phi-ah) Pharma explains their approach, currently in Phase 2. 

This week on BioTech Nation, Dr. Sam Blackman, Founder and Head of Research and Development from Day One Biopharmaceuticals, shares the story behind the FDA approval of a groundbreaking drug for the most common childhood brain cancer. He talks about their innovative approach to starting a biopharma company and how it led to a newly FDA approved drug that treats the most common form of brain cancer...

This week we have a best of rerun with Dr. Mark Sumeray from Amolyt Pharma. Dr. Sumeray talks about their innovative approach to treating hormonal conditions. We’ll talk about two – when your parathyroid has been injured or removed, often during thyroid surgery, and another – when the pituitary starts overproducing growth hormone.

This week Dr. Daniel Kraft, Tech Nation Health Chief Correspondent, discusses advanced health tech. Dr. Kraft highlights his use of wearables like the Apple Watch, Oura ring, and non-invasive blood pressure monitors. He also introduces "otherables," which track health without being worn, using devices like cameras and modified WiFi. These technologies enable continuous health monitoring and person...

This week on BioTech Nation, Dr. Moira Gunn and Dr. Daniel Kraft discuss how robotics, AI, and virtual reality are transforming surgery. These technologies make procedures less invasive and improve training and outcomes worldwide. Future advancements may include tiny robots performing internal procedures. Security is crucial to prevent hacking of medical devices. 

Dr. Daniel Kraft, Tech Nation Health Chief Correspondent discusses the gap between medical innovation and its adoption into standard practice. He highlights that it typically takes 17 years for a medical discovery to become common practice, but big data and AI could accelerate this. He emphasizes the importance of sharing medical data and initiatives like Stuff That Works Health and EveryCure. 

This week, Dr. Steve Quake from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative about their goal to tackle all human diseases in the next century. We discuss CZI's innovative approach, including building Biohubs and funding collaborative research. Dr. Quake explains the importance of something called The Virtual Cell project, aiming to use AI to model every human cell. We also address ethical concerns about AI in...

This week on Biotech Nation, I speak with Dr. Neal Kassell about focused ultrasound technology. We discuss its noninvasive approach, its diverse applications in treating various medical conditions, and its potential to revolutionize treatments for diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and cancer. Dr. Kassell also shares insights into ongoing clinical trials and the rapid growth of focused ultras...

This week on BioTech Nation, we explore new efforts in treating cancer with Dr. Sean Bohen, President and CEO of Olema Oncology. We discuss progress in treating breast cancer, particularly ER+/HER2- breast cancer, which accounts for 70% of diagnoses this year. They examine the biology behind these cancers and how Olema's lead compound, palazestrant, works to antagonize the estrogen receptor, halti...

This week - Dr. Sanjay Shukla, CEO of Atyr Pharma, discusses the revolutionary potential of mRNA technology in creating new medicines. They explore Atyr's pioneering approach to leveraging tRNA fragments for treating pulmonary sarcoidosis and other organ-specific conditions, aiming to improve patient outcomes while minimizing reliance on conventional therapies like steroids.

In this week's episode, Dr. Moira Gunn interviews Dr. Chris Pirie from HDT Bio about their novel approach to cancer prevention through vaccines. They discuss leveraging mRNA technology to target specific tumor mutations and prime the immune system to recognize and eliminate cancer cells. Dr. Pirie highlights ongoing efforts to develop vaccines for prostate, pancreatic, and breast cancers, emphasiz...

This week I speak with Dr. Robert Ang from Vor Biopharma about their innovative approach to treating acute myeloid leukemia (AML). AML is a type of blood cancer that affects the bone marrow, leading to the overgrowth of cancerous cells. Dr. Ang explains that traditional treatments, such as chemotherapy and stem cell transplants, have limitations and risks. Dr. Ang emphasizes the potential of their...

Tech Nation Health, Chief Correspondent Dr. Daniel Kraft discusses the concept of "food as medicine." Dr. Kraft emphasizes the evolving understanding of nutrition and its profound impact on health, advocating for a shift towards personalized nutrition using cutting-edge technologies. From continuous glucose monitors to AI-powered apps and sensor toilets, we explore how these innovations enable ind...

Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s dementia, and other neurodegenerative diseases continue to be challenging, but now new science has led to a better understanding of the natural repair mechanisms in the brain. This, in turn, has generated new options for innovative treatments, and one such approach has entered late-stage human clinical trials. Dr. Mark Litton is the President and CEO of Athira Pharma.

This week, Dr. Daniel Bloomfield from Anthos Therapeutics discusses the prevalence and dangers of blood clots, particularly in patients with cancer. Dr. Bloomfield explains the difference between normal and abnormal blood clotting, the risks associated with blood clots in arteries and veins, and the challenges in balancing clot prevention with the risk of bleeding. 

Dr. Lishan Aklog from Lucid Diagnostics tells us about the path from GERD to, unfortunately, esophageal cancer, and about Lucid’s two-minute diagnostic test which can detect precancerous cells. 

Dr. Eric Merle from GenoSkin talks about how they are transforming drug discovery using discarded human skin from surgeries like tummy tucks, revolutionizing the process and accelerating drug development timelines.

Tech Nation Health Chief Correspondent Dr. Daniel Kraft talks about the newest XPrize worth an unprecedented $101 Million.

Dr. Nik Sopko, the Chief Scientific Officer of PolarityTE talks about their design for wound healing. Their first treatment candidate is diabetic foot ulcers.

Dr. Eric Vivier from Innate Pharma in Marseilles tells us about the next wave of immunotherapy treatments – harnessing Natural Killer cells.

Dr. Ray Stevens, CEO of ShouTi Pharma, talks about their approach in turning IV drugs into pills. Current projects include Diabetes and obesity, and two Pulmonary and Cardiovascular disorders. And these are just their first candidates …

Dr. Stewart Campbell, CEO of Axial Therapeutics, about their groundbreaking work in Autism–related irritability in teenagers, in Parkinson’s, and in complementing the latest cancer treatments.

On this week’s BioTech Nation University of Chicago professor Dr. Neil Shubin talks about his book “Some Assembly required … Decoding Four Billion Years of Life, from Ancient Fossils to DNA.” Ancient viruses in our DNA? And what about “jumping genes”?

This week we visit the brain, and look at what a flexible brain implant might do – from sensing how your brain is working to actual treatment. Nicolas Vachicouras from Neurosoft Bioelectronics in Geneva, Switzerland talks about the target for their first treatment: severe tinnitus.