DNA Today: A Genetics Podcast

Update: One of our recurrent guests genetic counselor and fellow podcaster Laura Hercher had a couple important thoughts after listening to our episode we want to share. Laura has been a guest on Episodes 157 & 191 where she has shared her insight on abortion bans including Texas SB 8 and the overturn of Roe v. Wade. “I understand the reasons for moving our language away from terms like ‘lethal’ o...

In this episode, we are exploring limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD). Joining us for this conversation are two experts, Dr. Louise Rodino-Klapac, and genetic counselor Livija Medne. Dr. Louise Rodino-Klapac is the Executive Vice President, Head of R&D and Chief Scientific Officer at Sarepta Therapeutics who has 15 years of experience researching and studying LGMD. She is renowned for her work i...

Can rapid whole genome sequencing (WGS) be utilized in the NICU setting? We explore in this podcast episode! Joining us for this episode is Dr. Hong Li , a clinical geneticist at Emory University. Our other expert is a recurring guest, world-renowned geneticist Dr. Madhuri Hegde . She serves as the Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of Global Lab Services at PerkinElmer Genomics ,...

Last episode we learned about non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for recessive conditions through BillionToOne’s UNITY Screen . Jen Hoskovec , Senior Director of Medical Affairs at BillionToOne , is back for this episode where we are exploring NIPT for fetal antigen. Jen is BillionToOne’s Senior Director of Medical Affairs. Jennifer Hoskovec , MS, CGC, joined BillionToOne as the Senior Director...

In this episode we are learning about UNITY Screen non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for recessive conditions. Joining our host Kira Dineen are two experts from BillionToOne , the CEO Oguzhan Atay and the Senior Director of Medical Affairs, Jen Hoskovec . Stay tuned for our part two about their new fetal antigen NIPT! Oguzhan Atay , PhD, BillionToOne co-founder, has led the company since its in...

Happy Rare Disease Month! With over 10,000 rare diseases , reaching a diagnosis is a long and arduous process for the 300 million people affected by a rare disease worldwide. Advancements in technology, bioinformatics, and improved collaboration hold the promise to end or reduce this diagnostic odyssey; however, valuable diagnostic data still remains siloed and fragmented within healthcare systems...

We are kicking off Rare Disease Month by talking about Wilson’s disease , a rare, inherited disorder that causes copper to accumulate in the liver, brain, and other vital organs. It is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern and left untreated, Wilson’s disease can be fatal. Joining us for this episode is Naseem Amin, the CEO of Orphalan , which develops and commercializes treatments for orpha...

In this episode we are chatting about the genetic counseling field in South Africa! Joining us for this discussion are two guests from the University of Cape Town (UTC), current student, Samantha Bayley, and UCT-professor, Tina-Marié Wessels. Special thanks to our social media intern, Kajal Patel, for recommending Samantha and Tina for this episode! Samantha Bayley is currently a second-year stude...

This week we’re discussing all things microfluidics! Joining us for this discussion is Franz Pruefer. He is the Co-Founder of Maxwerk Bio which has a pipeline of biotech diagnostic and therapeutic devices. Franz is also the Co-Founder of CERTESS Therapeutics an early stage Cell Therapy Company in stealth mode based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Under the pharmaceutical division, Maxwerk supplies in...

A new year means a new podcast! We are thrilled to announce that our host, Kira Dineen, is a co-producer of a new rare disease and medical challenges podcast called, It Happened To Me . In celebration of the launch we wanted to share an upcoming episode of the podcast where the hosts Cathy Gildenhorn and Beth Glassman interviewed Kira Dineen. There will also be another episode on the show where th...

Happy New Year! Joining us for the first episode of 2023 is Betsy Humphreys, Karen Volle and Karina Mancini, who will share their experience with the New Hampshire-Maine Leadership Education Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) and the New England Regional Genetics Network programs, and how they relate to genetics advocacy. Elizabeth Humphreys is the Director of the Leadership Education in Neuro...

Patient advocate, Mike Graglia, and genetic counselor, Elli Brimble, join DNA Today for a conversation about SYNGAP1-related non-syndromic intellectual disability, a rare genetic disorder caused by a variant on the SYNGAP1 gene. Mike Graglia has always worked on complicated problems – he can’t help himself. So when his son was diagnosed with SYNGAP1 in 2018, he founded the SynGAP Research Fund and...

Nicka Smith (she/her), a pro genealogist with over 20 years of experience, joins DNA Today for our second to last episode of the year! She is the host of BlackProGen LIVE , a web series focused on genealogy and family history with a special focus on people of color. Nicka Smith is a professional photographer, speaker, host, consultant, and documentarian with more than 20 years of experience as a g...

Our guest today is Dahlia Attia-King , Founder and CEO of Panacea . Panacea’s mission is to improve access and utilization of genetic testing by offering affordable whole exome sequencing, physician oversight, and genetic counseling all in a 10 minute workflow. This week we are chatting about utilizing whole exome sequencing for preventive health. Dahlia’s education in biology and experience worki...

Are you seeking a position as a Genetic Assistant? People in these vital roles aid with clinical and research patient communication, data entry, genetic testing coordination, and administrative tasks. Therefore training is key! We recommend The Genetic Assistant Online Training Program at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. This online program provides knowledge and skills to learners con...

It’s December which means Spotify Wrapped was announced! If you are one of the 2,616 people that had us on your Spotify Wrapped Podcast section, tag us in your story or post for a shoutout on the show! Thanks to Maya, Em, Carly, Allison and LittleDipperPomskies, for already sharing. For those that don’t follow us on social media @DNATodayPodcast, here are this year’s highlights…So far this year we...

We are recapping and reflecting on the National Society of Genetic Counselors 41st Annual conference , which was just held in Nashville. Some attendees joined in virtually and others, like myself, joined in person. It was incredible to meet so many of you listeners. I am already looking forward to NSGC 2023 in Chicago in October. If I didn’t get a chance to say hi to you, or you couldn’t attend th...

Our guest in this episode is Jorge Contreras, author of The Genome Defense . In this riveting, behind-the-scenes courtroom drama, a brilliant legal team battles corporate greed and government overreach for the fundamental right to control our genes. We’re giving away 5 copies of The Genome Defense, so be sure to check out our social media accounts for the giveaway details. If you don’t win, you ca...

After two years of virtual NSGC conferences, I can’t wait to see many of you in Nashville next week! Say “hi” if you see me! If you want to be featured in our NSGC recap episodes, let me know. I would love to capture your impression of the conference to feature on the episode. Maybe you will get DNA Today merch in exchange… I will be spending a lot of time in the exhibit hall, so look for me there...

When our host, Kira Dineen, began her career as a genetic counselor she was mostly starting from scratch because the private practice she works at hadn’t had a genetic counselor in two years. So she met with a bunch of labs to ask them about their tests so she could decide who she would be ordering from. As a brand new genetic counselor, it was hard for Kira to figure out what the important aspect...

In 2012, the 100,000 Genomes Project was announced, the same year we started this podcast! Back in 2015 we did an episode about the 100,000 Genomes Project so we’re excited to revisit this massive project today with Dr. Julian Barwell , who is a clinical geneticist and has countless titles but today’s most relevant one is the operational clinical lead of the 100,000 Genome project. After finishing...

As some of you may know, our host Kira Dineen also co-produces the “Patient Empowerment Program” by n-Lorem. The podcast launched earlier this year and focuses solely on the needs of people with nano-rare diseases. These are people who have a unique pathogenic variant (aka mutation) that affects 30 or less people in the world, sometimes just one person. The host of the show is Dr. Stan Crooke, who...

Dr. Lora Bean gives an overview of phenotypically-driven clinical results in this episode of DNA Today! Dr. Lora Bean is a clinical molecular geneticist who currently serves as the Senior Director of Quality Assurance at PerkinElmer Genomics . Dr. Bean has expertise in traditional clinical molecular testing as well as newer techniques such as next generation exome and genome sequencing. She has se...

Y’all YOU made it happen. DNA Today won the Best 2022 Science & Medicine Podcast Award ! We are honored to defend our title for the THIRD year in a row. Thank you listeners! An astonishing 5.7 MILLION people voted in the Podcast Awards this year, so it truly took each and every one of you for DNA Today to win. This was perfect timing to close out September which marked a decade of DNA Today and ou...

Are you thinking about a career in genetic counseling? Maybe you are a current student or even a recent grad… Then you have to head over to our social media for a MAJOR giveaway right now! We have assembled 15 genetic counselors, including myself and some other familiar faces/voices. All 15 of us are going to be mentors for a lucky 15 listeners. That’s right you can meet with us for a 1 hour Zoom...