Frameshifts with Benjamin Arya

On this show, we’ve talked a lot about gene editors. These are little molecular machines derived from or inspired by the Nobel-prize winning CRISPR system that put gene editing on the radar of the general public. Once these editors get into a cell, they can cut out DNA, change the DNA sequence, insert entire copies of genes or delete faulty genes that cause illness. Think of them as tools to cut,...

Most longevity talk is still stuck within two bad schools of thought. On one side, weak-sauce incrementalism: supplements, vibes and tiny effect sizes. On the other, immortality rhetoric that asks you to throw out the data altogether. Joe Betts-LaCroix has very little patience for either. He’s the co-founder and CEO of Retro Biosciences, one of the most ambitious longevity companies in the world....

Plenty of people will tell you AI is about to design our drugs. Alex Zhavoronkov already has. His company’s lead candidate, rentosertib, is the first drug with both its biological target and its molecule discovered by generative AI to post real Phase 2 results in humans. That gap, between the pitch deck and a drug in an actual person, is the whole reason this conversation is worth your time. Alex...

Many of science’s most important projects fall through the cracks between academia and industry. These are the foundational tools that could accelerate entire fields, and yet don’t fit neatly into a PhD thesis or a venture-backed startup. And to humanity’s credit, there has been growing interest in the last few years in building alternative systems for accelerating science beyond academia and indu...

Parag Mallick is a Stanford Professor and Chief Scientist at Nautilus Biotechnology, a publicly traded biotech company. He’s also a professional magician and circus performer, which might sound random until you realize that his company does the closest thing to proteomics magic I’ve ever seen. The things that make you weird, he argues, are exactly what let you see data differently than anyone else...

The future of human biology isn’t about better animal models - it’s about building human organs on chips that think like the body does. Don Ingber, founding director of Harvard’s Wyss Institute, has one of the most unconventional origin stories in the field. In 1975, as a Yale undergrad, he took a sculpture class where students built floating structures held together only by tension; no rods touch...

This week, I sat down with Shelby Newsad, Partner at Compound VC, to break down what makes a great biotech investment and why so many platform stories fall short. Shelby lays out a playbook forged across therapeutics, diagnostics, and lab automation. We dive into why mechanistic understanding predicts success, how diagnostics evolve into data businesses, and why the next wave of value may come fro...

What happens when the man who launched commercial spaceflight decides humanity needs to stop aging? Peter Diamandis is building the infrastructure to tackle aging. He founded the XPRIZE Foundation, created Singularity University with Larry Page and Ray Kurzweil, and wrote the playbook on exponential thinking with Abundance and Bold. However, somewhere between flying Stephen Hawking into zero gravi...

What happens when one of the world’s leading neurosurgeons steps away from the operating room to become a first-time founder? Dr. Theodore Schwartz pioneered minimally invasive brain surgery going through the nose and eyelid instead of opening the skull. He’s published over 200 papers, written a bestselling book on neurosurgery history, and now he’s building a MedTech startup to solve a problem th...

This week, I sat down with genome engineering prodigy Michael Florea. I first met Michael at the Longevity Biotech Fellowship retreat in Tahoe National Forest, California (2.5hrs east of SF). I was in the final days of building an AI edtech startup, and looking for advice on what to do next. Michael had been genetically engineering longevity since he was 16 years old. What he always wanted to do w...

This week, I sat down with Omar Abudayyeh and Jonathan Gootenberg, the co-PIs who helped pioneer the field of genome engineering, and are now leading one of the most innovative and productive bioengineering labs in the world. Omar and Jonathan met as graduate students in the lab of CRISPR pioneer, Feng Zhang. They have since co-authored more than 30 breakthrough papers that helped transform CRISPR...

In this week’s episode, I sit down with Francisco LePort and Martin Borch Jensen, the co-founders of Gordian Biotechnology. Gordian is revolutionizing drug discovery by testing where it matters most… directly in living organisms. We discuss their groundbreaking approach of pooled in vivo screening that transforms a single organism into thousands of parallel experiments, and how this could fundamen...

In this week's episode, I sit down with Prof. Ron Weiss, the MIT pioneer who helped create the field of synthetic biology. We discussed the emergence of living therapeutics that can think, adapt, and make complex decisions inside the human body. The implications of this stretch from synthetic cells within implantable biosensors that can produce insulin based on real-time glucose sensing to self-am...

“What I wanted to do was harness evolution as effectively as possible.” In this episode, I sit down with pioneering synthetic biologist Kevin Esvelt. Together, we explore how technologies like gene drives and phage-assisted continuous evolution could help tackle humanity’s toughest challenges, from eradicating malaria to protecting global food security. We also dig into the urgent need to safeguar...

Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, Eldin Rostom, CEO and Co-Founder of Diag-Nose.io , who is pioneering the way forward in the diagnosis of chronic nasal disorders. In this episode, Eldin recounts his journey from participating in the MedTech Actuator Accelerator to being one of the select Australian companies to enter the Creative Destruction Lab in Seattle. This episode explores how Diag-Nose.io employ...

Meet Joe Foster , founder of Reebok , who revolutionised the sportswear industry by building a multi-billion dollar shoe empire. In this episode, Joe recalls his earliest memories of war, shares stories of his grandfather the cobbler, and recounts founding Reebok as a competitor to his father's inherited shoe brand, eventually growing it into a billion-dollar empire. This episode delves into Joe's...

In this episode, we sit down with Ethan Donati , a marketing expert who overcame social anxiety to host some of Australia's largest events. Ethan shares his journey from a shy individual to a prominent event organiser, detailing the challenges and strategies involved in bringing top speakers like Gary Vee and David Goggins to Australia. Tune in as he discusses the nuances of event planning, the im...

Step into the world of startup transformation with Michael Batko, the visionary CEO behind Startmate. With a track record of nurturing 230+ startups valued at over $2 billion, Startmate is a catalyst for entrepreneurial success. Join us as we unravel Michael's journey from consulting to traversing the Amazon rainforest to leading the future of Australia’s startup ecosystem. Don't miss this insight...

Joining us is the inaugural chair of Primary Care Research at Royal Melbourne Hospital, Jane Gunn. Known not only as a medical practitioner and PhD graduate, Jane is also the Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Australia's top-ranked medical school, The University of Melbourne. In this episode, we'll delve into her thoughts on the future of Australia's public health system, the role of innovative t...

In a world where technology drives rapid advancements, James Fallon, Chief Technology Officer at the Bionics Institute, takes us on a journey through the realms of medical research. From his insights on cochlear implants to groundbreaking developments in neuromodulation for Inflammatory Bowel Disease, James shares his expertise and passion for pushing the boundaries of science. Join us as we uncov...

🎙️Peter Vranes: Skincare, Smart Patches, Medtech, Innovation | Insane Ambition Episode #8 Meet Peter Vranes, often likened to a modern-day Nikola Tesla in the realm of health technology. As the co-founder of Nutromics, he's engineering a smart patch biosensor that is revolutionising real-time health monitoring. Peter shares his journey, detailing his initial foray into the skincare industry before...

Ever wondered how blockchain technology can shape our future? Dive into the captivating world of blockchain and fintech with Liam Bussell, Chief Marketing Officer at CloudTech Group, and a passionate advocate for global crypto adoption. Join us as we uncover Liam's journey from humble beginnings with just 3 bitcoins to his role as a thought leader in the blockchain space. Discover his insights on...

Venture capital may sound glamorous, but as Hunter Watkin knows, "statistically, the vast majority of startups will fail.” So how does Hunter, a VC at Rampersand, identify the unicorns among the litany of early-stage startups that slide into his email inbox? For Hunter, being a VC is about much more than just getting a high ROI. It's about empowering wildly ambitious founders to build the future....

Harry Al-Wassiti is a visionary bioengineer. More than 14 years after leaving war-torn Iraq, he is now spearheading Australia's mRNA therapeutic program. Harry believed in mRNA therapeutics well before they became mainstream via the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. In 2019, he published a Medium article advocating for mRNA-based therapeutics just months prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. But new medicine...

Neurons are fundamental to biological systems and critical to human function. Can we teach neurons to perform computational intelligence tasks? Will our human abilities be enhanced in the near future? Tune in to discover how Hon Weng Chong, Founder of Cortical Labs, went from medical doctor to biotech entrepreneur building DishBrain, the $10 million innovation that fuses brain cells with computers...