Science with a Twist

How is a decades-old scientific tool that revolutionized organ transplantation now being used in cancer immunotherapy and autoimmune disease? In this episode of Science with a Twist , host Terri Somers talks to experts in immunogenetics and histocompatibility about human leukocyte antigens, or HLAs, which are biomarkers on our cells that provide crucial information about our immune system. HLAs ha...

Imagine a future where diseases like leukemia, sickle cell anemia and multiple sclerosis are no longer life sentences, but treatable and even curable. That is the promise of gene therapy. In this episode, Namritha Ravinder, director of cell biology at Thermo Fisher Scientific, explains the groundbreaking technologies that correct the genetic errors in our cells that lead to disease. These gene the...

Laboratories use up to ten times the energy of typical office spaces, making sustainability in science a pressing issue. In this episode of Science with a Twist, host Terri Somers speaks with James Connelly, CEO of My Green Lab, and Alyssa Caddle, Senior Director of Global Sustainability at Thermo Fisher Scientific, about steps laboratories can take to reduce their environmental impact.  From ener...

Listen to the conversation as they discuss: How health equity is a key component of Thermo Fisher’s core business. How Thermo Fisher leverages its capabilities and customer relationships to further its impact. Initiatives that improve health equity through accessibility to drug-resistant HIV testing, next-generation sequencing to diagnose lung and breast cancer in 30 underserved countries, increas...

Dr. Blackburne shares insights into: The challenges of recruiting women and minority groups for clinical trials, noting the logistical and societal barriers they face. Innovative solutions, such as telemedicine and flexible scheduling, to make trial participation more accessible.  Recent advances in clinical research, including a groundbreaking preeclampsia test and contributions to COVID-19 vacci...

The Critical Role of Plastics in Modern Society Despite the challenges associated with plastic in the environment, Kat Knauer, Ph. D., emphasizes the indispensable role of plastics in healthcare, research, and daily life. She points out that while plastics have significantly improved quality of life and medical care, their improper disposal poses a significant threat to the environment. She advoca...

Gene Therapy's Potential to Transform Rare Disease Treatment Dr. Peter Marks highlights the groundbreaking advancements in gene therapy, especially for rare diseases with high unmet medical needs. He discusses the FDA's role in fostering these innovations, underscoring the importance of understanding gene therapy's application and ensuring its safe delivery. Dr. Marks emphasizes the challenges in...

Revolutionizing Biomedical Research with Mass Spectrometry Joshua J. Coon discusses the transformative role of mass spectrometry in biomedical research. This technology, as he explains, allows for the precise weighing of molecules, providing critical insights into their identity and quantity. Coon's lab utilizes mass spectrometry to analyze complex biological systems, such as cells and tissues, id...

Brazil's Proactive Measures Against HIV Brazil has been at the forefront of combating HIV, implementing proactive measures that have made a significant difference. The country began providing no-cost access to CD4 and viral load testing and antiretroviral drugs as early as 1996. This early intervention and consistent approach led to a remarkable outcome: the number of HIV cases in Brazil was signi...

⚡Semiconductor chips go through a long manufacturing process . It all depends on the type of chip, but the standard timeframe is between 120 days and nine months. It is a three-phase process that includes design and frontend and backend manufacturing, all dependent on various factors. ''These are global supply chains supporting the completed product. Semiconductor chips could be manufactured by a...

The Power of Passion in STEM  Eleanor emphasizes the importance of pursuing what you love in STEM. She advises students to focus on their interests rather than trying to impress judges or make a big impact. Eleanor encourages students to be scrappy and innovative and to believe in their ability to navigate through challenges. She underscores that STEM is not just for prodigies and professionals an...

The Power of Pharmacogenomics Jeff explains how pharmacogenomics, the study of how genes affect a person's response to medications, can revolutionize healthcare. By understanding a patient's genetic makeup, healthcare providers can prescribe the right medication and dosage, reducing trial and error, improving treatment effectiveness, and minimizing side effects. This approach acknowledges that eac...

⚡ PFAS stands for Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances . Simply put, PFAS are man-made compounds synthesized in a laboratory. ''They were first made in the 1940s. Teflon was one of the very first developments of PFAS. PFAS is a universe of chemicals useful for lots of different consumer and industrial applications over the last 60 to 70 years. These include things like firefighting foam, stain rep...

⚡ Green chemistry aims to anticipate toxicity and global climate change. Green chemistry is an area of chemistry that focuses on reducing pollution and building a more sustainable world. John explains, "What you may be surprised to learn is that if you look at the curriculum, if you look at the classes that a chemist takes from the very beginning to getting a Ph. D., very few, if any, universitie...

⚡ Cell therapy is a promising field. Cell therapies can potentially transform medicine and treat some of the most severe diseases, like cancer. Wendell says, "That's one of the innate challenges here — how do you make something that's very controlled and specific and yet also very potent enough to really overcome the disease. And that's where we really think that cell therapies can be very powerf...

⚡ What are the ramifications from a clinical research perspective if diversity is not appropriately represented in a clinical study populations? Even as diversity becomes increasingly important across different sectors, minorities continue to be left out of clinical trials and medical research studies. So, why is diversity so critical in clinical trials? Nik explains, "I think in terms of the ram...

⚡ Decentralized clinical trials aim to reduce patient burden. Decentralized clinical trials can help make research more patient-centric. Tim explains the role of decentralization, "It's fair to say that that change management component is absolutely critical in terms of the decentralized adoption, and I think, when I look ahead in terms of decentralization, I see an amazing landscape for patients...

⚡ There's a diversity mismatch in the oncology workforce. One of the biggest challenges in the oncology space is a lack of diversity in the workforce. The population of the United States is very diverse, while the oncology field is not. Dr. Upal Basu Roy says, "We know that the United States is very diverse. As we speak, the population is very diverse, and we have about 12% African Americans in t...

⚡ The most critical part is to shorten the time between doing the test and getting the results . From there, doctors will be better positioned to provide the best care to the patient. ''There's always pressure from the patient, the family, and the physician to start therapy as soon as possible. [...] So getting that test earlier allows us to do the right thing for the patients, improve their outc...

⚡ We can't limit ourselves to only humans and animals to fight diseases and cure illnesses. To cure diseases and illnesses, we need to understand how the environment, humans, and animals intersect. Professor Akebe explains, "We get that whole cycle that starts again. It [waste] leaves from our homes. It leaves from our hospitals. It gets into the treatment plants, gets into the river. It is used...

⚡ The MoonArk is both conceptual art and a time capsule . Almost 15 years ago, the idea was to create a time capsule carrying fragments of the world as we know it today and  send it to the moon to be discovered in the distant future. Today, the project has 60 members from 18 institutions and over 250 contributing designers, scientists, poets, musicians etc. Mark Baskinger, one of the first to get...

💡 DNA analysis enables the identification of missing persons . Asked about the impact of DNA analysis, Dr. Diepenbroek explains that such a method helps identify the victims regardless of time passed. Forensics uses the DNA from unknown remains and matches them with the DNA of missing persons’ relatives. Alongside her colleagues — including experts from the Institute of Legal Medicine in Innsbruc...

🎙 What are virus mutations, and what do they mean? Just like other viruses, COVID mutates all the time. Andy explains what mutation is, how it happens, and the importance of monitoring it. "What we need to capture in these surveillance efforts is how these viruses are changing and how quickly they are changing. So you've heard of mutations, and they are a result of these changes in the viruses. Th...

🎙️ The AerosolSense Sampler is an in-air pathogen monitoring solution . Miguel introduced the AerosolSense Sampler, a new technology that can be used in conjunction with other risk mitigation tools (masks, vaccines, testing) in the fight against COVID-19. It is designed to detect the presence of coronavirus and other airborne pathogens in the air in indoor spaces. ''So essentially, the way it work...

On this episode of Science With a Twist, Ron O’Brien interviews Matthew Moon, a CAR-T cell therapy recipient who was able to beat leukemia thanks to the advances in the field. Matthew and Ron discuss the timeline of health-related events that led to Matthew’s diagnosis and his unique journey to find a life-saving cell therapy clinical trial. After speaking with Matthew, Ron interviews Stephen Majo...