Sounds of Science

Lawrence Ganti, president of SiO2 Materials Science, joins me to discuss ramping up production of his innovative vaccine vials to distribute COVID-19 vaccines. We also discuss how the pandemic in general affected scientific innovation and medical product manufacturing, and what it could mean for the future of medicine.

For World AIDS Day, I interviewed two pioneers in HIV/AIDS activism and research: Dr. Kenneth Mayer, Medical Research Director of Fenway Health and a professor of medicine, global health and population at Harvard; and Professor Gregg Gonsalves from the Yale School of Public Health. Ken has been part of AIDS research almost from the beginning, and Gregg is a passionate advocate for underrepresented...

This year's Society for Neuroscience meeting was supposed to be in person, but with COVID cases still high, moved to virtual. Charles River scientists Carina Peritore and Toni Ahtoniemi join me to discuss what else is new in the field of neuroscience, and how COVID has affected research over the past two years. 

With global warming affecting the tick population, the time is right to try again with a human Lyme disease vaccine. I talk with Dr. Richard Marconi, professor at Virginia Commonwealth University's Department of Microbiology and Immunology, about his research into ticks, Lyme, and the promise of a human vaccine.

In this episode, I speak with Dr. Peter Matos about vaccine boosters past and present. We discuss a brief history of vaccine booster research, how we arrived at the current recommended vaccine schedule, and what the future may hold for COVID vaccine boosters. At the time of posting, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) only recommends COVID boosters for immunocompromised people,...

Scientist Marcus Gerald experienced first hand what it feels like to be a patient at a young age. Now he helps children by researching the Developmental and Reproductive Toxicology (DART) of new drugs. In this episode he tells us about his experiences as a young Black man in science, and how he turned his early childhood experiences into his passion.

COVID impacted everyone differently, including early career scientists who found their work resources diverted to COVID research. One such scientist is doctoral candidate Daisy Hoagland from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, whose earlier work on viruses made her a valuable contributor to COVID research. But what did it do to her career plans? Listen now to find out.

Elaine Duncan and Alan Mukuvare are early career scientists who understand the importance of scientific mentors. They themselves have benefited from inspiring STEM mentors, and are now giving back to their local communities through the UK's STEM Ambassador Programme. Listen now, especially if you or someone you know are thinking about getting into a STEM field.

For this episode, I am joined by Ziva Abraham, CEO of the pharmaceutical consulting company Microrite. Ziva grew up in India, and fell in love with fungi while studying in college. Her passion has taken her all over the world, dispensing knowledge and mentoring a new generation of young women scientists.

In honor of Earth Day 2021, we speak with Corporate Sustainability experts Gregg Belardo and Erik Mohn about the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the effects of stay-at-home orders could be seen from space, but did they have any impact on climate change? Listen now to learn more.

Scientific Advisor Mike Templin joins us to discuss what drug developers have learned from working with the FDA during the pandemic. Where can we improve the relationship between science and government regulations? Find out now by listening to this episode. 

In honor of Rare Disease Month, we are joined by Terry Pirovolakis from CureSPG50.org. Terry's son Michael was born with the ultra-rare SPG50 disease. Listen now to hear their story.

Yugal Sharma, Ph. D., from CAS and David Clark, Ph. D., from Charles River join us to discuss machine learning in chemistry. We discuss the importance of organizing big data to avoid creating a data dump, and how machine learning can speed up drug discovery. 

Antonio Maltese, a senior studying political science in Virginia, is passionate about advocating for the rare disease community. He belongs to the community himself twice over, with a diagnosis of Huntington’s Disease and osteonecrosis. He speaks with Charles River scientists Lauren Black and David Fisher about his studies, their research, and how scientists and patients can help each other. 

COVID-19 wreaked havoc with academic labs - students were sent home, campuses were closed, and research projects were delayed or cancelled. Given the critical value of academic research, especially for preparing for or even preventing future pandemics, how can we avoid this situation in the future? Emory University's George Painter and Charles River's Joe Cornicelli discuss one potential solution.

Simon Chapleo, an expert in plant metabolism, joins us to discuss agrochemical safety testing and the difficulties of cultivating banana plants in Scotland.

Stem cells are a valuable tool in a drug researcher’s shed, but they are notoriously tricky and time consuming to grow. The biotech company Bit Bio hopes to change that by streamlining the process through their innovative cell reprogramming technology, making batches of cells ready at shorter notice. Bit Bio founder Mark Kotter and Charles River researcher Mariangela Iovino talk shop in this episo...

Gracie van Brunt – singer, songwriter, and rare disease survivor – joins us for a candid interview about her life, career, and experiences with growing up rare.

Foster Jordan knows a thing or two about horseshoe crabs, and isn't afraid to share his opinion! Listen now to learn about the future of endotoxin testing, and the potential pitfalls of recombinant technology.

With chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR T) therapy, patients’ own immune cells can be “souped up” and used as a cancer treatment. This immunotherapy and its variants are a promising area of research, with fascinating safety considerations. Listen now to learn about CAR T and TCR T from Sanne Holt, a biologist at Charles River. 

Dementia is a tricky disease with no cure and precious few treatments. Join host Mary Parker and biologist Sarah Almond to learn about the Dementia Consortium, a public-private partnership determined to change this narrative through collaboration.

What does corporate sustainability mean for the pharmaceutical industry? Gregg Belardo, Senior Director for Corporate Sustainability at Charles River, discusses the “no-brainer” policies that can help any company meet their green goals. 

Rich Horgan and Karen Morales from the nonprofit biotech Cure Rare Disease join host Mary Parker to discuss their work. Rich’s brother Terry has a rare form of muscular dystrophy, with no treatment available for adults. Rich founded Cure Rare Disease for his brother and patients like him, and after three years they are on the cusp of a breakthrough. Listen now to hear their story.

How can we keep animals healthy without antibiotics? In this episode we talk with avian expert Nastassja Ortega, who develops therapies to protect her chickens from disease through natural antibodies and vaccines. In the fight against antibiotic resistance, she is on the front lines, keeping her birds antibiotic-free.

The tumor microenvironment (TME) insulates cancer from the body’s natural defenses. But like all defenses, the more we know about the TME, the easier it is for us to find chinks in the armor. Join host Mary Parker as she interviews Rhiannon Jenkinson, Director of Science for Discovery Services at Charles River’s Portishead site, about this fascinating and frustrating microworld.