Xtalks Life Science Podcast

Stories about the development of COVID-19 vaccines have dominated the news for months, but a huge breakthrough in the prevention of another infectious disease has just been announced. Listen to this episode to learn about a new malaria vaccine developed by researchers at the Jenner Institute at the University of Oxford that is 77 percent effective at blocking the parasite. In this episode, Ayesha...

More cases of blood clots in those vaccinated against COVID-19 — this time in six women who took the J&J shot — has US regulators recommending that vaccination efforts be paused. In this episode of the Xtalks Life Science podcast, Ayesha discusses the type of thrombotic events reported in these patients, and the team explores whether the benefits of getting vaccinated outweigh the risks of get...

FDA-mandated clinical holds, strategic partnership breakups and $800 million biotech acquisitions. In this episode of the Xtalks Life Science Podcast, Sarah revisits two Parkinson’s biotech companies — Prevail Therapeutics and Voyager Therapeutics — to see what progress they’ve made in their gene therapy clinical development programs since April 2019. She shares how well the firms have weathered t...

In this episode of the Xtalks Life Science Podcast, Ayesha discusses a report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) and Anti-Vax Watch that shows there are just 12 people behind 65 percent of all online anti-vaccine disinformation. While social media operators such as Facebook and Twitter had vowed to remove vaccine disinformation from their platforms, the disinformation dozen are sti...

In this episode of the Xtalks Life Science Podcast, Ayesha discusses the results of a new NIH study that suggest a link between moderate caffeine consumption during pregnancy and lower birth weight and reduced body size. Should pregnant women avoid caffeine altogether, or is this yet another restriction placed on expectant mothers that might not be necessary?  Ayesha also talks about a new medical...

This podcast was recorded on February 23rd, 2021 In Episode 1 of the Xtalks Life Science Podcast, Sarah discusses a new condition called “Mask-Associated Dry Eye” and Ayesha talks about Droplet Micron, an innovative insulin needle.  Tune into this episode to hear a clip from Sarah’s interview with Dr. Richard Hom, optometric director at Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, who talks about the impact...

This podcast was recorded on March 2, 2021 With a number of COVID-19 vaccines now being authorized for use, how do we decide which is the best? Using data from COVID-19 vaccine trials from Pfizer/BioNTech, Oxford/AstraZeneca, Moderna and J&J, Ayesha explains why vaccine efficacies can't be directly compared — and why vaccine messaging needs to reflect this.  Listen to Episode 2 of the Xtalks L...

This podcast was recorded on March 15, 2021 In Episode 3 of the Xtalks Life Science Podcast, the team reflects on the 1-year anniversary of the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ayesha explains how far we’ve come since March 2020 in terms of vaccine development, but discusses the inequities in distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines despite the establishment of the WHO’s COVAX Facility. Ayesha also di...