Penn Undergraduate Biotech Society (PUBS) Podcast

In this episode, pediatric hematologist-oncologist Dr. Anjulika Chawla sits down with undergraduate Anisa Sharma to discuss her journey combatting sickle cell anemia through both clinical and biotech approaches. While practicing at Brown University, Chawla also leads sickle cell clinical research at bluebird bio, a Cambridge-based biotech developing gene therapies. The company’s therapy for sickle...

Medical technology, like MRI machines and specialized surgical kits, has become such a ubiquitous part of healthcare delivery that one often takes it for granted. However, who makes the decision to phase out older technology and bring in newer devices? Physicians? Payers? What goes into these decisions? In this episode, Neil Tangal and Dr. Guy David will delve into trends in medical technology ado...

ToxiSense is genetically engineering a greener world by developing bioluminescent plants to detect endotoxin on medical products and drinking water. Biopharmaceutical products and drinking water must be tested for endotoxins, the sickness-causing molecule from bacteria. The current method relies on expensive horseshoe crab blood and is environmentally damaging. ToxiSense genetically engineered the...

Dr. Ben Doranz co-founded Integral Molecular in 2001. He has led all aspects of the company’s growth since its inception, bringing 5 different technologies from research to market and growing the company into a profitable commercial entity. He is an inventor on over 10 of the company’s patents, the principal investigator on over 30 NIH grants, and an author on over 100 publications, including arti...

In this episode, Grace Dai and founder of Nucleus Kian Sadeghi (who studied Computational Biology at Penn!) delve into a discussion about the power of thinking forward as an entrepreneur, staying inspired and passionate as a Penn student, using genetic testing to give people more power over their personalized health, and raising money as a biotechnology startup. 

In this special episode, Jerry Cai and Dr. Thomas Mallouk, a renowned Professor of Chemistry at the University of Pennsylvania, explore current approaches to scaling up hydrogen fuel production and long-term storage, desalination approaches to supplement potable water, and Dr. Mallouk's interests in guitars and glassblowing. 

Join Dzung Than and Dr. Ping Wang, professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine, for a discussion on next-generation technologies that advance precision diagnosis and prognosis using bioengineering, nanotechnology, chemistry, and microfluidics. 

In this podcast, Special Initiative members Advait Thaploo and Roshan Pillai chat with Dr. Marco Ruella of the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies to discuss coming up in the CAR-T space, spinning off a biotech company, and advice and outlook for the future of biotechnology.

University of Pennsylvania undergraduates Grace Dai, Alisha Kumar, and Ishaan Jindal sit down with Vital Start CEO Kirthika Parmeswaran to explore entrepreneurship and innovation in maternal mental health.

In this episode, SI committee member Sylvanne Braganza speaks with Dr. Dominic A. Sisti about what constitutes and how to address the most relevant issues in the field of mental health ethics and the possibilities for mental health research going forward in the future.

In Episode 1, co-hosts John Ainslie and Chunda McCain sit down with Riju Datta and Sanya Mehta to discuss Biogen's Aducanumab in the news. Episode recorded 11/27/20.