Progress, Potential, and Possibilities Podcast / Show

Send us Fan MailDr. Mehmood Khan, MD is the Chief Executive Officer of Hevolution Foundation ( https://www.hevolution.com/ ), a first of its kind non-profit organization that funds research through grants and provides investments in biotech to incentivize healthspan science across disciplines and borders for the benefit of all. Established by a Saudi Royal Decree, with its headquarters in Riyadh, with additional international hubs to support the expansion and execute the global mission, it's vision is to expand healthy human lifespan for the benefit of all humanity.  Hevolution Foundation aims to be positioned as a global leader, catalyst, partner, and convener, to increase the number of scientists entering the field, to increase the investable opportunities in the field of aging, and to help shape the regulatory and government environment.Dr. Khan also currently serves as the Executive Chairman of Life Biosciences Inc. where he joined the company in April 2019 as the Chief Executive Officer and Board Member. Life Biosciences was founded to advance scientific research and develop innovative new therapies to improve and extend healthy lives for everyone.Dr. Khan previously served as Vice Chairman and Chief Scientific Officer of Global Research and Development at PepsiCo, a Fortune 50 company employing upwards of 250,000 employees across 22 brands. At PepsiCo, Dr. Khan played a pivotal role in the company’s global R&D efforts to create breakthrough innovations in food, beverages, and nutrition, including the incorporation of healthier and more nutritious offerings across its portfolio. Dr. Khan also oversaw PepsiCo's global sustainability initiatives based on the belief that success in business is inextricably linked to the sustainability of the world we share. Prior to joining PepsiCo, Dr. Khan served as President of Global R&D at Takeda Pharmaceuticals, leading the global efforts of one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world by revenue.Before moving into industry, Dr. Khan had a distinguished medical career as a faculty member in endocrinology at the Mayo Clinic and Mayo Medical School where he served as Director of the Diabetes, Endocrine and Nutritional Trials Unit. He also spent nine years leading programs in diabetes, endocrinology, metabolism and nutrition in Minneapolis, MN.Dr. Khan is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Reckitt Benckiser.Dr. Khan has also served as a board member in Spectrum Health, CorMedix, HemoShear Therapeutics, and Indigo Agriculture.Dr. Khan earned his medical degree from the University of Liverpool Medical School, England, and completed a fellowship in clinical endocrinology and nutrition in the Department of Medicine and Food Science and Nutrition at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians in London and a Fellow of the American College of Endocrinology.#MehmoodKhan #HevolutionFoundation #Healthspan #Lifespan #IntrinsicCapacity #Resilience #Aging #Longevity #Rejuvenation #LifeBiosciences #Endocrinology #GeriatricSyndromes #Nutrition #Xprize #FoodScience #Diabetes #ProgressPotentialAndPossibilities #IraPastor #Podcast #Podcaster #ViralPodcast #STEM #Innovation #Technology #Science #ResearchSupport the show

Send us Fan MailDr. Jay Hooper, Ph.D. is Chief, Molecular Virology Branch, at the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases ( USAMRIID - https://usamriid.health.mil/ ) where his research is aimed at the discovery and development of medical countermeasures targeting exotic viral diseases of military importance including hemorrhagic fever caused by hantaviruses, arenaviruses, filoviruses (e.g., Ebola virus), and diseases caused by poxviruses (e.g., smallpox and monkeypox). Dr. Hooper’s discoveries include one of the world’s most potent monoclonal antibodies targeting smallpox (7D11), and the first practical lethal disease animal model for a hantavirus (Andes virus in Syrian hamsters). Dr. Hooper is an expert in DNA vaccine technology and the use of this technology to develop both active vaccines and passive (antibody-based) medical countermeasures, and is the lead scientist in an effort that has resulted in multiple hantavirus DNA vaccines moving into Phase 1 and 2 clinical trials. To expedite medical countermeasure research, Dr. Hooper’s group established a pseudovirion neutralization assay capability which has been used to support the rapid development of candidate antibody-based products and vaccines, including candidate Ebola virus vaccines. During the COVID-19 outbreak Dr. Hooper led an effort to establish rodent animal models to discover and advance medical countermeasures targeting COVID-19. That work resulted in among the first publications on the use of the Syrian hamster model, and human ACE2 mouse model, to evaluate medical countermeasures. These models were then used to advance vaccines and antibody treatments, including Operation Warp Speed-funded research. Dr. Hooper’s is currently collaborating with industrial partners to develop future generation vaccines and antibodies to combat monkeypox.Dr. Hooper has a Ph.D. in Virology from Harvard University and a BA in Biology from Colby College.#USAMRIID #MolecularVirology #MedicalCountermeasures #Hantavirus #Ebola #Monkeypox #Smallpox #Covid #MonoclonalAntibodies #Vaccines  #OperationWarpSpeed #Army #Biodefense #MrnaVaccines #DNAVaccines #ProgressPotentialAndPossibilities #IraPastor #Podcast #Podcaster #ViralPodcast #STEM #Innovation #Technology #Science #ResearchSupport the show

Send us Fan MailDr. Luba Perry, Ph.D. is Co-Founder and CEO of ReConstruct Bio ( https://wyss.harvard.edu/technology/reconstruct/ ), an innovative venture emerging from Harvard’s Wyss Institute ( https://wyss.harvard.edu/team/advanced-technology-team/luba-perry/ ), aimed at redefining the fields of medical reconstruction and aesthetics with an initial application of their groundbreaking technology on breast reconstruction and augmentation. With a multidisciplinary team of experts, the ReConstruct Bio team has developed the BioImplant—a living, bioengineered tissue created from the patient’s own cells, to provide safer, more natural alternative to current standards, which are often associated with significant drawbacks and health concerns.Dr. Perry also serves as a Senior Scientist at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering working at the 3D Organ Engineering Initiative since 2018 and is leading a Wyss Validation Project aiming to fabricate vascularized functional tissues for transplantation. Her interest is in tissue and organ engineering, focusing on vascularization and implantation studies utilizing complex surgical models. Dr. Perry’s background is in molecular biology, pharmacology, and biomedical engineering, with a Bachelor of Science - BS, Biology, Master of Science - MS, Molecular Pharmacology, and a Doctor of Philosophy - PhD, Biotechnology, all from Technion - Israel Institute of Technology.  She also has industry experience in a vascular gene therapy company (MGVS, now VESSL Therapeutics).#LubaPerry #Harvard #WyssInstitute #ReConstructBio #Aesthetics #3DOrganEngineering #BreastReconstruction #BreastAugmentation #Vascularization #Innervation #Fat #AdiposeTissue #BreastImplants #Organogenesis #OrganEngineering #TissueEngineering #Bioengineering #Organs #Tissues #MolecularPharmacology #Breasts #Nipples#ProgressPotentialAndPossibilities #IraPastor #Podcast #Podcaster #ViralPodcast  #STEM #Innovation #Technology #Science #ResearchSupport the show

Send us Fan MailDr. Oren Gilad, Ph.D., is President and Chief Executive Officer of Aprea Therapeutics ( https://aprea.com/ ), a clinical stage, platform biotechnology company focused on the development of novel, synthetic lethality-based therapies, with direct on-target mechanisms of action, and clear clinical pathways, that target various aspects of DNA Damage Response (DDR) Pathways.Dr. Gilad previously served as President and CEO of Atrin Pharmaceuticals, Inc., leading its transaction with Aprea Therapeutics. Dr. Gilad brings extensive experience across multiple phases of drug development. During his time at Atrin, he led development from idea through early stage into the clinical stage while securing financing to support pre-clinical and clinical development, regulatory, and intellectual property activities. Before founding Atrin in 2011, Dr. Gilad authored several high-impact scientific publications over a 13-year academic career, including one demonstrating the importance of the ATR kinase pathway in cancer development and treatment. Dr. Gilad earned his doctorate in comparative pathology from the University of California at Davis, did his post-doc work at University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and his B.S. from the Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel.#Cancer #Oncology #TumorBiology #OrenGilad #ApreaTherapeutics #Biotechnology #DrugDevelopment #Macrocycles #SyntheticLethality #DNADamageResponse #Doylestown #Philadelphia #ATRKinase #WEE1 #BRCA #PARP #ProgressPotentialAndPossibilities #IraPastor #Podcast #Podcaster #ViralPodcast  #STEM #Innovation #Technology #Science #ResearchSupport the show

Send us Fan MailMrs. Cheryl Halpern is a Director, Producer, Documentarian, and Co-Founder and Partner of HQ Creative LLC ( https://www.hqcreative.com/ ), an Emmy Award-winning production company and branding agency serving clients around the world.The award winning film '"The Golden Rule: Do Unto Others" produced by HQ Creative and Indonesian award winning company Angel Pictures, began it's theatrical release from September 20-27th, 2024 - https://vimeo.com/904241685/c4fae53c3aMrs. Halpern has a long record of public service in broadcasting, education and international affairs. Mrs. Halpern was nominated to serve on the boards of America’s national and international broadcasting organizations by Presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. In 1990, she was confirmed as a member of the Board for International Broadcasting and as a director of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). From 1995 through 2002, Mrs. Halpern served on the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) overseeing Voice of America, Radio and TV Marti, RFE/RL, Worldnet, Radio Free Asia and Radio Free Iraq. While serving on the BBG she helped create Radio Sawa, a new American Arabic radio voice to the Middle East. In August, 2002, she was confirmed to serve as a director of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). She was subsequently elected by her peers as chairman of the CPB and served the two-term limit. In addition, Mrs. Halpern was a Public Delegate of the United States, with the rank of Ambassador, to the 63rd Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations. During the Obama Administration she has been a member of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council.Mrs. Halpern has also chaired the character education program of the Words Can Heal organization. This national campaign to curb gossip, fight verbal violence and promote the healing powers of ethical speech received bipartisan support from the US Congress as well as from diverse ethnic and religious groups. In her capacity as a Presidential-appointed US delegate to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Conference on Anti-Semitism, Mrs. Halpern addressed the plenary on children’s programming and textbook development. As the current chairman of the Queen of Sheba Foundation Mrs. Halpern has partnered in the development of “Midako”, an illustrated children’s book publishing initiative to promote literacy in Ethiopia.As a documentarian, Mrs. Halpern has produced several commissioned as well as independently produced documentaries. Most notably, the government of Ethiopia commissioned Mrs. Halpern and her HQ Creative LLC team to produce a memorial documentary to the late Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi. A special tribute to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi was also produced for screening at the 50th Anniversary of the African Union.Mrs. Halpern’s independently produced documentaries have provided compelling historical and cultural information to her audiences. Her films have focused on embodying the spirit of achievement and thereby providing positive visual images and messages for all; regardless of age, gender or ethnicity. Mrs. Halpern’s documentaries have received awards from film festivals around the world. They have been screened by colleges and universities and have been included in Museum exhibits and archive collections.#TheGoldenRule #DoUntoOthers #CherylHalpern #EthicOfReciprocity #Peace #Coexistence #Interfaith #Humanitarian #Tolerance #Religion #EphraimIsaac #ImamShamsiAli #Ghandi  #Documentary #Indonesia #Ethiopia #Israel #Nigeria  #CorporationForPublicBroadcasting #HerRoyalMajestyQueenAngeliqueMonet  #HolocaustMemorialCouncil #OrganizationForSecurityAndCooperationInEurope #AntiSemitismSupport the show

Send us Fan MailDr. Richard Scranton, M.D., M.P.H., is the President of Global Product Development and the Chief Medical Officer of Lyndra Therapeutics ( https://lyndra.com/ ), a company pioneering long-acting oral therapies, designed to deliver medicine for up to a week or longer in an oral form. Dr. Scranton is responsible for advancing the company's proprietary LYNX™ drug delivery platform ( https://lyndra.com/platform/ ) and evolving and overseeing portfolio strategy, current and future product development from preclinical through commercialization, and external partnerships and alliances. Dr. Scranton has 20+ years of expertise in pharmaco-epidemiologic research, clinical epidemiology, health services research and clinical trials research.Prior to joining Lyndra, Dr. Scranton held roles with increasing responsibility at Pacira Pharmaceuticals, including Chief Medical Officer, where he led the global development and advancement of their non-opioid long-lasting injectable local anesthetic. Dr. Scranton also served as Chief Medical Officer at VeroScience, where his responsibilities included all aspects of clinical development, regulatory and pharmacovigilance of their investigational drugs in the metabolic disease and immunological domains. Dr. Scranton also has served as instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School and associate physician in the division of aging at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, associate medical director and research consultant for Phase V Technologies, assistant clinical professor of medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and a senior research fellow at the Massachusetts Veterans Administration Epidemiology, Research and Information Center (MAVERIC).Dr. Scranton earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Tennessee and a Doctor of Medicine from the Quillen College of Medicine at Eastern Tennessee State University. He completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, Va, and served as chief resident. He completed his Harvard General Medicine Fellowship and received a Master of Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health. #RichardScranton #LyndraTherapeutics #LongActing #OralTherapies #Risperidone #Pharmacoepidemiology #MedicationAdherence #RobertLanger #BiochemicalEngineering #Schizophrenia #OpioidUseDisorder #PregnancyPrevention #Pharmacokinetics #ProgressPotentialAndPossibilities #IraPastor #Podcast #Podcaster #ViralPodcast  #STEM #Innovation #Technology #Science #ResearchSupport the show

Send us Fan MailDr. Rasha Hammamieh, Ph.D. is Director, Medical Readiness Systems Biology (MRSB), at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research ( https://wrair.health.mil/Biomedical-Research/Center-for-Military-Psychiatry-and-Neuroscience/Medical-Readiness-Systems-Biology/ ) where her lab seeks to apply integrative biology approaches to diseases of military relevance, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury pain and biological responses to polytrauma and austere environments (heat stress, acute mountain sickness, hypoxia, radiation and microgravity). The majority of Dr. Hammamieh’s work aims to provide an understanding and develop countermeasures for diseases and injuries in support of service members.  Currently, the MRSB lab is assessing the effect of spaceflight conditions onboard the International Space Station (ISS) on health and disease, and Dr. Hammamieh’s team has multiple biological investigations sponsored by the ISS National Laboratory examining the effects of microgravity on the healing of bone and skin wounds. Dr. Hammamieh has authored and co-authored more than 145 publications, three book chapters, and is a co-inventor of the patent “Biomarkers of Immune Dysfunction in Response to Chronic Stress.” Dr. Hammamieh earned a pharmacy degree from Damascus University, Damascus, Syria and a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Georgetown University.#RashaHammamieh #MedicalReadiness #SystemsBiology #WalterReedArmyInstituteOfResearch #MilitaryPsychiatry  #PTSD #Neuroscience #IntegrativeBiology #Military #PostTraumaticStressDisorder #TraumaticBrainInjury #Polytrauma #AustereEnvironments #HeatStress #AcuteMountainSickness #Hypoxia #Radiation #Microgravity #EpigeneticClocks #SpaceBiology #InfectiousDiseases #Sepsis #Toxicology #Radiobiology #InternationalSpaceStation #ISS #Biomarkers #ImmuneDysfunction #ChronicStress #Aging  #Damascus #Syria #Georgetown #NASA #ProgressPotentialAndPossibilities #IraPastor #Podcast #Podcaster #ViralPodcast  #STEM #Innovation #Technology #Science #ResearchSupport the show

Send us Fan MailDr. Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., ( https://www.francisscollins.com/ ) is the former Director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), where as the longest serving director of NIH (spanning 12 years and three presidencies) he oversaw the work of the largest supporter of biomedical research in the world, from basic to clinical research.  Dr. Collins continues to serve as NIH Distinguished Investigator, Center for Precision Health Research, at the National Human Genome Research Institute ( NHGRI - https://irp.nih.gov/pi/francis-collins ).Dr. Collins is a physician-geneticist noted for his landmark discoveries of disease genes and his leadership of the international Human Genome Project, which culminated in April 2003 with the completion of a finished sequence of the human DNA instruction book. He served as director of the National Human Genome Research Institute at the NIH from 1993-2008.Dr. Collins' research laboratory has discovered a number of important genes, including those responsible for cystic fibrosis, neurofibromatosis, Huntington's disease, a familial endocrine cancer syndrome, and most recently, genes for type 2 diabetes, and the gene that causes Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome, a rare condition that causes premature aging.Dr. Collins received a B.S. in chemistry from the University of Virginia, a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Yale University, and an M.D. with honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to coming to the NIH in 1993, he spent nine years on the faculty of the University of Michigan, where he was a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. He is an elected member of the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Collins was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in November 2007 and the National Medal of Science in 2009.Dr. Collins also founded and served as President of The BioLogos Foundation ( https://biologos.org/ ), which promotes discourse on the relationship between science and religion.Dr. Collins is also an accomplished author with many available titles including The Language of Life: DNA and the Revolution in Personalized Medicine, The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief, Music and Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness, and a new book coming out The Road to Wisdom: On Truth, Science, Faith, and Trust - Sep 17, 2024 ( https://www.amazon.com/Road-Wisdom-Truth-Science-Faith/dp/0316576301 ).#FrancisCollins #NationalInstitutesOfHealth #HumanGenomeProject #NIH #Progeria #Cancer #Diabetes #Repurposing #Wisdom #Faith #Truth #Trust #BioLogosFoundation #ProgressPotentialAndPossibilities #IraPastor #Podcast #Podcaster #ViralPodcast  #STEM #Innovation #Technology #Science #ResearchSupport the show

Send us Fan MailDr. Benjamin L. Oakes, Ph.D., is Co-Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer at Scribe Therapeutics ( https://www.scribetx.com/ ), a molecular engineering company focused on creating best-in-class CRISPR-based therapies that permanently treat the underlying cause of disease. Previously, as an Innovative Genomics Institute Entrepreneurial Fellow, Dr. Oakes focused on the holistic engineering of genome editing technologies to build novel genome editing molecules.Dr. Oakes has contributed to over 35 publications and patent applications across synthetic biology, molecular engineering, CRISPR, and zinc finger-based genetic modification. Dr. Oakes has been named to the MIT Technology Review 35 Innovators Under 35, San Francisco Business Times 40 Under 40, Endpoints 20 Under 40 in Biopharma, Business Insider 30 Under 40 Transforming Healthcare, and the Biocom Life Sciences Catalyst Awards. He received a Ph.D. in Molecular and Cellular Biology from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2017, where he worked in the Doudna Lab and Savage Lab developing CRISPR-Cas9 molecules with enhanced characteristics. Two such projects resulted in distinct versions of synthetic sensing systems that can modify nucleic acids only when triggered by external stimuli, and have found use in both research and pragmatically applied technologies.Prior to his Ph.D., Dr. Oakes received his B.A. in the fields of Philosophy and Neurobiology and worked as a researcher applying unbiased, combinatorial evolution methods to build tens of thousands of “version one” genome editing tools, providing an open source framework for scientists and medical professionals to modify the genome before the discovery of CRISPR technology.#BenjaminOakes #ScribeTherapeutics #MolecularEngineering #CRISPR #InnovativeGenomicsInstitute #JenniferDoudna #MolecularBiology #UniversityOfCalifornia #Berkeley #SyntheticBiology #ZincFingerNucleases #Optogenetics #EmmanuelleCharpentier  #ProgressPotentialAndPossibilities #IraPastor #Podcast #Podcaster #STEM #Innovation #Technology #Science #ResearchSupport the show

Send us Fan MailBen Zimmer is CEO of Priovant Therapeutics ( https://www.priovanttx.com/ ), a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on delivering novel therapies for autoimmune diseases associated with the greatest morbidity and mortality. Priovant is developing oral brepocitinib, a potential first-in-class dual inhibitor of TYK2 and JAK1, across multiple severe autoimmune indications, unlocking new treatment options for patients who are underserved by existing therapies.Ben joined Priovant from Roivant, where he was a member of the founding team in early 2015 and held multiple leadership roles across the organization, including President, Roivant Health, Chief Operating Officer, and Head, Public Affairs. As President, Roivant Health, Ben led and oversaw the launch of Roivant's Chinese biopharmaceutical subsidiaries, healthcare technology companies (including Datavant), and computationally powered drug discovery platform (including VantAI). Earlier in his career, Ben was a consultant at McKinsey & Co and co-founded and led a public policy non-profit. He holds a BA magna cum laude from Harvard College and a JD from Yale Law School.#BenZimmer #PriovantTherapeutics #AutoimmuneDiseases #Brepocitinib #TYK2 #JAK1 #Dermatomyositis #NonInfectiousUveitis #Pfizer #Roivant #VivekRamaswamy #ProgressPotentialAndPossibilities #IraPastor #Podcast #Podcaster #STEM #Innovation #Technology #Science #ResearchSupport the show