Talking Biotech with Dr. Kevin Folta

Immunotherapies represent a powerful suite of treatments that co-opt the immune system to target deleterious cellular conditions.  They have been effective with a series of cancers and other disorders. The problem is that development of new antibodies can be challenging for several technical reasons, but also because no two people are alike. Dr. Liang Schweizer of HiFiBio describes how her company is using single-cells and microfluidics to identify new antibodies that may be mobilized against discrete cellular targets, as well as what they have learned about heterogeneity between patients and how to identify specific biomarkers that could guide application of the most effective treatments. 

Dogs are a recent species, and because of their close associations with humans have diverged into hundreds of breeds with specific behaviors, sizes and builds. There also is a great range in life expectancy and anticipated disease.  Dogs therefore provide an excellent model to study aging and aging-related disorders, as well as understand the genetics and associated factors of aging. Celine Halioua, the CEO of Loyal, joins the podcast to discuss research into dog genetics and the factors that influence aging, along with her company's attempts to find drugs that can attenuate the process, and possibly be extended to humans. 

A microbiome is described as a population of bacteria, fungi, protists and viruses that inhabit a specific environment. Animals, including humans, are composed of many microbiomes featuring trillions of microbes. There are different microbiomes found throughout the animal digestive tract, each with important roles in animal digestion, feed conversion, overall health. Dr. Mallory Embree is the co-founder and CSO of Native Microbials. Her company has explored relationships between microbial populations and important animal production and health metrics. They have devised custom mixtures of bacteria and fungi to supplement the diet, with positive results from cattle and chickens, and companion animals like dogs. Their pipeline features multiple products that specifically target aspects of animal husbandry. Their results verify that adjustment of the microbiome can have positive effects on animals, farmer profit, and even enhanced environmental sustainability. 

This week's podcast has two parts. In the first section University of Idaho lactation specialist Dr. Shelley McGuire discusses the recent paper that claims to have found the herbicide glyphosate in breast milk. In the second half Gabe Ignetti from the Ecomodernist Society of North America discusses an environmental movement that embraces science, including biotechnology and nuclear power. 

Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death, but is remarkably treatable if caught early. Unfortunately, because of the invasive nature of the colonoscopy, many elect not to have this procedure done in a regular and timely manner. Colorectal cancers advance from normal cells through several distinct neoplasias, each with distinct patterns of gene expression. Today's guest is Dr. Erica Barnell from Geneoscopy.  They have devised a test to identify evidence of precancerous gene expression in the stool.  This advance makes early detection more feasible, along with a higher likelihood of frequent testing, at a significantly lower cost than outpatient procedures. Genoscopy Information:Website:     www.geneoscopy.comLinkedIn:     @GeneoscopyTwitter:        @GeneoscopyCo    Facebook:  @GeneoscopyCo

The foundation of many modern consumer products begins with petroleum. Fossil fuels contain the building blocks of higher-complexity polymers, and are used in the creation of everything from high performance plastics in medical devices to your computer screen. But using petroleum use is not sustainable and has impacts in climate and pollution. What if the same molecular polymer backbones could be produced using biological organisms? Dr. Scott Franklin from Checkerspot explains how microalgae are being used to manufacture the fundamental building blocks of high performance polymers in a system that creates zero waste. These chemical backbones are used to create high-performance polymers that are fashioned into sporting goods for consumers interested in sustainability. 

Injury to organs frequently results in impaired function due to the formation of scar tissue. Heart attacks and chronic high blood pressure can induce the formation of pathogenic fibroblasts, cells that lose their original function, yet maintain some structural element of the injured tissue. The formation of fibrogenic tissue affects a significant portion of the population, and contributes to decline associated with many diseases, such as congestive heart failure or liver cirrhosis. A new technology uses targeted lipid nanoparticles to reprogram T-cells to attack pathogenic fibroblasts.  

Prion disorders are rare neurological diseases where a protein within the nervous system converts to a pathological form. The change in conformation affects other proteins, recruiting them to the misshapen, deleterious type. Chronic wasting disease is a neurological disease of deer, caused by prion conversion. In this episode Dr. Sandra Pritzkow from University of Texas Health - Houston describes prion related disease, and specifically the atypical transmission elements of chronic wasting disease. 

Specific chemistries are used to protect crops from insects, weeds, fungi and other microbes. Legacy issues with some older pesticides led to restrictions or bans on their use. Unfortunately, suspicion remains around contemporary solutions, even though today's chemistries are highly  specific, with low toxicity to non-target organisms, including humans. Use of crop protection compounds is critical to all agriculture, including organic production. However, activist groups continue to manufacture fear, uncertainty and doubt to override what we really know about the detection of these compounds in food and the relative toxicity at levels found. Dr. Liza Dunn is an emergency medical doctor and toxicologist.  For the last several years she has been working with the Bayer Corporation, and has been a leading important conversations about pesticides, residues, and their potential for impacts on human health. Follow her at @DrLizaMD

Epigenetic regulation of gene expression occurs via many mechanisms.  One method is the methylation of regulatory sequences that control the expression of specific genes. Methylation is the addition of a small methyl group to specific bases of the DNA helix. Addition of a methyl group can change how the DNA blueprint is accessed and expressed.  Today's guest is Prof. Asaf Hellman. His group has found relationships between the methylation state of DNA and expression of genes associated with diabetes and cancers. Understanding these patterns may help inform predisposition to disease, as well as eventually causal factors and drug targets.