Finding Genius Podcast

Associate professor in molecular biosciences at Northwestern University, Erik Andersen, discusses his research in quantitative and molecular genetics. Tune in to learn: How millions of genetic variants in a section of a genome can be narrowed down to just one or two How and for what purpose Andersen uses CRISPR-Cas9 in his research Andersen's short and long-term research goals "If we could sequence a genome and then read it like a book, could we predict or understand the phenotype of an organism…how long we would live, the types of drugs we could take that would be most efficacious towards treating certain types of diseases, whether we're predisposed to other diseases?" In Andersen's lab, the focus is on answering this question by using roundworm nematodes to study the connection between the genome and different traits of the organism. He explains that there are many examples—not just in nematodes, but in flies and yeast and humans—of correlation between genetic sequence changes from organism to organism and trait differences. In humans, two of the most well-known are for type II diabetes risk and height. Andersen is looking at how differences in DNA can explain phenotypic differences such as responses to chemotherapeutics and toxins. This type of work is particularly challenging because there could be millions of variants in a particular region of the genome that may correlate with the trait of interest. This is where quantitative genetics tends to stop, and Andersen's research picks up. He explains that by using a genetic system like the nematode, large populations of individuals can be grown, their genomes can be mixed using genetic crosses, and the correlations can be broken down and further refined. This allows for the narrowing down of millions of variants to just a few hundred variants; additional crosses at this point can eventually break down those hundreds of variants to just one. Andersen dives into the details of this research and so much more, including what his research has shown about genetic polymorphism, what technologies have made this research possible, and the many benefits of using roundworms for this research. For more, visit https://www.molbiosci.northwestern.edu/people/core-faculty/erik-andersen.html. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK

Space historian, author, and founder of the website Behind the Black, Bob Zimmerman, shares compelling insight into the world of his expertise on space information and the latest space technology. In this episode, you will discover: Why Zimmerman believes the Apollo 8 mission in 1968 had the greatest historical and cultural impact Why JFK sent us to the moon and how he used the Soviet model to do it The current transition from governmental control to the privately-run industry in space exploration, and how NASA's bureaucracy has attempted to slow this transition "You cannot separate space exploration from the politics…and the culture of its time," says Zimmerman. He discusses the Apollo program—the individual missions and the overall purpose and outcome of it. He also discusses the Space Shuttle program and why it largely failed to meet its supposedly intended goal. So, what is the aim of most projects focused on the moon? Zimmerman says it's to explore the potential of permanently shadowed craters on the moon where the sun never shines. Some data suggest that ice might be located in these areas, which means there would be oxygen and hydrogen, and therefore a source of fuel. He goes on to explain the efforts of various characters to explore these potentialities. In the last decade, Zimmerman says that the US has been transitioning away from the Soviet model to the US model within which private enterprise operates, and that NASA is no longer the leader of everything done in this field. He dives into the details of what this means, what SpaceX has accomplished since entering this market, the purpose and design of what's called the Mission Extension Vehicle (MEV), and so much more. Press play for an in-depth conversation covering all things space and space tech with a true expert on the matter. To learn more, check out https://behindtheblack.com/. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK

Professor Carvalho researches parasitic diseases in humans. In this podcast, she focuses on causes of malaria and tells listeners How the malaria parasite transmits to humans and more about its complex life cycle, Why investigating the stage of red blood cell infection, which initiates malaria symptoms, is key to preventing disease progression, and Why denying the parasites some cellular ingredients may arrest their development and provide cost-effective prevention measures. Teresa Carvalho is a senior lecturer of physiology, anatomy, and microbiology at La Trobe University in Australia. She explains the basic elements of parasitic diseases in humans and how parasites that cause malaria enter the blood stream from the salivary glands of mosquitos. After they go to the liver, they return to the red blood cells, feed on hemoglobin, expand, and divide. One parasite can divide until as many as 32 leave one blood cell. They destroy red blood cells along the way, which leads to fever and other detrimental results. Disease progression includes severe anemia and debilitating cerebral malaria, which can result in blood clots and coma. Dr. Carvalho takes this information and explains key moments for therapeutic intervention, the crux of her research. Because their time in the red blood cells cause malaria symptoms and disease, scientists think this is when to focus treatment and research. She adds that it's a more accessible moment for research because they can culture these parasites in the lab in red blood cells. She also describes some of the mystery causes of malaria. For example, even the red blood cells that are not infected by the parasite die—she and her lab are trying to understand why. One theory involves extracellular vesicles these parasites use to communicate with each other. She also describes challenges to these studies, the hope of repurposing drugs that are used for other disease, as well as the urgency: children under five are the largest group that die from malaria. For more about her work and to contact her with questions, see her page on the La Trobe University website: scholars.latrobe.edu.au/display/tcarvalho. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK

Researcher Brenda McManus is leading a microbiology study to better understand periodontal disease and foot ulcers in patients with diabetes. She explains her microbial research by discussing How Staphylococcus aureus links molecular biology, periodontal disease, and foot ulcers; Why patients with diabetes are immunologically prone to these microbial vulnerabilities; and How she's identifying if the staph in the nose cavity is the same as that in the foot and next steps to find if it travels through the bloodstream or through contact. Dr. Brenda McManus is an Experimental Officer in Microbiology in the School of Dental Science at Trinity College in Dublin. She talks about her microbiology study involving dental health, foot ulcers, and diabetes with a focus on Staphylococci species. They've found bacteria in foot ulcers that "shouldn't be there," and these same bacteria are present in periodontal disease. She establishes why patients who suffer from diabetes struggle with foot ulcers and periodontal disease, from such reasons as poor circulation or nerve damage from excess glucose. This means they can't feel an injury to the foot or can't feel pain when a wound is developing. In addition, bacteria in periodontal disease can cause pockets in the gums and swelling and can ultimately lead to tooth loss. It is twice as common and more severe in people who have diabetes. She mentions additional research showing links between periodontal disease and other diseases throughout the body including heart and kidney disease. She describes her current research and says her team is comparing genomic sequences of different staph samples from the mouth, fingers, toes, and more, identifying which species are in each site. She adds that if they identify the same species in all the different sites, they will compare the isolate genomes. If they are the same, that would be very strong evidence that there is a link between these sites. She describes next steps, therapeutic goals, and the importance of awareness of periodontal health and disease prevention. For more, see her information on the Trinity College website, tcd.ie/research/profiles/?profile=bmcmanu, and find her on Research Gate and LinkedIn. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK

Researcher Mark Denison has studied infectious diseases and specifically coronaviruses for decades and he explains some unique elements of their daunting mechanisms. He discusses What's different about their genome size, replicating capabilities, protein encyclopedia, and more; How the enzyme that provides its proofreading system is a standalone in RNA viruses and why that's important to its function; and How all these variables are working toward different theories about ways to manage its infiltration. Mark Denison is Director of the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University. He's spent much of his career working with coronaviruses and was concerned about a scenario like our current one long before March. He backs up and explains some general findings about coronaviruses including their unique capacity for rapid evolution and adaptation, entry, recruitment of cellular machinery, and so on. He tells listeners that they have significantly more base pairs than other RNA viruses. In fact, this is one of the largest RNA replicating genomes known. Its mechanisms are responsible for symptoms like recurrent fever causes and vulnerability for immunodeficiency sufferers. In 2007, Dr Denison and his team made a significant discovery about this type of virus after years of mystification surrounding its ability to regulate itself, as if it were not error prone, unlike other RNA viruses. They found that coronaviruses are the only known organisms that encode an RNA-dependent, RNA-proofreading system. Many organisms have a proofreading system for copying, but most RNA viruses, like dengue for example, lack the ability to fix mistakes. They create a crowd of mutants around them. Denison explains how this determines the ecology of most RNA viruses and how the enzyme that proofreads for coronaviruses makes for a very different ecology and virulence quality. He also explains the experiments his lab has made on the SARS-CoV-2 "wild-type" virus they've worked with to either decrease or increase its mutation rates as well as connections with therapy possibilities. He addresses concerns about flu season and the difficulty in diagnosing recurrent fever causes when both are an issue. Finally, he offers a reality check on what we can predict about SARS-CoV-2's future in the general population and those with immunodeficiency. For more, google his name and see his lab website: www.vumc.org/denison-lab. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK

Researcher Rebecca Traub discusses the most prevalent and damaging types of parasites in Australia and Southeast Asia. She describes How a parasite's life cycle means that her work as a veterinary parasitologist involves the human animal as well, How hookworms are the cause of a massive level of morbidity despite a simple deworming treatment, and How these worms cause anemia and other bodily trauma and how WHO has tried to combat its impact. Rebecca Traub is a professor in veterinary parasitology at the University of Melbourne. She's had a prolific career, with over 130 publications and several book chapters on the veterinary parasitology impact factors in Australia and Southeast Asia. Her work expands beyond cats and dogs and includes any animal impacted by parasites and their life cycles, including human mammals and resulting public health issues. She explains that parasites use a number of different hosts to stay alive. Therefore, her work can involve wildlife and conservation medicine. As an example, she recounts some work she did to help repopulate an island with the eastern barred bandicoot after an infestation by parasites carried by feral dogs hurt their population. The majority of her work now is with zoonoses, or parasites transmitted between animals and humans through various means, but her main focus is on soil-transmitted helminths and tick-borne and flea-borne parasites. She describes one of the most dangerous parasites in the world, a soil-borne parasite called Ancylostoma ceylanicum, which is dropped in the soil from dog feces. It's the second most common hookworm in Australia and Southeast Asia and therefore has a tremendous veterinary parasitology impact factor. She explains why it is still a massive problem despite a large-scale effort on WHO's part to decrease its morbidity. She goes into detail about how these worms harm the human body and possible next steps to decrease its negative impact. For more, see her university website at pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/individuals/professor-rebecca-traub and search her name in Google Scholar. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK

Chair of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of South Alabama, Kevin Macaluso, joins the show to discuss something you might not have even heard of: rickettsiology. Tune in to discover: What types of symptoms arise when tick-borne spotted fever goes undetected in the host In what ways rickettsia behave like viruses, and how they use host cell molecules to move around and penetrate neighboring cells What types of vector, host, and pathogenic variables are at play in the transmission biology of rickettsia Rickettsiology is the study of obligate intracellular gram-negative bacteria that was described over 100 years ago by Howard Taylor Ricketts, a physician who set out to study the then-unknown source of a lethal disease often referred to as black measles or spotted fever. Through a series of studies, Ricketts and other researchers figured out that the bacteria causing the disease could be transmitted through tick bites. Over 40 species of rickettsia have been identified worldwide. Ultimately, it is Macaluso's goal to figure out what drives rickettsial diseases and rickettsial infection in order to potentially intervene in the transmission cycle or find a treatment. Macaluso's research is centered around the disease transmission cycle of rickettsia. "Because you're dealing with bacteria that are transmitted by arthropods to vertebrate hosts, they form a triad of vector-borne diseases, and there are a lot of variables associated with that…it's a complex interaction between these three organisms, and we study all aspects of it," explains Macaluso. He goes on to explain the mechanisms of the bacteria once in the body, including how and where they replicate in the body, how they disseminate in the body, how certain rickettsial pathogens affect the ticks through which transmission occurs, and more. Visit https://www.southalabama.edu/colleges/com/departments/microbiology/ for more info. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK

Paul Offit, MD is Director of the Vaccine Education Center, professor of pediatrics in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and Maurice R. Hilleman Professor of Vaccinology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. He joins the show to share his perspective on COVID-19 and discuss COVID-19 vaccine updates. Press play to learn: What a phase 3 trial for a vaccine for this viruswould mean, and how important it is Why and how it might be possible to produce a commercial COVID-19 vaccine within 1.5 years of identifying the strain, when other vaccine research and development programs take 15-20 years What types of novel methods can be used for vaccine development "The fact that two-thirds of the population would get a theoretical, unknown vaccine for which they have no data against a virus which has been, at best, elusive…is pretty amazing…I think I would have answered 'No' to that question; I want to see the data first," says Dr. Offit. The COVID-19 vaccine development program is receiving unprecedented international interest, much of which is in the form of billions of dollars poured in by the WHO, the US Department of Health and Human Services, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and about 80 other companies worldwide. Dr. Offit expresses concern over the less extensive licensure process and safety issues that may be associated with the emergency-use authorization for a COVID-19 vaccine. On this note, he discusses the importance of phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials involving a cohort of 30,000 people, 20,000 of which would receive the experimental vaccine and 10,000 of which would receive a placebo. Dr. Offit also discusses the efforts behind Operation Warp Speed, COVID-19 vaccine progress, what it would mean to have a vaccine provide short-lived and incomplete protection, novel mechanisms of vaccine development such as those that rely upon messenger RNA, information about the potential of the COVID-19 virus to mutate away from potential vaccines, and much more. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK

Associate Professor at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School, Purnima Bhanot, joins the show to discuss all things malaria. In this episode, you will discover: What the malaria parasite does once it enters the human body How many deaths continue to occur annually as a result of malaria, and why approximately 80% of these deaths are of children under age five When and how a human can build an immune response and avoid the worst consequences of malaria How the insecticide DDT was used for malaria control, and how it actually led to a resurgence of malaria in countries that had nearly eradicated it Malaria has plagued the human species for as long as we have known agriculture. With about 200 million cases and 400,000 deaths per year, it has a staggering toll on human life, but only half of the toll it had about a decade ago. Malaria is caused by a parasite called Plasmodium, which is transmitted to humans through the bite of the Anopheles mosquito. The disease affects primarily children under the age of five in sub-Saharan Africa, and leads to a number of malaria symptoms, including high fever, chills, anemia, coma, and death. Bhanot explains the malaria life cycle and exactly how it interacts with the body during subclinical and clinical phases of the disease. She also discusses which populations of individuals are most vulnerable to the disease and why, what sort of control methods have been implemented, how the immune response to the parasite works, whether malaria infects non-human animals, the increasing resistance to antimalarial drugs and how this is being studied, possible malaria treatments, and so much more. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK

Research Fellow at Imperial College London, Dr. Stephanie Wright, shares the expertise she's gained over the course of nearly a decade researching the biological and environmental impacts of microplastic pollution. Press play to learn: How up to 90% of household synthetic fibers may end up as soil conditioner to agricultural fields By what chemical and physical mechanisms plastics turn into microplastics Approximately how many microplastic particles we are exposed to on a daily basis through diet Where does that plastic soda bottle you're drinking from end up? How does the mere friction produced by your movement release synthetic clothing fibers into the environment, and where do those end up? What are "microplastic sinks" and where are they found? These are just a few of the questions explored by Dr. Wright, who's been fascinated by marine biology since the early days of undergraduate school. At the time, she was doing lab-based research on the impact of microplastic ingestion by marine worms. The findings showed negative effects, including less feeding and a compromised ability to store energy. What might this suggest about the impact of microplastic pollution in the marine environment and on other species? Her current area of research is on human exposure to and human health effects of airborne microplastic pollution, which she says requires a strong focus on analytical techniques since the particles of interest are on the micron scale. These particles can enter the central airway and lower lung, and part of her research aims to identify evidence of this internal exposure and better understand how microplastics affect human cells of the airway. Are microplastics even toxic, and if so, what exactly makes them toxic? What are some potential microplastics pollution solutions and reduction strategies? Tune in for all the details on these important topics, and learn more at https://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/s.wright19https://www.imperial.ac.uk/people/s.wright19. Available on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2Os0myK