Finding Genius Podcast

As Head of Molecular Proteomics at the Baker Institute and Senior Research Fellow at La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, David Greening brings a significant amount of insight to the podcast today, discussing the following: How proteomics can lead to a better understanding of the role of proteins in disease and health statuses, key regulators in biology, and what components might be found in extracellular vesicles (EVs) Whether EVs appear to be active or passive, and whether there might be some level of EV agency involved The promising field of imaging using fluorescently tagged proteins, vesicles, and RNA Greening's molecular proteomics group focuses mainly on two areas: the study of extracellular vesicles, the components they contain, and the role they serve in cell communication and signaling, and proteomics, which is a field of study that looks at thousands of proteins in the body at a particular time, seeks to identify where they are located, and how they are expressed in states of health and disease. Greening expounds on the many ways in which proteomics can advance our understanding of key regulators in biological processes, diseases such as cancer, what types of proteins are packaged in different EVs released by different cell types, and which components are secreted all at once from particular cells. He also discusses one of the main challenges in the field of proteomics, which is how to identify and analyze low expressed vesicle components. When it comes to EVs and proteomics, Greenings is a wealth of knowledge. Tune in for all the details. For more, visit https://www.baker.edu.au/research/laboratories/molecular-proteomics.

Dr. Rechavi's lab studies C elegans nematodes to explore the heritability of memories-- how reactions to encounter could be passed down through multiple generations. In this podcast, you'll hear him explain: New revelations about heritable capabilities for response behaviors. Why researchers believe a small RNA molecule is a foundation for this heritable behavior and how they've tested heritability of responses to starvation, temperature stress, bacteria pathogenic stress, and more. Where this small RNA message must travels to make it into the gametes' coding and how they've traced the inheritance of such traits for three to five generations. University of Tel Aviv professor Oded Rechavi details his research with C elegans worms to discover more regarding epigenetic inheritance in humans. He clarifies that generally we think of memories as encodings that stay in our brain rather than being passed along. It had been thought that parental responses to some environmental stresses such as starvation wouldn't mark their offspring's reaction. But studies show this notion was incorrect and these responses do travel and make their mark in the germline, being passed down for at least three more generations. He discusses why they believe small RNAs are responsible for this heritable process. He also explains generally the different types of small RNAs and how this involves a particular type with this specialized behavior. What they don't understand but are attempting to further research is the process by which the environment changes the small RNAs. These studies may change the way we understand epigenetic inheritance in humans. For more, including links to papers they've written, see his lab's web site at http://www.odedrechavilab.com/#about .

Andreas Baur, of the College of Science & Technology at Fairmont State University, talks in detail about his interesting research studying extracellular vesicles (EVs). Podcast Points: What is the role of extracellular vesicles in the progression of neurodegenerative disease and cancer? What is protease? Looking at enzymatic activity. What can be learned? Dr. Baur earned his doctorate in organic chemistry from the University of Regensburg before settling into his current duties, and lab work, at Fairmont State. Dr. Baur talks about his research, past, and present. Some of his current work in the lab focuses on the systematic analyzation of vesicles in patients (in plasma). And as a medical doctor, Baur has the kind of access to patients that is necessary for this work. Dr. Baur discusses his past work studying HIV and proteins, considering in vitro studies and the pivotal role of vesicles. He discusses his curiosity, and the questions about why certain proteases were found within, why are certain vesicles in plasma, and why are there even more in HIV, that drove him to dig deeper into his research to find the answers. The research investigator and medical doctor talks about various types of cancers, discussing relapse factors, select patterns, and the continuing role of vesicles. Dr. Baur explains how they use purified vesicles for two types of important diagnostic tests—measuring enzymatic activity as well as looking at proteases, and also in the analysis of factors found in these vesicles. Wrapping up, Dr. Baur discusses coronavirus, transmission, and disease conditions. He talks in-depth about neurodegenerative diseases, other types of diseases, and the various connections, pertaining to vesicles.

In this podcast, Dr. Mehdi Soleymani-Goloujeh, Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology at Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, ACECR, in Iran, discusses regenerative medicine, types of extracellular vesicles and the current state of extracellular vesicles research. Podcast Points: What are exosomes? What are the most important roles of extracellular vesicles within the body? An overview of insulin-producing cells Dr. Soleymani-Goloujeh discusses exosomes. Exosomes are membrane-bound extracellular vesicles (EVs), produced in the endosomal compartment of nearly all eukaryotic cells. EVs, unlike cells, cannot replicate. Dr. Soleymani-Goloujeh talks about the roles that extracellular vesicles can play in the body, and he expounds upon issues regarding insulin and discusses how the pancreas utilizes EVs. Dr. Soleymani-Goloujeh's work covers multiple areas. His work has included research in the area of diabetes, cell-penetrating peptides, extracellular vesicles, and stem cells, cell therapy, nanotechnology, and tissue engineering. Dr. Soleymani-Goloujeh provides an overview of the process of insulin delivery and the delivery of drugs throughout the body. He continues by discussing EV engineering and the various factors that are involved to facilitate efficient delivery. Dr. Soleymani-Goloujeh talks in detail about multiple technologies that pertain to type 1 diabetes, discussing the important roles of exosomes, as well as signaling, and the power of nature.

For 23 years, Cali Estes, Ph.D. has been working with all types of people struggling from all kinds of addictions—from heroin or cocaine or alcohol to food or shopping or pornography. She discusses the following: What type of signs to look for in yourself or others in order to determine whether there is likely a problem with addiction What is meant when someone is said to have an "addictive personality" Why traditional methods of treatment and recovery often fail or don't work for people Dr. Estes works with a wide range of individuals, from the ordinary person to the NFL athlete to some of the most popular celebrities, all of whom struggle in one way or another with some type of addiction. It is her belief that addiction cannot be resolved simply by getting a person to remove the addictive substance or behavior from their life, but by digging deeply until the root cause of addictive behaviors is uncovered; only then can an addiction truly be addressed. She discusses why many conventional approaches to recovery don't work for a lot of people, and what's wrong about the fundamental assumptions such programs rely upon. Dr. Estes' approach is a combination of several methods, including talk therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy techniques, life coaching, addiction coaching, motivational interviewing, and techniques that address brain damage from years' worth of substance use. She discusses how she helps people with her Sober On-Demand program, and proprietary uses of a machine which repairs damaged receptors in the brain. Dr. Estes truly takes a holistic approach to each and every client, addressing their personal and unique needs and goals. In her opinion, the goal isn't just to be sober or free from addiction: the goal is to be happy while sober, and happy while free from addiction. For more information, visit https://caliestes.com/ and https://theaddictionscoach.com/.

From a business perspective, the Christian market is one of the most underserved markets in the natural health space. Eric Zielinski (commonly called Dr. Z) is a doctor of chiropractic, public health researcher, best-selling author, and producer of the Hope for Breast Cancer documentary, and he joins the podcast to discuss a number of interesting topics, such as the following: How and why essential oils, energy healing practices, yoga, CBD, chiropractic therapy, aromatherapy treatment, and even massage therapy can cause concern for many Christians How the lack of emphasis on physical health among Christians is leading to sickness and impeding the ability to fulfill people's missions for God What Dr. Z sees as a double standard regarding religiously-driven avoidance and acceptance of certain substances Biblical health is about healthy living without violating Christian beliefs, and if you ask Dr. Z, he'll tell you it's being severely overlooked and undervalued by many Christians. He argues that this is in large part due to the many concerns and lack of awareness surrounding certain practices and substances becoming increasingly popular in the natural health sector, such as aromatherapy, CBD, essential oils, yoga, and energy healing. One of the biggest problems he sees in this regard is a detrimental double standard: "This is the double standard: I don't see a lot of folks…Mormons, or Jews or Christians or Muslims concerned about opioids or concerned about chemotherapy or highly addictive, potentially damage-causing pharmaceutical drugs, so I'm trying to put things into perspective for people. Why are you so concerned about a plant…an essential oil, when you're going to take a pharmaceutical without a second thought?" he says. He goes on to explain that the key is in educating people and raising awareness about a variety of practices and substances used in health and wellness, and modern medicine. Press play for more.

Alejandro Reyes, Associate Professor, Microbiologist and MSc in Biological Sciences, the University of the Andes, discusses microbes and the importance of gut health. Podcast Points: How do viruses affect the gut? What is a phage? How does the microbiome impact our health? Reyes holds a Ph.D. in Computational and Systems Biology at Washington University in San Luis, MO, United States. Reyes discusses his background and work, and his more than ten years of research studying the microbiome. Reyes's work is focused on Applied Computational Biology, in the development of many tools that can be used for the analysis of data that is derived from current technologies of optical studies, such as genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, etc. for the characterization and classification of microbial communities and their interactions with the environment. He is interested in applications that can be applied to human health outcomes. He discusses viruses and the microbiome in detail, touching on the many viruses that may not make you sick, but stay with you nonetheless, over time. The microbiologist discusses what he specifically studies, regarding the microbiome, detailing information on phages. Bacteriophages, commonly referred to as simply, phages, are the most plentiful organisms within the biosphere. They are an ever-present feature of prokaryotic existence. A bacteriophage, specifically speaking, is a virus that infects a bacterium. Viruses, as we know often infect bacteria, are perhaps the most diverse components of the biosphere, genetically speaking. And the characterizing of phage diversity within the human gut is creating a buzz in the science community in regard to how we view ourselves as supra-organisms. Reyes discusses phage therapy in detail, and he talks about how phages are triggered, providing information on bacteria and how they sacrifice themselves. Reyes continues his discussion by providing information on his thoughts regarding cell attachment. Additionally, he discusses phage population and some other studies they conducted, and he states there is so much that they still must learn about viruses, genes, and phages.

Dr. Carolyn Kurle describes how a biogeochemical tool can explain the foraging patters and locations of animals to improve ecosystem management strategies. She explains: How stable isotope analysis looks at ratios of stable nitrogen and carbon isotopes in animal tissues to understand where that animal is foraging. Why this knowledge can be passed to wildlife managers to increase animal conservation success. Why understanding animal foraging is even more important now because of the effects of climate change. Associate professor in the ecology and behavior and evolution sections at UC San Diego, Dr. Carolyn Kurle works with animal foraging data to improve wildlife management efforts. In this conversation, she explains in particular how stable isotope analysis presents ratios of light to heavy nitrogen and carbon isotopes that tell researchers where an animal has eaten and what they have eaten. She elucidates this complex system by first explaining trophic interactions ecology—a level system from producers up to herbivores, than omnivores, and finally to top predator carnivores. The heavier isotope accumulates at each level and the resulting ratio of heavy to light gives specific-enough information to make foraging inferences. Wildlife managers can create ecosystem management strategies by using this data to understand, for example, how essential the white bark pine needle tree is to grizzly bears. Therefore as this tree is facing disease and pest infestation with reduced numbers, managers know to plan for more effective and specific grizzly bear management. Dr. Kurtle discusses many other examples, including those that show how troubling biomagnification issues for California Condors might be better managed by understanding which populations depend on marine life with high toxic levels. For more, see her website at http://biology.ucsd.edu/research/faculty/ckurle

Rupert Sheldrake, PhD, biologist, and author, known for his hypothesis of morphic resonance, discusses morphogenetic fields, morphic resonance, evolutionary biology, and much more. Podcast Points: What is morphic resonance? Does the brain store memory? A discussion on developing structures and collective memory During his tenure at Cambridge University, Dr. Sheldrake worked in developmental biology as a Fellow of Clare College. Dr. Sheldrake discusses his background and his lifelong love of biology, starting out as a young boy—cultivated through his connections to animals and interest in plants. He discusses his thoughts on science throughout his studies at Cambridge and Harvard. He talks about form development, and the many questions of science, detailing some of his research in cells and cell death. He provides a detailed analysis of his thoughts on morphogenetic fields. A morphogenetic field, simply defined, is a group of cells that are able to respond to separate, local biochemical signals that lead to the development of precise morphological structures, or organs. Continuing, Dr. Sheldrake talks about plant and animal development, and modules that are organized by morphogenetic fields. Expanding his discussion, he explains how fields work, discussing electromagnetic fields and gravitational fields. As he explains, fields are spread out, in and around, a developing plant or animal, and they contain a formal structure, which is what molds or shapes the developing structures. He cites examples that substantiate his theories, regarding fields and the wholly integrative nature of those fields. He discusses his theories on morphic resonance, and how individual organisms can draw on collective memories of the form of their ancestors. Going further, Dr. Sheldrake explains his other thoughts on form and other hypotheses regarding memory, and the brain's memory storage abilities, detailing morphic resonance and how the evidence, he states, points to the fact that the brain actually tunes in to memory, but that memory is not actually 'stored.'

At Turn Biotechnologies, the team is attempting the seemingly impossible: the reversal of ageing. On today's podcast, you'll learn the following: What role epigenetic drift plays in the process of ageing at the cellular level, and what can trigger it How the team at Turn Bio is reprogramming the epigenetic signature of age, and the promising results that have already been shown in mouse models How the process of extracting, rejuvenating and returning cells to tissue works How the work being done could eventually address the effects of ageing and/or prevent age-related diseases "It is possible to reverse the epigenetic landscape of the cells and bring it back in time so that a cell, which by the process of aging becomes dysfunctional with time, can actually be reprogrammed or reversed in a way that it becomes more youthful and more functional, and this could have repercussions on the cell itself, but also broadly speaking, systemically in the individual," says Vittorio Sebastiano, explaining the premise of Turn Bio, a company for which he serves as both co-founder and scientific advisory board chairman. Sebastiano expounds on a number of interesting subjects, including what causes genes to express certain types of cells and what types of environmental stimuli may disrupt this programming, leading to the creation of dysfunctional cell types (i.e. what he calls the process of ageing), various methods of epigenetic regulation, the hallmarks of cellular ageing, the important distinction between ageing and senescence, and what he sees in terms of both short-term and long-term goals with this work. Visit https://www.turn.bio/ to learn more.