Finding Genius Podcast

Carlos R. Ponce, MD, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Department of Neuroscience at Washington University School of Medicine discusses his work studying conscious understanding. Dr. Ponce's research program seeks to explain and elaborate on how various brain regions interact to solve motion processing as well as visual object recognition, by utilizing a combination of reversible deactivation and sophisticated microstimulation techniques, and computational modeling. Dr. Ponce holds an MD-PhD from Harvard Medical School and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Utah. Dr. Ponce talks about what motivated him to study and research the brain, cells, and signals, and he explains how the interaction happens that creates a consciousness of vision. Building upon fifty to sixty years of work in vision, Dr. Ponce seeks to learn more about the brain's hierarchy of visual areas—groups of neurons. As he explains, cells in the occipital lobe respond to basic information, lines and dots, but these cells communicate with other cells that respond to slightly more complicated information such as corners and curvature, and then these cells project to other cells that respond to texture, and so on, in a systematic way that ultimately provides conscious understanding. The physician-scientist explains the process and the stages that take place as light enters the eye, from light hitting the retina, to the center of the brain, to the primary visual cortex cells, and eventually the temporal cortex, which completes visual comprehension. He expounds upon his thoughts on how his research is related to AI, and how neural networks respond to complex shapes. He details how neural networks receive information and how they learn, and compares that to how the human brain learns. As he explains, the human brain has much-unsupervised learning, which is different than AI. Dr. Ponce explains his thoughts about the human brain, and how it is a form of a neural network. Dr. Ponce cites some examples that explain his theories and research. He details generative adversarial networks (GANs), which are a class of machine learning systems, and he explains evolutionary algorithms, and then outlines how they utilize this combination to find and extract information that is hidden by a cell. The Harvard Ph.D. explains the state of machine learning, and he discusses some subtleties of machine vision. And Dr. Ponce cites examples of early experimentation in machine vision, discussing symmetry and other factors.

Dr. Sam Rodgers, Medical Director for Medichecks (medichecks.com), provides a thorough overview of his company and their mission. Dr. Rodgers joined Medichecks as their Medical Director in 2017. He has worked extensively as a GP in the London area for over a decade. The Medichecks mission is to deliver advanced laboratory blood screening options to everyone. By connecting the top pathology laboratories with innovative consumer technology Medichecks offers blood testing that is efficient and simple to utilize. The Medichecks director discusses the background and history of his company. He explains the process and the methods for sampling they use. Medichecks offers convenience in that users have the option of collecting their blood samples through simple-to-use, at-home finger pricks or the standard doctor's office venous sampling. Results are provided online replete with a doctor's report. As Dr. Rodgers states, the essence of the service is easy to use and provides tremendous convenience. Dr. Rodgers talks about the many benefits that their system offers, such as getting some early results before a doctor's visit, because visit scheduling is such that it may be three weeks or so before most people can get in to see their doctor in the UK. And as Dr. Rodgers communicates, at Medichecks they are particularly interested in focusing on the lifestyle measures that people can take to improve their health and wellness. By looking at results, individuals can help themselves to make better choices and potentially avoid some health problems down the road. And he talks about their early experimentation with AI as a means to further improve their successful system that is currently in place. While he hesitates to say that AI will ever replace doctors, it can certainly enhance and augment their diagnostic skills. The diagnostics innovator discusses how different types of people can utilize their system, such as athletes, for example, who can use the Medichecks platform to improve health and performance. Whatever the goal of the individual… to feel better than they currently do, to strive to live longer, or exercise harder, etc., the Medichecks system, with its easy, at-home testing options makes health monitoring simpler than ever before.

Sharmin Habib, OD, optometrist, wellness advocate, and Co-Founder of Umay provides an overview of digital eye strain and how her company is working to reduce it for everyone. The innovative, patented technology developed by Habib's company is predicated upon years of thermal therapy research with a focus on restoring eye health. Umay's proprietary 'Thermal Meditation' can assist digital device users who seek to reset the effects of screen time via relaxation of the mind and restoration of the organic function of our eyes. Umay was selected as a finalist of the Global Accelerator program. The eye doctor and relaxation innovator discuss how she and her brother combined their skills to launch Umay. Habib states that many of us may have regular symptoms such as itchy, red, burning or dry eyes, which could very well be an indication that digital eye strain is occurring. With daily average screen usage times accelerating up to nearly 11 hours per day, Habib says that digital eye strain puts excess stress on the oil glands found along the eyelid margin. Remarkably, our blink rate is reduced by up to 70% when we are looking into screens. And as she states, it is these needed blinks that help pump out healthy oils from those glands that help keep our tears from evaporating or drying out. Heat, Habib states, is the way to get those oil glands working again to do their job in protecting the eyes. Habib's brother's own eye problems were the inspiration for them to find a better way to apply heat, in a controlled manner, that would be efficient and easy, and allow those suffering from eye strain to find relief. Habib states that most eye doctors who direct patients to use warm compresses over their eyes for eye strain report that many of their patients are noncompliant. With the difficulty in regulating temperature, mess, and impracticality, patients just simply were not making the effort. These problems of use were important considerations in the design of Umay's device. Habib talks about the sensory experience and she explains the many benefits of their device, providing feedback they have received from their users. She explains their other device integrations such as meditation experiences with the guided breath, and she details how their device can vary the temperature and how it can help users enhance focus, at the moment, on their sensory experience. And Habib discusses how this mindfulness before sleep can create a relaxed state that can improve sleep quality. Umay's product is designed to easily fit into an individual's bedtime, wellness routine, or during the day whenever they feel the need.

Joana Vaz de Castro, ORL, discusses the research and treatment of diseases of the ears, nose, and larynx, as well as sleep disorders. Joana Vaz de Castro is an Otorhinolaryngology (ORL) Specialist, commonly referred to as an ear, nose and throat surgeon, or ENT. Joana earned her Masters in Medicine from the Nova Medical School, went on to complete her specialist degree in ORL, then began her work in the Ph.D. Neuroscience Program of the University of Lisbon Medical School. Additionally, Joana trained for certification in sleep medicine at the European Sleep Research Society in the Centre of Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology (CENC). The Ph.D. talks about her background and her particular interest in sleep-disordered breathing. She explains how snoring and sleep apnea affects the body. She discusses the obstructions to breathing and elaborates on how they work with patients to treat the whole problem, not just one element. And she talks in detail about the anatomical disorders and options for treatment. ENT doctors can provide advanced medical and surgical care for patients who suffer from many issues related to the proper functioning of the ear, nose, and throat areas of the body, including but not limited to chronic allergies, facial pain, headaches, sleep disorders or other sinus or ENT conditions. The sleep doctor details some of the current issues with insurance and the types of evaluations sleep doctors should engage in with all their patients, and the discussions doctors should have pre and post surgery. The sleep expert and Ph.D. further discusses how insomnia and sleep apnea often go together, especially with women. She states that both must be treated at the same time in order for treatment to be most effective. Joana provides valuable information on some of the various breathing masks that are available and some of the issues that users occasionally have with them. Additionally, she discusses mild sleep apnea and how it may progress as patients get older, put on additional weight, etc.

William M. Hang, MSD, has been an orthodontist for 47 years now. He was trained in a conventional way like everyone else; taught to focus on the straightening of the teeth and not pay much attention to the structure of the face. But in the early 80s, he began noticing differences between the way his patient's faces looked before and after tooth extractions, realizing many of these patients were made worse off by the procedure. He also started hearing about the procedure leading to problems such as chronic headaches and neck pain. That was when he started travelling the world in search of a new way of doing things. In 1989, he started reopening extraction spaces for people who had previously had bicuspid teeth removed, and this was resulting in restored facial balance and relief from headaches and neck pain. For the past 20 years, Dr. Hang's focus has been on another issue associated with all of the problems that extractions and traditional orthodontic approaches can cause: breathing problems and sleep apnea. He joins the podcast today to offer an in-depth look at what's wrong with the traditional approach in orthodontics, the effects of retraction, the growing number of children being diagnosed with sleep apnea and why this is, the possible misdiagnosis of sleep apnea as ADHD in children, why the advent of agriculture marked the beginning of the development of the facial features we see today, a technique called orthotropics, myofunctional therapy, the importance of optimizing facial growth in young children, the services offered at his practice, Face Focused, and so much more. Press play for the full conversation and visit https://facefocused.com/ to learn more about Dr. Hang's practice.

He's had countless interests over the course of his career as a gastroenterologist and professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, but Dr. David Cave's most current interest is an approach in gastroenterology called video capsule endoscopy. This procedure involves a pill not much larger than a pill of aspirin that has the capability of taking pictures all throughout the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. By providing an unprecedented way of looking at the GI tract, this technology has resulted in a treasure trove of new, incredibly useful diagnostic information. Dr. Cave was the first in the U.S. to utilize this technology and was the only one using it for over a year since the first device was introduced in 2001. He joins the podcast today to discuss how the technology had advanced and evolved over the years, the information that's been discovered as a result of this technology, the recent development of a magnetically controlled capsule, the possibility of using artificial intelligence in reading the images captured by these capsules, the results of a randomized controlled trial that compared capsule endoscopy with the standard of care in detecting active bleeding in patients, and so much more.

Dr. James Hickman, Ph.D., and Chief Science Officer of Hesperos (hesperosinc.com), the 'Human-on-a-Chip' company, delivers a thorough overview of his work designing custom systems for disease modeling and drug testing. Hickman is a pioneer in his field and noted for Hesperos' technological 'Human-on-a-Chip' platform. Dr. Hickman is renowned for his work in general, and for publishing the very first serum-free, defined culture system specifically for neuronal systems (Schaffner, Barker, et al. 1995), which has now been extended from rat to mouse, and more recently—to human. Hickman is also recognized for his work that established functional in vitro systems. Dr. Hickman explains the origins of Hesperos. As the Ph.D. explains, he combined his technology… functional in vitro systems and his collaborator's multi-organ metabolic systems to create, as the old axiom states, an end result in which the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This collaboration between Dr. Hickman and Michael L. Shuler, Ph.D. led to the beginning of Hesperos. Dr. Hickman explains functional readouts, and how they recreate functions such as muscle contractions, cardiac electrical activity, and force, neuronal communication, etc. and combine them into a multi-organ system where the fluid is recirculating. Dr. Hickman explains the Hesperos method and what they offer. Hesperos can provide four human-on-a-chip systems specifically designed for disease modeling and drug testing. And their multi-organ, human-based screening platforms are successful as a means to identify first-in-class drugs and develop unique medicines for complex diseases. The Ph.D. explains the differences between in vivo tissue engineering and in vitro tissue engineering in regard to reproducing function. Further, he discusses their hopes and expectations for approval to the clinical trial phase, for drugs that have been tested in the Hesperos systems. He talks about some of the FDA requirements for drugs, in regard to how the drugs work within systems, how long they stay active, etc. Dr. Hickman explains how the Hesperos system is especially great for difficult, rare diseases, as they can build a phenotypic model, produce aspects of the disease, and then demonstrate that the disease can be reversed or ameliorated. Wrapping up, Dr. Hickman talks about the specific types of models that their clients have requested. And as most of what Hesperos delivers is custom designed, there is a great scientific opportunity on the horizon.

It's about the size of a credit card and contains nothing but several microfluidic channels which connect to a 3D chamber where segments of human organs are grown and subjected to a multitude of tests that have historically only been carried out in vitro or using animal models: this is the Organ-on-Chip technology being developed at Nortis. CEO of the company, Dr. Thomas Neumann, joins the podcast to discuss the ins and outs of the science behind this technology, as well as the benefits of testing on human tissues directly as opposed to animal models, how the Organ-on-Chip technology allows them to zoom in on particular functions of complex organs like kidneys and livers in a way that would be impossible with the model of an entire organ, how the technology allows for the modelling of diseases such as polycystic kidney disease, the tracking of drug pathways in the body and measurements of drug secretion, and the variety of tissue-engineered structures they're creating. Dr. Neumann discusses how this technology could advance personalized medicine and the development of drugs for the treatment of cancer, as well as the potential it holds in the near and long-term future. Interested in learning more? Tune in and visit https://www.nortisbio.com/.

Jamie Burke, Founder, and CEO of Outlier Ventures provides an overview of bitcoin and blockchain and the ways that companies can aggressively push their businesses forward with emerging technologies. Burke is a pioneer in the blockchain industry. As Europe's 1st Web 3.0 blockchain venture builder, he and his team have pushed forward on utilizing blockchain as a significant key to emerging trends (AI, Mixed Reality, IoT, and Autonomous Robotics) that will play key roles in multiple industries such as Industry 4.0, eGovt, Health, Mobility, and Smart Cities. Burke talks about his background in blockchain and cryptocurrency. He explains that he wanted to launch Outlier Ventures as a means to deal with the technology and tools that would be fundamentally changing the web and how it is structured, and subsequently society as a whole. Discovering bitcoin, he decided to immerse himself in the space, studying the technology, rooting out the problems, and identifying areas that could be improved upon. Burke discusses the disconnect with proprietary business models building on open source technologies, meaning that even if an entity could create something truly unique, there was the problem of someone else potentially coming in and copying what you've created, and doing it at a lower price even. The technology guru explains the many ways that Outlier Ventures can assist companies, as an advisor or board member, helping them find the most efficient and aggressive ways to utilize emerging technologies. As he discusses, Outlier Ventures can help them design their token economy or assist them in designing their governance model. He explains how their staff of analysts really dig into the technology and the technology layers to maximize a company's market-forward position. Continuing, Burke talks about how Outlier Ventures invests in projects that reinforce their previous investments, which is a markedly different approach than what is considered a traditional VC path in which investments are diversified to offset risk. Burke is a regular speaker at various conferences around the globe, and throughout his career he has amassed a strong network of significant corporate partners, investors, and government agencies as well, working together to build better tech for the benefit of many industries.

In this podcast, Dr. Michael Skinner, School of Biological Sciences at Washington State University, discusses epigenetic transgenerational inheritance and the potential long term impact of toxins. Dr. Skinner discusses his research within the area of epigenetic transgenerational inheritance. He explains the different ways males versus females are potentially impacted. He outlines how gestating females may be exposed to toxins, and what type of affect exposure can have on not only the offspring but future generations as well. Dr. Skinner discusses the various types of toxins, toxins that could come via our nutrition, from factors such as smoking and alcohol, and of course detrimental environmental toxicants. The biological expert's work centers upon the study of gonadal growth and differentiation, as it pertains to reproductive biology. The PhD talks about the differences between men and women in terms of how they are affected. Dr. Skinner explains that men 'turn over' their sperm at a rapid rate, and that a man's environmental exposures can change the epigenetics of the stem cell within, that produces the sperm. This change could then impact all the subsequent sperm that is generated thereafter. Additionally, Dr. Skinner discusses how females are affected by toxins, and how the research shows that females have an ability to somewhat ward themselves against environmental toxins, etc. and are therefore more resistant. Dr. Skinner recounts some of their research with the finches on the Galápagos Islands. Some of the finches there, as he explains, showed changes within their phenotypes—alterations of metabolism, color, beak structures, and more, even though the genetics was the same for all the finches across all sites. After their research was complete they were then able to say with confidence that environmental epigenetics does generate a shift in the phenotype that is independent of the internal genetics.