Science Philosophy in a Flash: Curiosity and Compassion Fuel Rare Disease Research

Synthetic technologies allow scientists to venture into uncharted waters, asking unique research questions and finding previously unattainable solutions to some of life’s biggest mysteries. From gene editing to protein engineering, synthesized DNA libraries enable researchers to grasp once unreachable high-throughput screening applications and dismantle barriers between experimental ideation and execution. In this podcast series, Synthetic Screens, Genes, and De Novo Proteins, The Scientist’s Creative Services Team talks to experts about their experiences implementing Twist Bioscience’s synthesized long double-stranded gene pools, called Multiplexed Gene Fragments, for high-throughput screening.   In this episode, Deanna MacNeil from The Scientist spoke with Pierce Ogden, co-founder and chief scientific officer of Manifold Biotechnologies, about the power of pairing large gene fragment pools with AI-designed libraries for better therapeutic discovery and delivery.

Synthetic technologies allow scientists to venture into uncharted waters, asking unique research questions and finding previously unattainable solutions to some of life’s biggest mysteries. From gene editing to protein engineering, synthesized DNA libraries enable researchers to grasp once unreachable high-throughput screening applications and dismantle barriers between experimental ideation and execution. In this podcast series, Synthetic Screens, Genes, and De Novo Proteins, The Scientist’s Creative Services Team talks to experts about their experiences implementing Twist Bioscience’s synthesized long double-stranded gene pools, called Multiplexed Gene Fragments, for high-throughput screening.   In this episode, Niki Spahich from The Scientist spoke with Jeffrey Chang, a graduate student in Nick Polizzi’s laboratory at Harvard Medical School and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, about designing ligand-binding proteins from scratch and testing them in a high-throughput manner using synthetic DNA libraries.

Synthetic technologies allow scientists to venture into uncharted waters, asking unique research questions and finding previously unattainable solutions to some of life’s biggest mysteries. From gene editing to protein engineering, synthesized DNA libraries enable researchers to grasp once unreachable high-throughput screening applications and dismantle barriers between experimental ideation and execution. In this podcast series, Synthetic Screens, Genes, and De Novo Proteins, The Scientist’s Creative Services Team talks to experts about their experiences implementing Twist Bioscience’s synthesized long double-stranded gene pools, called Multiplexed Gene Fragments, for high-throughput screening.   In this episode, Deanna MacNeil from The Scientist spoke with Josh Tycko, a neurobiology postdoctoral researcher in Michael Greenberg's laboratory at Harvard Medical School, about investigating gene regulation with synthetic DNA libraries.

With a track record of invention and translating technology into practical solutions, Walker Inman continues to drive innovation in the life sciences field. Inman is currently the cofounder and CEO of Lucid Scientific Inc., a company that develops cellular analysis tools.  In this Science Philosophy in a Flash podcast episode brought to you by Lucid Scientific, The Scientist spoke with Inman about the challenges of measuring oxygen concentration in cell culture and how his real-time oxygen monitoring technology, Resipher, overcomes these problems.  Learn more about Lucid Scientific and Resipher. Science Philosophy in a Flash is a mini podcast series produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. In this series, we highlight researchers’ unique outlooks on what it means to be a scientist. This episode is brought to you by Lucid Scientific.

Lauren Drouin is the director of analytical development and the Genomic Medicine Unit at Alexion AstraZeneca Rare Disease. As a dynamic scientist with unique expertise in current research and industry trends for gene therapies, Drouin is passionate about driving progress within the rare disease field and advancing products from preclinical development into the clinic and beyond.  In this Science Philosophy in a Flash podcast episode brought to you by Bio-Rad, The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Drouin to learn more about her interest in adeno-associated virus (AAV) biology, and what motivated her journey from academia to patient-focused analytical development research.   Science Philosophy in a Flash is a series of mini podcasts produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. With a focus on the people behind the science, this podcast highlights researchers’ unique outlook on what motivates their pursuit of science and what it means to be a scientist. This episode is brought to you by Bio-Rad.

Researchers commonly employ lentiviruses to modify cells genetically. However, they must overcome several challenges when using these viruses in the laboratory or clinic. In this episode, Charlene Lancaster from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Filippo Rossignoli, instructor in neurosurgery at the Center for Stem Cell and Translational Immunotherapy at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, about using lentiviruses to engineer cell therapies and the troubleshooting process he undertook to optimize viral production and infection.   More on this topic: https://www.the-scientist.com/infographics/viral-vector-platforms-for-gene-therapy-70941   LabTalk is a special edition podcast produced by The Scientist's Creative Services Team, where we explore topics at the leading edge of innovative research. This month’s episode is sponsored by Mirus Bio.

Scientists continuously develop new assays to fill unmet diagnostic needs. While methods such as quantitative PCR have emerged as essential tools in molecular diagnostics, scientists developing and administering these assays still must overcome technical challenges. In this podcast series, The Scientist’s Creative Services Team talks to experts about their experiences designing and implementing assays and protocols for future molecular diagnostics. In this episode, Deanna MacNeil from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Gregory Tsongalis, medical director for the Center for Clinical Genomics and Advanced Technology at Dartmouth Health, about the benefits of PCR-based DNA testing for HPV screening.   Welcome to Molecular Diagnostics: An Eye Toward the Future, a special edition podcast series produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. This series is brought to you by Thermo Fisher Scientific, a world leader in serving science. Their mission is to enable customers to make the world healthier, cleaner, and safer. Whether their customers are accelerating life sciences research, solving complex analytical challenges, and improving clinical research workflows, Thermo Fisher Scientific is here to support them.

Scientists continuously develop new assays to fill unmet diagnostic needs. While methods such as quantitative PCR have emerged as essential tools in molecular diagnostics, scientists developing and administering these assays still must overcome technical challenges. In this podcast series, The Scientist’s Creative Services Team talks to experts about their experiences designing and implementing assays and protocols for future molecular diagnostics.   In this episode, Deanna MacNeil from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Ming-Sound Tsao, a senior scientist and clinician at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, about considerations and variables for choosing appropriate assays in precision lung cancer treatment, including biomarkers, internal controls, test sensitivity, and specificity.   Welcome to Molecular Diagnostics: An Eye Toward the Future, a special edition podcast series produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. This series is brought to you by Thermo Fisher Scientific, a world leader in serving science. Their mission is to enable customers to make the world healthier, cleaner, and safer. Whether their customers are accelerating life sciences research, solving complex analytical challenges, and improving clinical research workflows, Thermo Fisher Scientific is here to support them.

Scientists commonly use qPCR applications in molecular diagnostics to detect pathogens, assess viral loads, or uncover mutations. While the qPCR assay itself may seem straightforward, other aspects such as data collection and security, and following regulatory guidelines, present challenges. In this episode, Gloria Lam, the associate director of qPCR software for Thermo Fisher Scientific, discusses concerns surrounding molecular diagnostic data collection, analysis, cybersecurity, and more.   Welcome to Molecular Diagnostics: An Eye Toward the Future, a special edition podcast series produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. This series is brought to you by Thermo Fisher Scientific, a world leader in serving science. Their mission is to enable customers to make the world healthier, cleaner, and safer. Whether their customers are accelerating life sciences research, solving complex analytical challenges, and improving clinical research workflows, Thermo Fisher Scientific is here to support them. Scientists continuously develop new assays to fill unmet diagnostic needs. While methods such as quantitative PCR have emerged as essential tools in molecular diagnostics, scientists developing and administering these assays still must overcome technical challenges. In this podcast series, The Scientist’s Creative Services Team talks to experts about their experiences designing and implementing assays and protocols for future molecular diagnostics.

Welcome to Molecular Diagnostics: An Eye Toward the Future, a special edition podcast series produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. This series is brought to you by Thermo Fisher Scientific, a world leader in serving science. Their mission is to enable customers to make the world healthier, cleaner, and safer. Whether their customers are accelerating life sciences research, solving complex analytical challenges, improving patient diagnostics and therapies, or increasing productivity in their laboratories, Thermo Fisher Scientific is here to support them. Scientists continuously develop new assays to fill unmet diagnostic needs. While methods such as quantitative PCR have emerged as essential tools in molecular diagnostics, scientists developing and administering these assays still must overcome technical challenges. In this podcast series, The Scientist’s Creative Services Team talks to experts in assay development about their experiences designing and implementing assays and protocols for future molecular diagnostics. In this episode, Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Anne Wyllie, a research scientist in epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health, about the development of SalivaDirect—a quantitative PCR protocol, authorized by the FDA under an emergency use authorization, that detects SARS-CoV-2 in saliva.