Talk BIO to Me

Luke McKay is CTO and co-founder of synbi.bio, a company giving the biomanufacturing industry something it's been missing: real-time visibility into the biology actually doing the work inside industrial bioreactors. Most companies monitoring fermentation and production systems are tracking chemical byproducts — pH, temperature, metabolites — but flying blind on the microbes themselves. Luke and his team built the tools to close that gap, catching things like contamination or strain drift before they become expensive shutdowns.But before symbi,bio, Luke's career took him to some of the most extreme environments on Earth: 2,000 meters down in the Alvin submersible to sample hydrothermal vents, the Western Antarctic Peninsula, Yellowstone's hot springs, and the first research cruise out to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill just a week after the explosion. His NASA-funded postdoc research into astrobiology — studying extremophiles to understand where and how life could exist elsewhere in the universe — eventually led him to LanzaTech, where he applied his microbial ecology background to scaling up gas fermentation (turning waste carbon into ethanol) at industrial scale.In this conversation, Luke breaks down what synbi.bio actually does, why "life is redox chemistry," and how a career studying alien-adjacent microbiology led to solving a very practical, very Earthbound industrial problem.Guest: Luke McKay, CTO & Co-Founder, symbi-bioConnect with Luke on Linkedin.Mentioned in this episode:LanzaTech (gas fermentation to ethanol technology)The Most Unknown (documentary, produced by Vice Motherboard, Science Sandbox/Sandbox Films)SynBioBeta conference

We all know how unpopular data centers are, especially when it comes to energy consumption and environmental concerns. As AI and cloud computing continue to explode, the problem is only getting worse. But what if the solution to the energy crisis was hiding in.. biology?! Specifically DNA. In this episode, Flo sits down with Anagha Rajesh founder of Biocompute, at SynBioBeta, to explore how DNA could revolutionize data storage. We dive into:How DNA actually works as a storage mediumWhy natural DNA beats synthetic DNA for this applicationThe surprising supply chain challenges of building biotech hardwareBiocompute's ambitious 2026 roadmap: getting DNA storage out of the lab and into real data centersWhy Anagha chose to build at the intersection of biology and commercializationIf you're curious about the future of computing, sustainability, or biotech startups, this conversation will blow your mind.More about our guest: Anagha holds a Masters in Chemistry, and was a gene therapy researcher before she started BioCompute. Her startup takes a breakthrough approach to encoding data in DNA which is 70,000x cheaper than that of her competitors. She is the co-author of the world's first comprehensive book on DNA Data Storage published by Springer Nature, and has raised capital from stalwarts in the field. Watch her Tedx Talk! Connect with Anagha on Linkedin Learn more about BioCompute: https://www.biocomputeinc.com/Thank you to SynBioBeta for hosting me this year! Learn about SynBioBeta: https://www.synbiobeta.com/

(Recently featured in The New York Times.) What happens when you train an AI model not on the internet, but on millions of genomes? Samuel King, a PhD candidate at Stanford, working at the intersection of AI and bioengineering, joins host Flo Lumsden to unpack it — including how his team used AI to generate the first fully functional bacteriophage genome from scratch, and why that could mean far more targeted treatments for antibiotic-resistant infections.They also get into the designer baby question and what makes a PhD less narrow than people assume.Recorded live at SynBioBeta 2026, where the scientists, the machine learning crowd, and (increasingly) the compute giants all show up to compare notes.About Samuel King:Samuel King is a Ph.D. candidate in Bioengineering at Stanford University and the Arc Institute. His current research aims to advance human and planet health by leveraging large language models trained on DNA for biological discovery and design. He previously co-founded a genomics biotech start-up and received an M.S. from Stanford and B.Sc. from the University of British Columbia.Connect with Samuel:WebsiteLinkedin

This one's a joyride. Flo catches Adrian Woolfson, CEO and co-founder of Genyro, and his co-founder Kaihang Wang at SynBioBeta for a conversation that starts with genome writing and ends somewhere between Doctor Who and a custom unicorn order form. Along the way, the two break down how bringing the humble "page number" from publishing into DNA assembly made their process a million times more accurate, why that could shrink personalized cancer vaccines from months to days, and how one of their collaborators built the first-ever computer-designed new species — biology's own "Wright Brothers moment." It's big ideas — DNA as a programmable material, storing your entire photo library in a strand of genetic code, redesigning crops for a hotter planet — delivered with a ton of laughs and genuine, can't-help-it enthusiasm. But it's not all fun and games: Adrian and Kaihang are clear-eyed about the responsibility that comes with this power, making the case that this technology must be used safely and ethically, with real reverence for preserving the nature we're learning to rewrite. Come for the science, stay for the unicorn with wings. Talk BIO to me!

What happens when a renowned wet lab biologist and Google brain machine learning engineers get together to work on biotech? You get Cradle! In this episode, co-founder Elise de Reus joins host Flo Lumsden to break down how Cradle turns protein design into a genuine back-and-forth between scientists and machine learning models. Elise explains why the real magic isn't the model alone — it's the loop itself. The bigger picture? Antibodies that skip the mouse, enzymes that survive your laundry machine, and why designing proteins faster — and in the loop— could mean faster answers for the diseases we're all still waiting on... including Flo!Recorded live at SynBioBeta - where the scientists, the machine learning crowd, and (increasingly) the compute giants all show up to compare notes.Cradle 2026 White Paper: https://www.cradle.bio/whitepaper

Join host Flo Lumsden as she sits down with John Cumbers, CEO and founder of SynBioBeta, at the world's largest synthetic biology conference this past May. In this conversation, John shares how AI is fundamentally reshaping the field of biology — from large language models designing novel enzymes and antibodies to full-stack scientific innovation.Discover the most exciting breakthroughs happening right now, including xenotransplantation with humanized pig organs, consumer biotech products like probiotic hangover cures, and genetically engineered glowing plants. John also reveals what he's most excited about at the intersection of AI and biotech, the challenges that lie ahead, and why he believes we're approaching AGI (Artificial General Intelligence).Plus, learn the origin story of SynBioBeta — how a small meeting of 150 people in a law firm grew into a 2,000+ person conference with over 100 exhibitors and sponsors — and why creating community and "paying it forward" is at the heart of everything he does.Outline with Timecodes:00:00 - Introduction & Podcast Overview 00:36 - SynBioBeta Origin Story 02:17 - John Cumbers, CEO & Founder Introduction 02:23 - Evolution of SynBioBeta: From 150 to 2,000+ Attendees 02:57 - John's Passion for Event Production & Community Building 03:42 - "Paying It Forward" Culture & Success Stories 04:31 - Science as a Competitive Advantage for Startups 05:18 - AI at the Intersection of Biotech 05:30 - Large Language Models for Genes and Genomes 06:22 - How AI is Designing Novel Enzymes & Organisms 07:03 - Antibody Development for Drug Discovery 07:14 - Challenges & Limitations of AI Implementation 08:09 - Healthcare Innovations: Xenotransplantation 08:55 - Consumer Biotech Applications 09:03 - Zbiotics & Probiotic Products 09:18 - GLP-1 Peptides & Cellular Reprogramming 10:17 - New Innovations: Glowing Plants & Hardware/Software Tools 11:04 - Full-Stack AI Integration in Biotech 12:12 - SynBioBeta 2026 Themes & Community Sessions 13:00 - Closing Remarks

For years, AI has helped scientists organize data and streamline research, but it's now beginning to tackle biology's toughest scientific challenges. In this episode, Flo sits down with Nicholas, Head of AI at Benchling, to discuss why the physical world has been AI's biggest blind spot—and why that's finally changing. From generative protein design to the future of drug discovery and diagnostics, Nicholas explains how biology is increasingly being engineered in silico (by compute) before it reaches the lab. Plus, he shares what excites him most about the next wave of AI-powered biology - the future of the bioeconomy!Connect:Nicholas on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nlarusstone/ Benchling: https://www.benchling.com/

Ever wonder what separates a billion-dollar TechBio unicorn from a well-funded experiment? Krish Ramadurai of AIX Ventures does—and he's backed some of the coolest ones. We dive into why understanding the actual science matters, why mice are terrible at predicting human outcomes (sorry, lab mice), and how the next generation of drug discovery is being built by teams brave enough to let AI nerds and wet lab scientists actually talk to each other. Plus, he'll tell you why he thinks you should care about making drugs people can actually afford.

In this episode, Flo sits down with Dr. Michael Köpke, Chief Innovation Officer at LanzaTech, to explore how specialized microbes are literally eating industrial emissions and transforming them into valuable products (Michael's cool Jacket!). From sustainable aviation fuels to the jacket Michael is wearing—which started its life as emissions from a steel plant—LanzaTech's carbon-fixing microbes are closing the loop on our circular economy. Michael shares his journey from academic microbiology research to commercializing this breakthrough technology, and reveals how LanzaTech now operates six commercial plants globally, capturing half a million tons of CO2 annually while producing 300,000 tons of products. Discover how nature's zero-waste systems are inspiring the next generation of biomanufacturing and how waste gases are becoming the feedstock for a sustainable future.Connect with Dr. Michael Kopke on X and Linkedin. More about Michael and LanzaTech: Dr. Michael Köpke is the Chief Innovation Officer at LanzaTech ($LNZA), a global leader in carbon capture and sustainable fuels, chemicals, and materials production. Since joining the company in 2009, he has built up the company's biology platform and directs innovation strategy and technology partnerships.Michael earned his Ph.D. in biotechnology from Ulm University and brings over two decades of international experience in synthetic biology and biomanufacturing. Widely recognized as a pioneer in carbon-fixing microbial technologies, Dr. Köpke holds more than 500 patents and received major honors such as the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award, the ACS National Award for Team Innovation, and inclusion in The Bioeconomy 500.Beyond his role at LanzaTech, Dr. Köpke is an adjunct professor at Northwestern University and serves on the boards of the Engineering Biology Research Consortium (EBRC) and the International Metabolic Engineering Society (IMES). Michael has led over 50 peer reviewed studies and development of community research roadmaps bringing together stakeholders from academia, industry, government and non-profits. Michael also chaired several international conferences and contributes in several editorial, education and advisory functions.

Meet Chris Kantrowitz, founder of Quorum Earth, who's literally making fungal spores that eat bugs—and he's weirdly charming about it. In this first episode of Talk Bio to Me, Chris breaks down how specialized fungal spores are taking on invasive species without any CRISPR or GMO shenanigans, just pure fungal magic.