The Scientist’s LabTalk
tslabtalk
Subscribe
The Scientist’s LabTalk is a special edition podcast series produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team where we explore topics at the leading edge of innovative research.
Available episodes
Newest first
Oldest first
Dec 13, 2022
Understanding the Blood Cancer Genomic Landscape
Immunotherapies are promising as a holy grail for cancer treatment, but patient responses to these interventions are often variable in both solid tumors and blood cancers.
In this episode, Iris Kulbatski from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Olli Dufva, a physician and doctoral researcher at the University of Helsinki’s Hematology Research Unit, about his work analyzing the genomic landscape of hematological cancers. Coupling next-generation techniques with traditional methods such as flow cytometry, he aims to better understand the complex range of immune characteristics in different cancer subtypes and use that data to predict patient outcomes.
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 Sartorius.
playlist_add
Nov 9, 2022
The Human Data Era - The Role of Human Diversity in Progressing Precision Medicine
By understanding disease risk through the information found in a person’s genome, scientists can develop more effective therapeutics and clinicians can treat their patients more effectively.
In this episode, we talk to Kári Stefánsson, founder and CEO of deCODE Genetics, a Reykjavik-based biopharmaceutical company that collects and analyzes genealogical, medical, and genomic data at a national scale in order to identify variants that cause disease. We discuss his pioneering work in population-scale genetics, its applications in precision medicine and the healthcare system, and the difficult questions that access to these data raise.
To dive further into this topic, please join Amgen scientists at the Human Data Era Q&A webinar discussion on November 16, 2022. Register for the event here.
Welcome to The Human Data Era, a special edition podcast series produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team.
This series is brought to you by Amgen, a pioneer in the science of using living cells to make biologic medicines. They helped invent the processes and tools that built the global biotech industry, and have since reached millions of patients suffering from serious illnesses around the world with their medicines.
By studying human genetics, scientists discovered mechanisms that, when defective, cause disease. While this type of data is powerful, additional information can provide more insight on the human condition. Researchers and clinicians can now go beyond genetics, combining proteomics, metabolomics, transcriptomics, and environmental factors into a broad category of human data. In this series, Ray Deshaies, senior vice president of Global Research at Amgen, explores the potential of human data and the important transition scientists and clinicians are making to incorporate this wealth of information into drug research and development.
playlist_add
Nov 2, 2022
The Human Data Era - Exploring Human Data in Cardiovascular Disease
Heterogeneous disorders such as cardiovascular disease have multiple risk factors, causes, and manifestations. Having a holistic view of a patient’s unique biology potentially leads to earlier and better treatment options.
In this episode, we talk to Narimon Honarpour, vice president of Global Development at Amgen, about how human data is helping drug developers and clinicians unpack the complexities of cardiovascular disease to improve patient outcomes.
To dive further into this topic, please join Amgen scientists at the Human Data Era Q&A webinar discussion on November 16, 2022. Register for the event here.
Welcome to The Human Data Era, a special edition podcast series produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team.
This series is brought to you by Amgen, a pioneer in the science of using living cells to make biologic medicines. They helped invent the processes and tools that built the global biotech industry, and have since reached millions of patients suffering from serious illnesses around the world with their medicines.
By studying human genetics, scientists discovered mechanisms that, when defective, cause disease. While this type of data is powerful, additional information can provide more insight on the human condition. Researchers and clinicians can now go beyond genetics, combining proteomics, metabolomics, transcriptomics, and environmental factors into a broad category of human data. In this series, Ray Deshaies, senior vice president of Global Research at Amgen, explores the potential of human data and the important transition scientists and clinicians are making to incorporate this wealth of information into drug research and development.
playlist_add
Oct 26, 2022
The Human Data Era - New Connections Between Genetics and Human Disease
Biobanks that house data from electronic health records or collect samples directly from participants are precious resources for researchers looking to understand health and disease and translate these discoveries into recommendations and treatments for patients.
In this episode, we talk to Nancy Cox, professor and director of the Vanderbilt Genetics Institute, about Vanderbilt’s DNA biobank, BioVU. Nancy and her fellow researchers use computational genetics to study the de-identified patient DNA stored in the bank along with corresponding electronic health records in order to discover links between genes and disease.
To dive further into this topic, please join Amgen scientists at the Human Data Era Q&A webinar discussion on November 16, 2022. Register for the event here.
Welcome to The Human Data Era, a special edition podcast series produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team.
This series is brought to you by Amgen, a pioneer in the science of using living cells to make biologic medicines. They helped invent the processes and tools that built the global biotech industry, and have since reached millions of patients suffering from serious illnesses around the world with their medicines.
By studying human genetics, scientists discovered mechanisms that, when defective, cause disease. While this type of data is powerful, additional information can provide more insight on the human condition. Researchers and clinicians can now go beyond genetics, combining proteomics, metabolomics, transcriptomics, and environmental factors into a broad category of human data. In this series, Ray Deshaies, senior vice president of Global Research at Amgen, explores the potential of human data and the important transition scientists and clinicians are making to incorporate this wealth of information into drug research and development.
playlist_add
Oct 19, 2022
The Human Data Era - Human Data: Beyond the Genome
Welcome to The Human Data Era, a special edition podcast series produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team.
This series is brought to you by Amgen, a pioneer in the science of using living cells to make biologic medicines. They helped invent the processes and tools that built the global biotech industry, and have since reached millions of patients suffering from serious illnesses around the world with their medicines.
By studying human genetics, scientists discovered mechanisms that, when defective, cause disease. While this type of data is powerful, additional information can provide more insight on the human condition. Researchers and clinicians can now go beyond genetics, combining proteomics, metabolomics, transcriptomics, and environmental factors into a broad category of human data. In this series, Ray Deshaies, senior vice president of Global Research at Amgen, explores the potential of human data and the important transition scientists and clinicians are making to incorporate this wealth of information into drug research and development.
With a whole host of patient data at our fingertips, drug developers are becoming more thoughtful and strategic in developing medicines and designing clinical trials to test them. In this episode we talk to Rob Lenz, Senior Vice President of Global Development at Amgen. We review the full scope of human data, going beyond the genome to explore the challenges of using human data as well as the opportunities of applying human data to drug research and clinical trials.
To dive further into this topic, please join Amgen scientists at the Human Data Era Q&A webinar discussion on November 16, 2022. Register for the event here.
playlist_add
Oct 19, 2022
Exposed: Environmental Echoes in Health - How Toxins Leave Their Cancerous Marks
Through epigenetic mechanisms, some environmental toxicants, such as heavy metals, reversibly alter gene expression patterns that then drive cancer progression. In this episode, Yvonne Fondufe-Mittendorf discusses her work studying environmental toxicants and their effects on DNA methylation and chromatin structure.
Welcome to Exposed: Environmental Echoes in Health, a special edition podcast series produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. This series is brought to you by Van Andel Institute, an independent biomedical research institute devoted to improving human health for generations to come.
While the human body’s cells all use the same set of instructions, they can end up with wildly different features and functions. Beyond the information stored in DNA, factors within a person’s environment, including chemicals, microbes, and their diet, change how cells work. In this series, Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team talks to researchers from Van Andel Institute who investigate how the environment and behavior change cellular functions through epigenetic processes.
playlist_add
Oct 12, 2022
Exposed: Environmental Echoes in Health - Are We What Our Parents Eat?
Substances that enter the body, such as food or chemicals, can make epigenetic changes in the germline that become inherited, affecting the health of future generations. In this episode, Heidi Lempradl discusses her work studying the effects of parental diet on their offspring.
Welcome to Exposed: Environmental Echoes in Health, a special edition podcast series produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. This series is brought to you by Van Andel Institute, an independent biomedical research institute devoted to improving human health for generations to come.
While the human body’s cells all use the same set of instructions, they can end up with wildly different features and functions. Beyond the information stored in DNA, factors within a person’s environment, including chemicals, microbes, and their diet, change how cells work. In this series, Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team talks to researchers from Van Andel Institute who investigate how the environment and behavior change cellular functions through epigenetic processes.
playlist_add
Oct 5, 2022
Exposed: Environmental Echoes in Health - Epigeneticist Turned Microbe Hunter
Welcome to Exposed: Environmental Echoes in Health, a special edition podcast series produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. This series is brought to you by Van Andel Institute, an independent biomedical research institute devoted to improving human health for generations to come.
While the human body’s cells all use the same set of instructions, they can end up with wildly different features and functions. Beyond the information stored in DNA, factors within a person’s environment, including chemicals, microbes, and their diet, change how cells work. In this series, Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team talks to researchers from Van Andel Institute who investigate how the environment and behavior change cellular functions through epigenetic processes.
Microbes surround us, and they can have surprising effects beyond infection. In this episode, Nick Burton discusses his work discovering new environmental bacteria in backyards and how exposure to both bad or good bugs can affect an organism’s offspring.
playlist_add
Sep 28, 2022
The New Era of Neurodegeneration Research
The brain’s intractable nature makes neurodegenerative disorders challenging to study, but modern assays and technologies give scientists a fresh look at this complex organ. In this episode, Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services Team spoke with Erdem Gültekin Tamgüney, a professor in the Institute of Physical Biology at Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf, about technologies driving modern neuroscience research and his own work exploring the link between ischemic stroke and Parkinson’s disease.
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 PerkinElmer.
playlist_add
Sep 21, 2022
Innovating Clinical Trials: Real-World Clinical Trial Design and Execution in Oncology
Cancer is one therapeutic area where patients cannot wait the conventional 10 or 12 years for a new therapy. For these patients, time is of the essence, and improved access to faster clinical trials can be the difference between receiving a new life-saving medicine and it being too late.
In this episode, we talk to David Raben, vice president of Global Development Oncology at Amgen, about the next generation of oncology trial design and execution.
To dive further into this topic, please join Amgen scientists at the Innovating Clinical Trials Q&A webinar discussion on September 28, 2022. Register for the event here.
Welcome to Innovating Clinical Trials, a special edition podcast series produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. This series is brought to you by Amgen, a pioneer in the science of using living cells to make biologic medicines. They helped invent the processes and tools that built the global biotech industry, and have since reached millions of patients suffering from serious illnesses around the world with their medicines.
Clinical trials are desperate for innovation. Speed and efficiency need to improve as many patients cannot wait over a decade for new, potentially lifesaving medicines, and trial participants often do not reflect the patient population. Because clinical trials are complex and multidisciplinary, there is not a single, simple solution for accelerating progress. In this series, Rob Lenz, senior vice president of Global Development at Amgen, explores the latest approaches in clinical trial design and execution and highlights real-world examples of how scientists can run trials better and faster to develop optimal medicines that benefit patients.
playlist_add
Sep 14, 2022
Innovating Clinical Trials: The Right Patients
With advances in genetics and other human data, researchers and doctors will one day be able to practice precision medicine. However, predicting how a patient will respond to a medicine is challenging in under-represented patients who are often not included in clinical trials. This is due in part to systemic issues that deter people from participating in research, especially those who have been historically excluded due to factors such as race, ethnicity, sex, and age.
In this episode, we talk to Ponda Motsepe-Ditshego, vice president and Global Medical Therapeutic Area head in General Medicine at Amgen, about the recognized differences in disease incidence among racial and ethnic groups and new approaches to increase representation in clinical trials.
To dive further into this topic, please join Amgen scientists at the Innovating Clinical Trials Q&A webinar discussion on September 28, 2022. Register for the event here.
Welcome to Innovating Clinical Trials, a special edition podcas…
playlist_add
Sep 7, 2022
Innovating Clinical Trials: Real World Data in Drug Development
Randomized clinical trials are the gold standard for evaluating the efficacy and safety of medicines, but they come with many drawbacks including high monetary and time costs, a lack of representation compared to the general public, and ethical limitations. Historically, these trials were the main mechanism to understand the effects of a medicine. But more recently, real world data from sources such as electronic health records, insurance claims and billing activities, disease registries, and wearable devices, is having a greater effect on understanding a medicine’s usage and effects. Although this information is collected outside of clinical trials, clinical researchers incorporate it during the earliest phases of clinical development to gain additional information and speed up the drug development process.
In this episode, we talk to Brian Bradbury, vice president of the Center for Observational Research at Amgen, about the increased utilization of real world data and its potentia…
playlist_add
Aug 31, 2022
Innovating Clinical Trials: Operational Innovation
Welcome to Innovating Clinical Trials, a special edition podcast series produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. This series is brought to you by Amgen, a pioneer in the science of using living cells to make biologic medicines. They helped invent the processes and tools that built the global biotech industry, and have since reached millions of patients suffering from serious illnesses around the world with their medicines.
Clinical trials are desperate for innovation. Speed and efficiency need to improve as many patients cannot wait over a decade for new, potentially lifesaving medicines, and trial participants often do not reflect the patient population. Because clinical trials are complex and multidisciplinary, there is not a single, simple solution for accelerating progress. In this series, Rob Lenz, senior vice president of Global Development at Amgen, explores the latest approaches in clinical trial design and execution and highlights real-world examples of how scien…
playlist_add
Jul 13, 2022
The Generative Biology Revolution: Accelerating Drug Discovery with Protein Design
The ability to design proteins to perform desired functions will transform drug development. In particular, with AI and machine learning, scientists gain the ability to engineer antibody-based drugs, including multispecifics which engage multiple targets. By altering existing protein structures or developing proteins de novo, biologics will become more effective and specific.
In this episode, we talk to Suzanne Edavettal, the executive director of Protein Engineering at Amgen. We discuss how protein design affects drug development and success rates in the clinic today and in the future.
To dive further into this topic, please join Amgen scientists at the Generative Biology Q&A webinar discussion on July 20th, 2022. Register for the event here.
The Generative Biology Revolution is a special edition podcast series produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team.
This series is brought to you by Amgen, a pioneer in the science of using living cells to make biologic medicines. The…
playlist_add
Jul 6, 2022
The Generative Biology Revolution: Protein Design from Scratch
Naturally-occurring proteins have evolved over millions of years to perform specific functions based on their sequences and folded structures. As our understanding of science advanced, researchers began designing proteins from scratch to solve new challenges that modern societies face.
In this episode, we talk to David Baker, director of the Institute for Protein Design at the University of Washington and one of the creators of the RoseTTAFold protein structure prediction tool. We discuss how to design proteins with sequences and structures that impart novel functions and how designed proteins will revolutionize drug development.
To dive further into this topic, please join Amgen scientists at the Generative Biology Q&A webinar discussion on July 20th, 2022. Register for the event here.
The Generative Biology Revolution is a special edition podcast series produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team.
This series is brought to you by Amgen, a pioneer in the science of using…
playlist_add
Jun 29, 2022
The Generative Biology Revolution: The Protein Structure Prediction Problem
To build better biologic drugs, researchers need to understand exactly how amino acid building blocks interact with one another and fold into functional proteins. This knowledge provides insights into how to engage a drug target or develop an optimal therapeutic. Determining a protein’s structure is a laborious process in the wet lab, but thanks to machine learning, scientists can now use various algorithms to predict structure.
In this episode, we talk to Mike Nohaile, chief scientific officer at Generate Biomedicines. Since early 2022, Amgen and Generate Biomedicines have been collaborating to discover and create protein therapeutics across several therapeutic areas and multiple modalities, including monoclonal and bispecific antibody drugs. We discuss the challenge of predicting a protein’s structure from its sequence and the steps drug developers are now taking to create novel structures with therapeutic potential using generative biology.
To dive further into this topic, ple…
playlist_add
Jun 22, 2022
The Generative Biology Revolution: The Cresting Wave of Transformational Science
In 2021, the world changed for drug research and discovery when researchers published advances that used AI and machine learning to predict the structure of human proteins from their sequences. With discoveries like this, scientists are launching the generative biology revolution where they strive to leave the guesswork behind and instead use computers to quickly tailor biological molecules for therapeutic purposes. In this episode, we speak with Alan Russell, vice president of Biologics at Amgen and review what generative biology is and how it helps scientists understand proteins from their amino acid building blocks to their folded, three-dimensional structures. We also discuss how this new field improves the quality and complexity of biologic drug candidates and the speed with which researchers generate them.
To dive further into this topic, please join Amgen scientists at the Generative Biology Q&A webinar discussion on July 20th, 2022. Register for the event here.
Welcome to The…
playlist_add
May 23, 2022
Transporting Laboratories into the Future with Smart Technology
As smart devices become commonplace in many homes, they also enter life science laboratories with the promise to enhance productivity, simplify collaborations, and produce reliable results. In this episode, Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with experts from MilliporeSigma about how smart devices change research for the better.
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 MilliporeSigma.
playlist_add
Nov 29, 2021
Phagocidal Macrophages: A New Battle Tactic Against Resistant Cancers
Cancer immunotherapies are saving lives, but researchers still have a long journey ahead of them. Many cancers that are initially sensitive to immunotherapy acquire resistance over time, while others are resistant from the beginning.
In this episode, Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Stephanie Dougan, an associate professor of immunology at Harvard Medical School and a principal investigator at Dana Farber Cancer Institute, about her research developing new immunotherapies for resistant tumors.
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 10x Genomics.
playlist_add
Nov 17, 2021
Undruggable: Induced Proximity for Cancer and Beyond
Induced proximity makes it possible for scientists to attack undruggable targets by designing medicines that go beyond what conventional drugs can accomplish. Within the next decade, this work could yield new options for treatments for cancer and other diseases that currently have poor prognoses. People whose serious diseases don’t respond to conventional medicines, or who run out of options, may see induced proximity drugs come to the rescue. In this episode, Ray Deshaies is joined by David Reese, executive vice president of Research and Development at Amgen. Dave is responsible for Amgen’s entire pipeline of potential therapies, and he has had a long-standing interest in oncology, both at Amgen and in his pre-Amgen career in academic research and medical practice.
Undruggable is a special edition podcast series produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. This series is brought to you by Amgen, a pioneer in the science of using living cells to make biologic medicines. T…
playlist_add
Nov 10, 2021
Undruggable: The Emerging Induced Proximity Toolkit
PROTACs have taken center stage in the effort to drug the undruggable. Researchers are now exploring other types of TACs to degrade or alter undruggable targets by bringing them together with effector proteins. In this episode, Ray Deshaies talks to Carolyn Bertozzi, professor of chemistry at Stanford University, about alternative induced proximity platforms. Notably, her research centers around lysosome targeting chimeras, or LYTACs, that target extracellular proteins for degradation by the endosome-lysosome pathway.
To dive further into this topic, please join Amgen scientists at the Undruggable Q&A webinar discussion on November 17, 2021. Register for this event here: Undruggable Q&A
Undruggable is a special edition podcast series produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. This series is brought to you by Amgen, a pioneer in the science of using living cells to make biologic medicines. They helped invent the processes and tools that built the global biotech industry, an…
playlist_add
Nov 3, 2021
Undruggable: Discovery at the DNA Encoded Library
Even with promising technology such as PROTACs breaking through the barriers of undruggability, finding compounds that interact with tricky targets requires screening billions of molecules. DNA encoded library technology is revolutionizing how drug developers screen molecules by marking them with unique DNA tags. In this episode, Ray Deshaies talks to Alex Gouliaev, vice president of Amgen Research Copenhagen. Prior to joining Amgen, Alex was the CEO of Nuevolution, a pioneer in DNA-encoded libraries.
To dive further into this topic, please join Amgen scientists at the Undruggable Q&A webinar discussion on November 10, 2021. Register for this event here: Undruggable Q&A
Undruggable is a special edition podcast series produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. This series is brought to you by Amgen, a pioneer in the science of using living cells to make biologic medicines. They helped invent the processes and tools that built the global biotech industry, and have since reac…
playlist_add
Oct 30, 2021
Hijacking Genes: Uncovering the Cause of Lineage Ambiguous Leukemia
Childhood cancer is devastating. Every year over 15,000 children in the United States are diagnosed with cancer, with leukemia accounting for 28% of all childhood cancers in children under the age of 15. Leukemia, however, is not a single class of cancer. There are numerous forms of leukemia each with its own distinct cause.
In this episode, Tiffany Garbutt from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Charles Mullighan, member of the department of pathology and deputy director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, about the search for the molecular drivers underlying lineage ambiguous leukemias, a diverse subclass of leukemias with unknown origins.
LabTalk is a special edition podcast produced by The Scientist Creative Services Team, where we explore topics at the leading edge of innovative research. This episode is brought to you by 10x Genomics, which builds solutions for interrogating biological systems at a resolution and scale…
playlist_add
Oct 26, 2021
Undruggable: Drugging the Undruggable: The Biology of PROTACs
Multispecific medicines that bind to and bring together effector and target molecules are leading the fourth wave of drug development. In this episode, Ray Deshaies speaks with Craig Crews, the John C. Malone Professor of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology and professor of chemistry and pharmacology at Yale University. Years ago, Craig and Ray collaborated on a project developing proteolysis targeting chimeras, or PROTACs, a form of multispecific medicine that can bind to targets once thought to be undruggable through the recruitment of an E3 ubiquitin ligase, leading to protein destruction. They take a deep dive into the history and function of PROTACs, and make bold predictions of the future of this medicine modality.
To dive further into this topic, please join Amgen scientists at the Undruggable Q&A webinar discussion on November 3, 2021. Register for this event here: Undruggable Q&A 1
Welcome to Undruggable, a special edition podcast series produced by The Scientist…
playlist_add
Oct 20, 2021
Undruggable: The Next Wave of Drug Development
Welcome to Undruggable, a special edition podcast series produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team. This series is brought to you by Amgen, a pioneer in the science of using living cells to make biologic medicines. They helped invent the processes and tools that built the global biotech industry, and have since reached millions of patients suffering from serious illnesses around the world with their medicines.
Beginning with the introduction of aspirin at the start of the 20th century, there have been three major waves of innovation in drug discovery. While breakthrough discoveries have been made, 85% of disease targets are still considered undruggable, which represents an ongoing barrier to discovering medicines for complex diseases like cancer and autoimmune conditions. Ray Deshaies, who has spent decades in academic research and is a senior vice president at Amgen, believes that the fourth wave of innovation is here, led by new types of multispecific medicines that will…
playlist_add
Sep 15, 2021
DNA Unlocked: Reshaping the Future: How Close Are We to Precision Medicine?
Human genetics has the power to transform the future of drug development, disease treatment, and the overall approach to healthcare. In this episode, we discuss current and future applications of -omics to clinical trials, disease risk assessment, and precision medicine with Amit Khera, a cardiologist and associate director of the Precision Medicine Unit in the Center for Genomics Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Khera pioneered the use of polygenic risk scores calculated from genome-wide associate studies as a way to quantify genetic risk. His research program uses genetic variation as a tool to uncover new biology and enable enhanced clinical care informed by inherited susceptibility.
DNA Unlocked is a special edition podcast series produced by The Scientist’s Creative services Team. This series is brought to you by Amgen, which is a pioneer in the science of using living cells to make biologic medicines. They helped invent the processes and tools that built the global…
playlist_add
Sep 8, 2021
DNA Unlocked: Unlocking the Genetics of Cancer
Mutations that develop over the course of life accumulate and contribute to cancer progression. Additionally, variations in people’s immune systems also affect the likelihood that they end up with cancer. Genomics and other -omics are giving researchers new insights into one of the world’s most feared collection of diseases.
In this episode, we talk to Angela Coxon, vice president of oncology research at Amgen, where she is responsible for the discovery, validation, and preclinical development of a broad range of oncology therapeutics. Coxon’s team is developing molecules to outfox cancer cells, including bispecific T cell engager molecules that tether a T cell to a cancer cell, thereby inducing the T cell to attack and kill the malignant cell.
To dive further into this topic, please join Amgen scientists at the DNA Unlocked Q&A webinar discussion on September 15, 2021. Register for this event here: DNA Unlocked Q&A
DNA Unlocked is a special edition podcast series produced by…
playlist_add
Sep 1, 2021
DNA Unlocked: Beyond Genomics
Genomics is just one branch in the burgeoning field of science informally known as -omics. The data points flowing from various branches of omics can be pieced together to build a sharper picture of how disease takes root and develops. The technology has the potential to deliver new biomarkers for earlier diagnosis of disease, faster and more successful clinical trials, and the ability to predict and prevent disease before it becomes more grievous and costly.
In this episode, we talk to Larry Gold, founder of SomaLogic, a company with technology that provides more coverage of the proteome than any other platform. This technology is based on aptamers—nucleic acid molecules that bind to precise targets. Prior to SomaLogic, Gold founded and was chairman of NeXagen, which later became NeXstar Pharmaceuticals.
To dive further into this topic, please join Amgen scientists at the DNA Unlocked Q&A webinar discussion on September 8, 2021. Register for this event here: DNA Unlocked Q&A
DNA…
playlist_add
Aug 25, 2021
DNA Unlocked: Genetics vs. Biology
Researchers in drug development face a series of challenges even before candidate drugs are tested; namely, finding promising targets and figuring out what they do in the context of complex diseases. There are numerous gaps in our understanding of human biology, and to make matters worse, due to the complexity and unpredictability of biology, scientists often come to the lab bench with preconceived notions that are often incomplete or even incorrect. Thankfully, human genetics enables researchers to unravel the mysteries of biological systems in an unbiased manner.
In this episode, Ray Deshaies talks to Saptarsi Haldar, a physician-scientist and vice president of research at Amgen, who leads cardiometabolic drug discovery. Prior to joining Amgen, his academic research group studied the gene regulatory mechanisms governing tissue plasticity in physiology and disease. They explore how human genetics and other -omics data helps us understand the basic biology behind promising drug target…
playlist_add
Aug 18, 2021
DNA Unlocked: The Promise and the Potential
Welcome to DNA Unlocked, a special edition podcast series produced by The Scientist’s Creative services Team. This series is brought to you by Amgen, which is a pioneer in the science of using living cells to make biologic medicines. They helped invent the processes and tools that built the global biotech industry, and have since reached millions of patients suffering from serious illnesses around the world with their medicines.
Since the initial sequencing of the human genome almost twenty years ago, researchers have been enticed by an explosion of DNA data. These sequences hold the promise of understanding human biology, transforming drug research and development, and curing diseases. However, the quest to generate insights from human genetics and -omics research has been full of twists, turns, and roadblocks. In DNA UNLOCKED, Ray Deshaies, senior vice president of Global Research at Amgen, explores the ever-evolving perception of human biology and disease processes thanks to a gr…
playlist_add
Jul 31, 2021
Understanding Microglial Response in Alzheimer’s Disease
A diverse population of microglial cells resides in the brain. Similar to immune cells, microglial cells respond to minute changes in their environment. Sometimes this response is beneficial and other times detrimental. Scientists are working to tease apart the dynamic role of microglial response in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease.
In this episode, Tiffany Garbutt from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Samuel Marsh, a postdoctoral research fellow in the laboratory of Beth Stevens at Boston’s Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, about how he uses single cell technology and spatial transcriptomics to better understand the role of microglia in Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis.
LabTalk is a special edition podcast produced by The Scientist Creative Services Team, where we explore topics at the leading edge of innovative research. This episode is brought to you by 10x Genomics, which builds solutions for inter…
playlist_add
Jun 30, 2021
The Promise of Spatial Transcriptomics in Exploring Chronic Liver Disease
The liver performs approximately 500 separate functions in the human body. With liver disease on the rise, scientists are developing treatments to save this irreplaceable organ.
In this episode, Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Prakash Ramachandran, a clinician scientist at the Centre for Inflammation Research at the University of Edinburgh, about mechanisms of scarring that lead to chronic liver disease and what he hopes to learn from biobanked patient liver samples.
The Scientist Speaks is a podcast produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services team. Our podcast is by scientists and for scientists. Once a month, we bring you the stories behind news-worthy molecular biology research. This month's episode is sponsored by 10x Genomics.
playlist_add
May 5, 2021
Discovering the Secrets of Motor Neurons with Single Cell Sequencing
Motor neurons originating in the spine control both voluntary and involuntary movements. Even though they have an essential function, they are notoriously difficult to study.
In this episode, Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Jacob Blum, a graduate student in Aaron Gitler’s laboratory at Stanford University, about his work understanding the diversity of spinal motor neurons using single cell transcriptomics.
The Scientist Speaks is a podcast produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services team. Our podcast is by scientists and for scientists. Once a month, we bring you the stories behind news-worthy molecular biology research. This month's episode is sponsored by 10x Genomics.
playlist_add
Apr 27, 2021
A Modern Trojan Horse: Delivering Combination Immunotherapies to Solid Tumors
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell immunotherapies hold great promise for cancer treatment, but they are not very effective against solid tumors. Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Katie McKenna, postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Malcolm Brenner at the Center for Cell and Gene Therapy at Baylor College of Medicine, about her work developing a combination CAR T cell immunotherapy and oncolytic virotherapy to treat solid tumors.
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 episode was sponsored by IsoPlexis.
playlist_add
Apr 17, 2021
Bugs with Drugs: Repurposing a Pathogenic Bacteria’s Weapon
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 episode is brought to you by Keystone Symposia. Don’t miss their upcoming virtual eSymposia Synthetic Biology: At the Crossroads of Genetic Engineering and Human Therapeutics on May 3-4, 2021.
One of the eSymposium’s speakers is Cammie Lesser, an associate professor at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Lesser about her research developing designer probiotics to deliver protein-based therapeutics to the gut.
playlist_add
Mar 31, 2021
Predicting the Immune Response with Single-Cell Analysis: Autoimmunity, Vaccination, and COVID-19
The human immune system is highly complex and variable. Some people mount robust responses to infection, vaccination, or immunotherapy, while others fail to react appropriately. These differences have obvious implications for health and disease, and they have been especially appreciated during the COVID-19 pandemic as some individuals show no symptoms after contracting SARS-CoV-2 while others experience severe, life-threatening disease.
In this episode, Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with John Tsang, co-director of the National Institutes of Health Center for Human Immunology about how he uses innovative single-cell technology to discover early predictors of an individual’s immune response to stresses such as vaccination, autoimmunity, and SARS-CoV-2 infection. Notably, his team identified signatures of severe COVID-19 connected to a late wave of inflammation.
John Tsang expresses his own opinions in this episode, and they do not necessarily repres…
playlist_add
Dec 11, 2020
The Past, Present, and Future of Gene Therapy: How to Scale-up Successfully
The Scientist’s 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.
In this episode, Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Josh Snow, Director of Business Development and Marketing Strategy at Mirus Bio, about the past, present, and future of gene therapy, with a focus on how researchers can transition their successful therapies to clinical trials and the market, and the costs involved.
This episode is brought to you by Mirus Bio. Mirus Bio pioneered scientific breakthroughs in non-viral gene delivery and continues to produce world-class transfection reagents. Now as a global leader in transfection technology, Mirus Bio provides life scientists with the most advanced tools for gene expression, biotherapeutic protein production, virus manufacturing and genome editing.
playlist_add
Nov 13, 2020
Halting the Tuberculosis Epidemic with Research and Diagnostics: A Conversation with David Alland
Welcome to The Scientist’s LabTalk, a special edition podcast produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team where we explore topics at the leading edge of innovative research. This episode is brought to you by Keystone Symposia. Don’t miss their upcoming virtual eSymposia Tuberculosis: Science Aimed at Ending the Epidemic on December 2-4, 2020.
One of the symposium’s co-organizers and keynote speaker is David Alland, Chief of Infectious Disease and Director of the Center for Emerging Pathogens and the Center for COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Alland about his journey to develop a rapid, point-of-care tuberculosis diagnostic and his current research on mutations that lead to drug resistance.
playlist_add
Oct 19, 2020
Surviving Stress: The Mysteries of Neuronal Survival and Neurodegeneration
Welcome to The Scientist’s LabTalk, a special edition podcast produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team where we explore topics at the leading edge of innovative research. In this episode, we explore how neurons withstand stress by looking at three cutting edge technologies: CRISPR, stem cell technology, and single-cell sequencing. Tiffany Garbutt from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Martin Kampmann, associate professor at the University of California San Francisco, Chan Zuckerberg Biohub investigator, and Paul G. Allen Distinguished Investigator to learn more. This episode is brought to you by 10x Genomics. 10x Genomics builds solutions for interrogating biological systems at a resolution and scale that matches the complexity of biology. Their rapidly expanding suite of products, which includes instruments, consumables, and software, enables customers to make fundamental discoveries across multiple research areas, including cancer, immunology, and neur…
playlist_add
Sep 10, 2020
Myeloid Cells in Cancer and Science Advocacy: A Conversation with Miriam Merad
Welcome to The Scientist’s LabTalk, a special edition podcast produced by The Scientist’s Creative Services Team where we explore topics at the leading edge of innovative research. This episode is brought to you by Keystone Symposia. Don’t miss their upcoming virtual eSymposium on myeloid cells and innate immunity in solid tumors on September 21-23, 2020. http://keysym.us/Myeloid21Scientist
One of the eSymposium’s speakers is Miriam Merad, a professor in Cancer immunology and the Director of the Precision Immunology Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Niki Spahich from The Scientist’s Creative Services team spoke with Merad about her research investigating how antigen presenting cells enhance anti-tumor immune responses, and her recent advocacy work fighting against the foreign scholar visa ban.
playlist_add