Discovery Matters

41. Seaweed, Agar and Algae

In this episode of Discovery Matters, enter into the world of slime: seaweed, agar and algae. Algae gave us the atmosphere that we have today and is still coming to our aid against climate change. Executive Director of the Climate Change Cluster at the University of Technology in Sydney, Photobiologist Peter Ralph, who once called himself Dr. Death, explains how algae has given him newfound hope to fight climate change. Join Conor and Dodi for this fascinating episode! Transcript Keywords...

'Joan's Ideal': One real story - and advice - on inclusion in the sciences

The BSCP is working towards greater diversity and opportunities for people of colour and disadvantaged individuals within the biomedical and life sciences. Join Dodi and Conor and their guest, Dr Joan Reede, for this important episode where we learn what more can be done by ourselves and the industry as a whole to further diversity and inclusion.

40. 'Joan's Ideal': One real story - and advice - on inclusion in the sciences

The BSCP is working towards greater diversity and opportunities for people of colour and disadvantaged individuals within the biomedical and life sciences. Join Dodi and Conor and their guest, Dr Joan Reede, for this important episode where we learn what more can be done by ourselves and the industry as a whole to further diversity and inclusion. Transcript Keywords: students, color, people, organisations, doctors, opportunities, privilege, pandemic, biomedical science, diversity, represe...

39. "You won't believe what happened next": a true crime special

How do you solve linked murders without witnesses? The answer, DNA.  In this episode of Discovery Matters, we have been inspired by the true crime genre. We discuss a 32-year-old cold case which was the first to be solved with DNA profiling, and a murder in Las Vegas that was solved with the smallest amount of DNA ever!  Join Dodi and Conor, and guest Kathryn Lamerton a former forensic scientist currently a Senior R&D Scientist at Cytiva, with a re-enactment helped by some of our colleague...

38. Innovating with intent

We adore happy accidents.  But is that the only way to innovate? We talk to an innovation guru who's all about structure. Then we meet a scientist whose goal with innovation is to scale up.  Enter the Testa Center in Sweden.  Hear how it all comes together in this episode with Dodi and Conor.  Transcript Keywords: innovation, discoveries, Testa Center, Innovation hub, scale up.

37. The old biotech and the sea

Short and sweet. Conor brings an interesting story about the role of horseshoe crabs in the pharmaceutical industry. Our guest and subject matter expert is Ding Jeak Ling - or Lynne, as she prefers to be called. She is a professor at the Department of Biological Sciences National University of Singapore, and her main research interest is in innate immunity and cancer immunomodulation. Enjoy - and rate us! Transcript Keyword: cancer immunomodulation, immunity, crabs, endotoxin, horseshoe c...

36. The 5 R's in the life sciences industry

Sure, healthcare and pharma does a whole lot of good in the world - but this doesn't make us exempt from taking our plastic waste seriously.  So join Conor and Dodi as they talk about the 5 R's with their guests:  Tom Szaky, Founder and CEO at TerraCycle;  Cristina Peixoto, Head of Lab at iBET (Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnologica, Portugal) and  Joëlle Cristofani from Cytiva. Transcript Keywords: instruments, recycle, refurbished, garbage, sustainability, recycling, filter...

35. One hundred years of insulin and the future diabetes vaccine

What better way to celebrate 100 years of insulin than with the CEO of the company who is on the verge of giving us a vaccine for type 1 diabetes?  We spoke to Ulf Hannelius in April and 3 days ago we saw the published results of DIAGNODE-2, a Phase IIb trial that evaluated intralymphatic administration of Diamyd Medical’s lead drug candidate Diamyd® (GAD-alum) in individuals recently diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Congratulations! Guests who also joined us in this episode are Mark A. Atk...

34. Citizen Science and the science of gamification

What's the science behind apps like Duolingo and Yousician? Gamification! And what happens when you apply this science to ... scientific discoveries? Join Dodi and Conor and their guests, Zoran Popovic, University of Washington and Helen Spiers, Zooniverse. Reading material:  https://www.geekwire.com/2020/protein-puzzle-game-called-foldit-turns-99-promising-ways-confound-coronavirus/ https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1412171/1/p79-eveleigh.pdf https://dragonbox.com/about/algebra-cha...

32. Discovery Makers: Dorraya El-Ashry

Scientists love asking “why?” But they often have intensely personal reasons for solving challenges too. Meet Dorraya El-Ashry, scientist and trailblazer whose work on breast cancer is making the world a better, healthier place. Dorraya is using her three decades of research experience to direct the fight against this deadly disease.  Look out, breast cancer.

33. Discovery Makers: Dorraya El-Ashry

Scientists love asking “why?” But they often have intensely personal reasons for solving challenges too. Meet Dorraya El-Ashry, scientist and trailblazer whose work on breast cancer is making the world a better, healthier place. Dorraya is using her three decades of research experience to direct the fight against this deadly disease.  Look out, breast cancer. Transcript Keywords: breast cancer, discovery maker, triple negative, breast cancer research, immunotherapy, breast cancer research...

32. Discovery Makers: Robert "Bob" Lefkowitz

This episode almost became a 3 hour long one - Robert "Bob" Lefkowitz, PhD., is a phenomenal, infinite source of knowledge. Dodi and Conor are still an awe and deep appreciation for the time spent with the 2012 Nobel Prize laureate for Chemistry (shared with Brian Kobilka).  Dive in and listen to the #discoverymakers story of Bob Lefkowitz talking about humor, creativity and resilience in science discoveries.  Transcript Keywords: Robert Lefkowitz, Brian Kobilka, Nobel prize, chemistry po...

31. Discovery Makers: Robert "Bob" Lefkowitz

This episode almost became a 3 hour long one - Robert "Bob" Lefkowitz, PhD., is a phenomenal, infinite source of knowledge. Dodi and Conor are still an awe and deep appreciation for the time spent with the 2012 Nobel Prize laureate for Chemistry (shared with Brian Kobilka).  Dive in and listen to the #discoverymakers story of Bob Lefkowitz talking about humor, creativity and resilience in science discoveries. 

31. Discovery Makers: Molly Stevens

In this episode of Discovery Matters, Dodi and Conor meet a professor of biomedical materials and regenerative medicine at Imperial College, a brilliant #DiscoveryMaker who heads the Stevens Group: a diverse band of researchers working at the frontier between living and non-living matter. Meet Molly Stevens. A scientist exploring the frontier between living and non-living matter. Molly works at the nanoscale, a million times beyond the range of the human eye, to boost the body’s powers of r...

30. Oligos part 2

Remember our first episode on oligonucleotides, telling the story of Roy living with spinal muscular atrophy? We were so amazed by this technology, we promised to follow up at a later date - and today is the day! Listen to find out how Roy is doing today, and hear from Harvard medical doctor and researcher, Tim Yu and Nikki Reyes-McIntosh, mother of Miles who also lives with SMA and is treated by oligos. Transcript Keywords: oligo, oligonucleotide, spinal muscular atrophy, science podcast,...

29. The science of science denial

Longer episode than we're usually used to, but we think it's worth it. Why does science denial exist, how does it work and what's the antidote?  Join Conor, Dodi and their guests: Haafizah Hoosen, Ask for Evidence Ambassador at Sense about Science +  Dr. Danna Young, Associate Prof Communication & Political Science at University of Delaware.  Looking for further reading? Conor recommends this article from VOX. This is a first-person essay with a unique perspective on a complicated issue. ...

28. The magical world of fungi (part 1)

Conor finally brings the 15 minutes of fame to fungi - mushrooms being second only to his "microbiomania". We invite you to the beginning of the journey to understand the importance of fungi and mushrooms.  Guests are Clare Blencowe, an amateur mycologist and manager at Sussex Biodiversity Record Centre, and Merlin Sheldrake, a biologist and a writer with a background in plant sciences, microbiology, ecology, and the history and philosophy of science. If you want to go down the rabbit whol...

27. Best of 2020

2020 wasn't all bad!  We met some fascinating scientists during the year who helped us understand topics like quantum biology, how baking bread helps us make medicines, and why we embrace the very, very cold.  We hope you have enjoyed Discovery Matters in 2020 and that you'll let us know what you want to hear in 2021!  As Conor says, "every day is a school day." Transcript Keywords: Discovery Matters, science, quantum biology, podcast, immune system, biology.

26. Mapping tissues and tumors

How do we find our way? Consulting a map is the age-old answer, at least geographically. But the art of mapping - considered a superpower by one of this episode's guests - extends to anything we want to understand better. Join Conor and Dodi on this exploration of data visualization. Your challenge at the end of the episode - spend time on these sites: http://scimaps.org https://www.pnas.org/modeling https://visanalytics.cns.iu.edu Thanks to our guests Paul Goodwin from Cytiva and Katy B...

24. It all adds up: mathematical simulations in biopharma research

This episode is easily one of our favorites: everything from design of experiments, to AI-powered math simulations, to existential questions. Conor and Dodi welcomed Tobias Hahn from GoSilico, alongside two of their colleagues from Cytiva - principal scientist Gunnar Malmquist and advanced chromatography specialist, John Scibetta.  Have a listen, share this gem and rate us on your favorite podcast.

25. It all adds up: mathematical simulations in biopharma research

This episode is easily one of our favorites: everything from design of experiments, to AI-powered math simulations, to existential questions. Conor and Dodi welcomed Tobias Hahn from GoSilico, alongside two of their colleagues from Cytiva - principal scientist Gunnar Malmquist and advanced chromatography specialist, John Scibetta.  Have a listen, share this gem and rate us on your favorite podcast. Transcript Keywords: computer simulation, biopharma, math, biochemistry, biotherapeutic, ch...

24. Breast cancer research during COVID19

With the arrival of October we notice the (re)arrival of pink ribbons - it is Breast Cancer Awareness month.  In this episode of Discovery Matters, Dodi and Conor talk to Dr. Margaret Flowers who is the director of research at The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, BCRF. They discuss cellular nutrition, hormone-positive breast cancer, chemoprevention, and the state of breast cancer research during COVID times. Enjoy the episode, and if you want to find out more about the amazing work that ...

23. Chill out: from cryotherapy to cryopreservation

Popular science and cell biology collide in this episode as Dodi and Conor discuss the science of cryogenics and its diverse applications.  They are joined by Cytiva Senior Scientists and cryobiologists, Peter Kilbride and Julie Meneghel, as well as Fernanda Fonseca, Research Director at the French National Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment (INRAE).  Executive Producer and PopSci enthusiast, Andrea Kilin, kicks off the discussion by sharing her experience with cryotherapy! Tr...

23. Cryopreservation: The science of the really really cold

In this episode Dodi and Conor discover the science of lowering the temperature of cells for their preservation.  Guests are Dr. Fernanda Fonseca from the French National Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment and scientists Julie Meneghel and Peter Kilbride from Cytiva. 

Discovery Matters ... because it does!

Life sciences has a new podcast! A collection of stories and insights on matters of discovery that advance life sciences. Hosts are Dodi Axelson and Conor McKechnie, friends for gloriously long years and colleagues at Cytiva. Enjoy!

22. The Molecular Clamp - Perspectives from one team's search for a COVID-19 vaccine

While it may not be here tomorrow, scientists around the world are racing to develop viable COVID-19 vaccine candidates. In this episode, Dodi and Conor share the perspectives of two researchers on the vaccine development team for the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology - Professors Trent Munro and Keith Chappell. Learn how Trent and Keith's team identified their lead vaccine candidate from an initial field of 200 in just over 5 weeks! Transcript Keywords: vaccine, p...

July bonus - Fun scientific facts

Dodi and Conor welcome colleague Kaycee Palumbo for the Discovery Matters special of "Did you know?" Sources:  Drugged-out hallucinating zombie cicadas  Zombie ants 30 000-year-old fruit in Siberian permafrost 50 interesting facts about Biotechnology The human genome - about 99.9% of human DNA is the same. It is the other 0.1% that codes for all of the differences that make each person unique. The length of the human DNA compared to the world - each cell contains about 2m worth of DNA...

21. July bonus - Fun scientific facts

Dodi and Conor welcome colleague Kaycee Palumbo for the Discovery Matters special of "Did you know?" Sources:  Drugged-out hallucinating zombie cicadas https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1754504819300352 zombie ants https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166061617300593 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3309767/ https://explorebiotech.com/50-interesting-facts-biotechnology/ The human genome https://www.genome.gov/17516714/2006-release-about-whol...

21. The brewer, the baker and the biotech maker

Without baking and brewing, there'd be no biotech.  Join Dodi and Conor through the discovery of fermentation, bags of wheat at the Stockholm Brewing company, and too much pizza dough on Sundays at The Bakery.  Guest on this episode are: Anna Roswall, Head Baker at The Bakery; Michel Ahlin-Wigardt, Head Brewer at The Stockholm Brewery; Nigel Darby, Senior Advisor at Cytiva and Paul Goodwin, Science Director at Cytiva. Transcript Keywords: biotech, fermentation, gene editing, gut microbio...

20. Seeing things small: what does biology and telecom have in common?

Excited about the combination of biology, engineering and computing being the 21st century's big leap forward? Do you see biological computing actually becoming a thing? Join Dodi and Conor to discuss how all the lines are blurring: where there used to be separate industries we can all learn from each other.  Guests on this episode are Prachi Bogetto of Cytiva, and Cristian Norlin from Ericsson.  Transcript Keywords: biology, computation, telecom, computational biology, future, engineeri...

19. The discovery of ProteinA

The Scandinavians have done it again.  In this episode Conor and Dodi are (not really) surprised to find out that, just like chromatography, protein A has also been discovered in the North of Europe.  What makes protein A special, though? What about protein G or protein L? Surely protein A is not the most popular because of alphabetical order? This episode's hosts are joined by Josefin Bolik, protein A subject matter expert at Cytiva, Glen Bolton, Director of Bioprocess Development at Amgen,...

19. The discovery of Protein A

The Scandinavians have done it again.  In this episode Conor and Dodi are (not really) surprised to find out that, just like chromatography, protein A has also been discovered in the North of Europe.  What makes protein A special, though? What about protein G or protein L? Surely protein A is not the most popular because of alphabetical order? This episode's hosts are joined by Josefin Bolik, protein A subject matter expert at Cytiva, Glen Bolton, Director of Bioprocess Development at Amgen,...

18. Quantum biology - not just a buzzword

There is growing evidence that a number of specific mechanisms within living cells make use of the non-trivial features of quantum mechanics, such as long-lived quantum coherence, superposition, quantum tunnelling and even quantum entanglement—phenomena that were previously thought to be relevant mostly at the level of isolated molecular, atomic and subatomic systems, or at temperatures near absolute zero, and were thereby not thought to be relevant to the mechanisms responsible for life. L...

18. Quantum biology: going subatomic

How do birds know where to go in the winter? And why are plants so efficient at making food? Conor and Dodi chat with researchers studying whether quantum biology might offer answers. Transcript Keywords: quantum mechanics, quantum biology, photosynthesis, magnetoreception.

17. How does your brain discover what it wants?

In this episode, Dodi and Conor take 2 minutes to celebrate the birth of Cytiva, company formerly part of GE Healthcare Life Sciences. Yes, only 2 minutes because they're immediately more interested in the science behind choices our brains make. They are joined by Uma Karmarkar, Assistant Professor in Marketing at UCSD focusing on Decision Neuroscience, and Tim Arthur, currently a radio presenter for the BBC and an expert in helping organisations through change. Transcript  Keywords: brain...

17. How does your brain discover what it wants

In this episode Dodi and Conor take 2 minutes to celebrate the birth of Cytiva, company formerly part of GE Healthcare Life Sciences. Yes, only 2 minutes because they're immediately more interested in the science behind choices our brains make. They are joined by Uma Karmarkar, Assistant Professor in Marketing at UCSD focusing on Decision Neuroscience and Tim Arthur, currently a radio presenter for the BBC and an expert in helping organisations through change. 

16. The artistry of vaccine development

"Vaccines are a way to educate our immune system to recognize foreign and dangerous stuff," says Daria Donati, Director of Business Development and Innovation at Cytiva. Dodi and Conor embark on a journey in this episode of Discovery Matters: the journey of a vaccine. They are joined by Adrian Hill, Professor of Human Genetics at the University of Oxford and Consultant Physician, and Rebecca Chandler, Senior Contributor at WHO's Uppsala Monitoring Center.  Transcript Keywords: vaccine, im...

15. How to: Small biotechs into big companies

How do big companies stay at the forefront of the industry? How do small companies "make it big"? In this episode of Discovery Matters, Conor and Dodi chat with 3 guests to find some answers. Please welcome Kath Mackay, managing director at Alderley Park, Steve Bates, CEO of the BioIndustry Asociation (BIA) and Oliver Hardick, board member of the BIA and business leader at Cytiva.  Transcript Keywords: bioscience, biotech, biomanufacturing, accelerator, innovation.

14. The story of oligonucleotides and spinal muscular atrophy

In this episode, Conor tells Dodi the story of Roy Muhrbeck. It all started 4 years ago when new parents, Hugo Muhrbeck and Maja Ödmann brought home their first child. They were excited and nervous as so many first time parents are. But after a short while, they started to think that maybe everything wasn’t exactly how it should be. Soon after, their son Roy was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA).  Stay tuned to find out how oligonucleotides (oligos) help Roy and where he is today...

13. Scratched knees, smelly yogurt, and speedy wound healing

So, what does yogurt have to do with wound healing? In this episode, Evelina Vågesjö from Ilya Pharma helps Conor and Dodi see the connection. It’s all about getting help from our small bacterial friends, lactic acid, and chemokines. Tune in to learn how it all connects. Transcript Keywords: wound healing, how to heal wounds faster, heal wounds fast, Ilya pharma, yoghurt.

12. School’s never out: Educating the next gen biopharma talents

Education matters for sure. But what is special about biopharmaceutical education? And what does the future hold? Dodi and Conor are about to find out. Their guides in this episode are Killian O’Driscoll at NIBRT, Ireland, and Ron Kander at Thomas Jefferson University, US. Transcript Keywords: education, Thomas Jefferson University, NIBRT, biopharmaceutical education.

11. Fighting fake news in biotechnology: Sense about Science

Can you trust the scientific claims on products you buy?  Conor's curiosity led him down a three-pronged investigation about what you can and should believe, when it comes to statistics and statements about science.  Transcript Keywords: sense about science ask for evidence, sense about science.

10. Sense about Science

Can you trust the scientific claims on products you buy?  Conor's curiosity led him down a three-pronged investigation about what you can and should believe, when it comes to statistics and statements about science. 

Perspectives for health - learning about blockchain

Blockchain is everywhere.  Is it the technology we've all been waiting for? Sometimes, and sometimes not. Dodi and Conor talk with Dr. Catherine Mulligan about what blockchain is, and how it's most useful for us.

9. Perspectives for health - learning about blockchain

Blockchain is everywhere.  Is it the technology we've all been waiting for? Sometimes, and sometimes not. Dodi and Conor talk with Dr. Catherine Mulligan about what blockchain is, and how it's most useful for us.

10. Perspectives for health - learning about blockchain

Blockchain is everywhere. Is it the technology we've all been waiting for? Sometimes, and sometimes not. Dodi and Conor talk with Dr. Catherine Mulligan about what blockchain is, and how it's most useful for us. Transcript Keywords: blockchain in healthcare, blockchain, blockchain technology, Imperial College London, Dr Cathy Mulligan.

9. Innovation inside-the-box, cyborgs and jugaad (जुगाड)

Follow Dodi as she dives into the world of innovation. More specifically, the difference between talking innovation and being innovative. Meet Tobias the cyborg that likes thinking inside the box and learn what Gaud has to say about the concept of jugaad in India. Transcript Keywords: innovation, cyborg, jugaad, jugaad innovation.

8. Innovation inside-the-box, cyborgs and jugaad (जुगाड)

7. Microbiome transplant: cooties can cure you

Conor has, what he calls "microbiomania". Whatever the topic, he is able to bring it back to microbiomes in about 3 sentences. So imagine how excited he was to interview Colleen Cutcliffe, CEO of Pendulum whose mission is to make millions healthier through microbiome-targeted medical solutions. Another guest on this episode is Jacques Ravel, professor extraordinaire of The Human Microbiome and Women's Health at the Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland.  Enjoy ! (We sure did...

8. Microbiome transplant: cooties can cure you

Conor has, what he calls "microbiomania". Whatever the topic, he is able to bring it back to microbiomes in about 3 sentences. So imagine how excited he was to interview Colleen Cutcliffe, CEO of Pendulum whose mission is to make millions healthier through microbiome-targeted medical solutions. Another guest on this episode is Jacques Ravel, professor extraordinaire of The Human Microbiome and Women's Health at the Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland.  Enjoy! (We sure did!...