Finding Genius Podcast

The fundamental goal of Juan Alvarez's research? "In a nutshell," he says, "I'm trying to cure diabetes." This podcast discusses the exciting potential of his goal by exploring the specific elements of pancreas function and metabolic misfires that lead to diabetes.  Listen and learn How he's working on a substitution for pancreatic beta cells by developing islets in a laboratory, How he's untangling two common causes of type 2 diabetes, namely pancreatic beta cells losing maturity and insulin receptors losing efficiency, and How one promising approach addresses the importance of eating and fasting rhythms on pancreatic beta cell function. Recently awarded an NIH Diabetes Grant, Juan R. Alvarez is an HHMI LSRF Research Fellow with Melton Laboratory at Harvard University. His research investigates causes of diabetes such as the connection between nonfunctioning pancreatic beta cells and diabetes and the impaired uptake of insulin in adipose and...

As medical technology advances, the "should we" questions take on even more complexity. This episode takes a fascinating look at the principles of bioethics through numerous illustrative bioethics examples with noted bioethicist Margaret Somerville. Listen and learn What the four levels of decision making regarding bioethics in medicine are,  What will be the hardest ethics questions in the immediate future and what are her thoughts on these issues, and How she's faced controversy for her opinions and why she continues to speak honestly about her ethical stances.  Margaret Somerville is a professor of bioethics in the School of Medicine in Sydney. She received her doctorate in the field in the '70s just as major advancements in genomics and genetics heightened the complexity for bioethics in medical technology. She lends listeners the language and schemata for how people in her profession consider the most difficult medical questions. She lists the four levels...

This podcast explores how one researcher is working to keep babies safer without turning to antibiotics. Group B Streptococcus (GBS) presence in the mother is a leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Doctors often treat mothers with antibiotics to curb the infection, which presents its own complications. Richard interviews a microbiologist working on alternatives. Listen and learn How GBS transmission happens and what screening processed is used, What different strains of GBS exist and are they equally infectious, and How phage therapy may be the best solution to decrease infection rates while leaving the microbiome of the baby balanced and healthy. In this episode, Richard speaks with a researcher specializing in perinatal microbiology and infections of the perinatal period. She examines how these infections can modify the outcome for mothers and babies. By looking at the epidemiology and how GBS strains change regarding capsule type and other factors in different ...

Suffering from the pain of headaches and migraines? This podcast offers vital information for those who experience migraine symptoms. Dr. Lucas helps listeners both understand what we know about these conditions and explains different therapeutics and what they do. Listen and learn What causes migraines, including genetic factors and environmental stimuli, Why research on chronic headaches treatment has lagged and how it is accelerating, and How therapeutics differ, what exactly they do, and what are the latest advances in treatment. Dr. Sylvia Lucas is a Clinical Professor Emeritus of Neurology at the University of Washington Medical Center. She brings an approachable, clear delivery of information for all-things-migraine in this episode. Her overview includes an explanation of why research has been less than optimal until recently. Research wasn't there in the early part of modern medicine in part because it was considered a "women's condition." Because ...

A Canadian physician has taken an historical approach to examining surgery, from ancient Greece to modern medicine and surgery. He started a podcast called Legends of Surgery and talks about some of the most interesting tidbits in this episode. He discusses Historical markers such as the sickness that lead to hand washing and why Europeans call the operating room "theater," The ways modern surgical procedures, step-by-step , have evolved over thousands of years, and How modern surgery technology may evolve with robotic surgeries and other advancements. Tyler Rouse specializes in anatomical pathology as a physician but has always been a history buff, especially regarding surgery. He spends his free time researching the specific histories behind surgery and has made an entertaining and enlightening podcast about his more significant finds. For example, he's examined the horrors of J. Marion Sims, long considered the father of modern gynecology, who performed crue...

  This podcast shares an amazing story of overcoming the hardship of severe chronic kidney disease management. Nathanael lost his kidneys as a young child and suffered years of ups and downs from treatment. He shares his thoughts on chronic illness motivation that has helped many across the world. Listen and hear Why the different treatments he received after his chronic kidney disease diagnosis almost broke his spirit, How he adjusted his mindset at a critical point in his life that led to his current status as a global speaker, and Where he is now both medically and emotionally and about the nonprofit he'd like to begin.  Most who suffer from kidney conditions pass through the chronic kidney disease stages and have some time to adjust. But Nathanael Zurbruegg lost his kidneys as a one-year-old boy due to a chronic disease and went through years of kidney transplants and dialysis when each kidney failed. This up and down cycle broke him and as a young adolescent, after anoth...

In addition to HIV prevention , one of the biggest topics for HIV research is finding a cure. While antivirals are able to control and suppress the virus, it’s still able to keep its foothold in infected subjects. This podcast talks to one researcher who's helped scientists understand that persistence. Listen and learn How HIV infection manifests as productive and latent infections, What his study showed about the lack of viral evolution and means of proliferation, and What stands as one of the more promising potentials for a cure, namely the "shock and kill" approach. Matt Gartner is a research officer with Subbarao Group, researching common infectious diseases . His PhD work focused on infectious diseases microbiology, most specifically HIV. Like many infectious viruses, after the transmission of HIV, the virus usually undergoes a latent period. However, the latent period has a couple of mysterious characteristics.  Dr. Gartner studied the ability of HIV...

It's all in the translation, especially for plant viruses. This podcast takes an interesting look at virus expressions in plants and their ability to coopt cellular machinery for their own purposes. Listen and learn The basics methods a virus uses to infect a plant cell, including insect-vector mechanics, The challenges a virus faces inside the cell to use the ribosomal translation factors, and The ways this knowledge may be used to speed production of vaccines.  Aurelie Rakotondrafara is an associate professor of biology at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. She brings an infectious awe to all things viral as she discusses the ways plant viruses work in this episode, from viral gene transfer to viral resistance in plants. Her particular focus is on viral gene expression —how viruses manage to outcompete other cell molecules to make proteins. The primary goal for any virus, whether animal or plant, is to enter their obligate host cell and replicate. But plant cells ...

There are still no disease-modifying therapeutics for dementia patients, but James Moe thinks that will change soon. This podcast discusses research on a particular drug that's showing promise, but also helps with understanding Alzheimer's disease progression. On a hopeful note, James Moe emphasizes how close the neurodegeneration research community is to developing significant breakthroughs. Listen and learn Why Oligomerix chose to focus on the tau protein when many other companies were working with amyloid, How their therapeutic prevents tau from misfolding and forming tangles that harm neurons, and Where they are in clinical studies and what the research community as a whole might offer. Oligomerix, Inc . focuses on neurodegenerative diseases of the brain, such as the management of Alzheimer's disease . James Moe says that when they started the company, they decided to focus on the tau protein despite a contemporaneous emphasis on amyloid. Among other reason...