Aging may be the last great frontier of precision medicine—not a single disease, but the slow re-patterning of immunity, metabolism, and resilience that determines how well and how long we live. In this wide-ranging and genuinely mind-bending conversation, Alan Landay and Tom Blackwell make a compelling case that aging itself is finally becoming a legitimate—and testable—target of medicine. For Landay, the path into aging biology began decades ago through HIV. Antiretroviral therapy transformed ...
Jan 22, 2026•46 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.mendelspod.com The RNA revolution didn’t end with COVID. It’s only just beginning. Today Theral is joined by Andrew Geall , co-founder and Chief Development Officer of Replicate Bioscience , to explore why self-replicating RNA may represent the next major leap in vaccines and therapeutics. While first-generation mRNA proved what was possible in a pandemic, Andrew argues …...
Jan 15, 2026•5 min
Perhaps more than in any other field, AI is impacting drug discovery and development. To begin the year we’re joined by two AI software-as-service companies, one on the target discovery side and the other built for new compound identification for those targets. Theral speaks with Aqib Hasnain , Product Lead at Mithrl, and Cheng Hu , co-founder and CEO of Technetium Therapeutics , about how scientists can go from AI generated insights to AI generated assets, from AI-driven fast science, to AI-dri...
Jan 09, 2026•34 min
In our most listened to episode this year, Certis Oncology CEO Peter Ellman breaks down how his company is reinventing cancer research by building orthotopic patient-derived tumor models that more faithfully mimic human cancer — and using them to improve both drug development and treatment decisions. What is meant by orthotopic? That’s when patient tumors are placed in the “correct place” inside mice to create more faithful cancer models. Ellman shares the deeply personal origin story behind Cer...
Dec 30, 2025•39 min
As sequencing continues to become cheaper, more attention is being paid to sample prep. Today we’re following up with the company, Volta Labs, a genomics applications company transforming sample prep for NGS by increasing robustness and precision, and lowering operating costs. CEO Udayan Umapathi reflects on what has been a breakout first commercial year for Callisto , the company’s sequencer-agnostic, digital-fluidics platform for sample prep. When he was last on the show, Callisto had just lau...
Dec 18, 2025•27 min
Few startups have launched with such quiet anticipation—or such a remarkable founding pedigree—as Cellanome . Backed by veterans of the genomics revolution, the company aims to do for cell biology what Illumina did for sequencing: make it measurable, dynamic, and multidimensional. In this debut conversation, Cellanome CEO Omead Ostadan traces his path from the early days of Applied Biosystems and Solexa to what he calls “the multi-omics of the cell.” He describes a breakthrough platform capable ...
Dec 17, 2025•42 min
At the end of each year we look for a guest who in many ways defines the year. Today we sit down former NHGRI director Eric Green to reflect on the most turbulent year in his 31-year career at NIH. After leading the National Human Genome Research Institute for more than 15 years, Green’s appointment was abruptly non-renewed—a decision he learned about with “two or three days notice that I was going to have to retire from federal service.” What followed, he says, was a wave of terminations and fo...
Dec 11, 2025•50 min
Note: This show was originally published on September 11, 2025. In light of the recent acquisition of Foresight Diagnostics by Natera, we’re re-publishing the interview with co-founders Jake Chabon and David Kurtz. Catching a cancer relapse before any scan could see it is the ultimate goal for minimal residual disease or MRD testing. And it’s the promise behind Foresight Diagnostics, a Stanford spin-out co-founded by scientist Jake Chabon and oncologist David Kurtz who say they have arrived at “...
Dec 09, 2025•30 min
This week on Mendelspod, we speak with Petter Brodin , Professor of Pediatric Immunology at the Karolinska Institutet and Director of Systems Immunology at Imperial College London, about his pioneering work in childhood immune development and his new spatial-proteomics investigations into lupus. Petter shares how a single lecture on natural killer cells pulled him into immunology, and how early twin studies convinced him that “our immune systems are shaped predominantly by non-heritable factors....
Dec 04, 2025•22 min
What if the next leap in human health isn’t hidden in our genes, but in everything that happens to them? In this week’s truly groundbreaking Mendelspod episode, we open a new chapter for the show: our first deep dive into exposomics—the study of all the physical, chemical, biological, and social exposures that shape the human body across a lifetime. To guide us, we welcomed two leaders at the center of this emerging field: Chirag Patel of Harvard and Gary Miller of Columbia University, fresh off...
Nov 25, 2025•45 min
After more than a decade of success in research, long-read sequencing is more and more adopted into clinical testing. In today’s show, we speak with Rita Shaknovich , Chief Medical Officer at Agilent Technologies , and Sarah Kingan , Associate Director of DNA Applications at Pacific Biosciences (PacBio) , about how their collaboration is speeding up this long-anticipated transition. * 0:00 Long read sequencing changing clinical landscape * 7:00 Long reads replacing older technologies * 13:15 Agi...
Nov 20, 2025•31 min
What used to take months of bioinformatics analysis can now happen in minutes—and with greater biological insight than ever before. In this episode, Theral Timpson sits down with Vivek Adarsh , co-founder and CEO of Mithrl , an “AI science” company that’s bringing the power of vertical AI to the lab bench. Adarsh began his career at Nvidia, long before the company became synonymous with AI. “What I learned there,” he recalls, “was that when you build a team around exceptional talent, deep passio...
Nov 18, 2025•32 min
The biggest story in sequencing this year lives up to the hype. Mark Kokoris, head of SBX sequencing at Roche and inventor of the technology, joins Mendelspod to talk about how Sequencing by Expansion (SBX) works and why it may redefine the limits of genomics. * 0:00 A long journey inspired by PCR * 7:20 What is sequencing by expansion? * 14:00 On scale and accuracy * 19:40 Multi-omics vision? * 24:40 What will be the killer app? * 30:00 Biggest challenge for launch Kokoris recounts the long pat...
Nov 11, 2025•36 min
What company began as a sake manufacturer over a century ago and went on to launch the world’s first single-cell kit in 2011? It’s Takara Bio—and their story is far from finished. In this episode, we talk with Dr. Andrew Farmer , Chief Scientific Officer and Head of R&D at Takara Bio USA , about the company’s remarkable evolution from a Japanese enzyme maker to a global innovator in single-cell and spatial biology. Farmer recalls, “We go way, way back to being a sake manufacturer a hundred y...
Nov 04, 2025•32 min
When should a genetic test be ordered—and who decides? It’s a question we are constantly asking on the program. Dr. David Braxton, Chief of Molecular Pathology at Hoag Memorial Hospital in Southern California, has built a system where the answer is simple: the pathologist decides. At Hoag, reflex testing protocols automatically trigger genomic tests when certain cancers appear under the microscope—embedding precision medicine directly into the biopsy workflow. * 0:00 How did you become an advoca...
Oct 28, 2025•49 min
Illumina has just made a bold move into proteomics. In this episode of Mendelspod , Krishna Morampudi, Associate Director for Product Management at Illumina, joins Theral to talk about the company’s recent definitive agreement to acquire SomaLogic and the new launch of Illumina Protein Prep, their new end-to-end proteomics solution. 0:00 On the acquisition of SomaLogic 4:30 Scoop: Illuminated Protein Prep just launched 8:00 Competitive edge 14:15 The larger multi-omics vision Illumina’s new prod...
Oct 21, 2025•17 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.mendelspod.com On today’s debut interview with Truvian Health, CEO Jay Srinivasan lays out the company’s bold but grounded plan to radically decentralize blood testing. With over $150 million raised and a benchtop instrument already in FDA review, Truvian aims to run 34 lab-quality tests from just eight drops of blood—in under 30 minutes. “Why does your blood have to t…...
Oct 14, 2025•7 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.mendelspod.com Premal Shah says that many companies in personal genomics have emphasized quantity over quality. Premal is the CEO of Myome, a company offering whole-genome interpretation built for the clinic rather than the consumer. Shah says Myome was founded on the belief that more data isn’t better data. “Physicians don’t want a laundry list of genes,” he told us …...
Oct 07, 2025•5 min
A few weeks back we featured a next gen PCR technology called iconPCR that carries the promise to dramatically impact research. Today we take a customer’s-eye view of the technology. Dr. Stefan Green, who directs the Genomics and Microbiome Core Facility at Rush University, has been putting the instrument through its paces on challenging projects ranging from pathogen surveillance in Chicago to ultra-low biomass cleanroom samples for NASA. “PCR is both the greatest and worst invention of all tim...
Oct 02, 2025•36 min
Alex Dickinson, former Illumina executive and now host of The Geonomics Podcast , joins us for a wide-ranging conversation on the state of DNA sequencing and its future. Known for his independent voice, Alex isn’t afraid to speak plainly about the industry’s biggest players and its shifting technology landscape. * 0:00 Squarely in the long read age * 6:10 When short reads, when long? * 9:20 Whole genome testing * 15:00 Targeted long reads * 19:40 Roche’s new technology * 23:00 Multiomics: the bi...
Sep 30, 2025•32 min
In a time when many diagnostics companies are struggling, GeneDx is thriving by focusing squarely on solving one of medicine’s most pressing problems: the diagnostic odyssey for rare disease. CEO Katherine Stueland explains why the company has committed to whole exome and genome testing as first-line answers for children, and how their recent acquisition of Fabric Genomics expands their reach into AI-powered interpretation services. * 0:00 Success coming from a focus on rare disease * 5:20 Why w...
Sep 25, 2025•36 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.mendelspod.com Few founders get to build the future of genomics twice—Moran Snir is doing it a fourth time. After founding Clear Genetics and helping Invitae scale genetic services, she’s back with a new venture: Nest Genomics , a software platform aiming to make genomic care routine across U.S. health systems. * 0:00 Founder of four genomic medical companies * 6:55 When sho…...
Sep 23, 2025•4 min
The story of Certis Oncology begins with a patient. In 2012, Barney Berglund was diagnosed with a rare sarcoma. Standard treatments failed him, and though his doctors at UCLA tried to create mouse avatars of his tumor to test drugs, Barney passed away before the models were ready. Out of his family’s grief came a mission: to change the trial-and-error nature of cancer treatment. They joined with physician-scientists and entrepreneur Peter Ellman to found Certis. * Chapters: * 0:00 What are PDx m...
Sep 18, 2025•39 min
For his first interview as CEO of Myriad Genetics, Sam Raha joined us to help kick off Mendelspod’s 15th season. Raha, who took the helm in April after serving as COO and holding senior roles at Illumina and Agilent, leads Myriad at a pivotal moment. While consumer genomics has faltered—23andMe filed for bankruptcy earlier this year—Myriad continues to double down on its clinical strategy with new offerings in oncology, prenatal testing, and mental health. * 0:00 New MRD and HRD testing * 5:30 W...
Sep 16, 2025•38 min
Catching a cancer relapse before any scan could see it is the ultimate goal for minimal residual disease or MRD testing. And it’s the promise behind Foresight Diagnostics, a Stanford spin-out co-founded by scientist Jake Chabon and oncologist David Kurtz who say they have arrived at “next gen” MRD testing. In this debut interview, Jake and Dave walk us through their journey from academic research to launching one of the most sensitive MRD tests on the market—one that’s already shaped new NCCN gu...
Sep 11, 2025•30 min
Epigenetics has emerged as one of the most revealing windows into cancer biology. Long before genetic mutations appear, changes in DNA methylation can initiate tumorigenesis, shape tumor diversity, and provide powerful clues for biomarker discovery. In this episode of Mendelspod, we explore Illumina’s new 5-base solution with Dr. Bodour Salhia, a cancer epigenetics researcher at USC’s Keck School of Medicine, and Danielle Goldberg, senior product manager at Illumina. The conversation brings toge...
Sep 09, 2025•27 min
Reinventing PCR, huh ? That’s what we asked Pranav Patel, CEO and co-founder of N6 Tec , on today’s show. After all, PCR is one of the oldest tools in the molecular biology toolbox. Isn’t that field… done? Turns out, not at all. Patel — a veteran of PacBio, 10x Genomics, and founder of 2D Genomics — is back with a bold rethink of thermocycling itself. His new platform, IconPCR , isn’t just another black box with 96 wells. It’s the first of its kind to feature independently controlled wells, enab...
Sep 02, 2025•30 min
Today we sit down with renowned geneticist David Ledbetter, whose pioneering work helped uncover the chromosomal basis of Prader-Willi, Angelman, and Miller-Dieker syndromes. He served as Chief Scientific Officer at Geisinger, where he led the MyCode Community Health Initiative—one of the largest population genomic screening programs in the world. Now, he's bringing his decades of experience to bear on a bold new initiative: the Institute for Pediatric Rare Diseases at Florida State University. ...
Aug 28, 2025•42 min
In this special tribute episode, Mendelspod honors the life and legacy of Dr. Atul Butte (1969-2025), a towering figure in big data and precision medicine who passed away earlier this year. Atul was more than a pioneer in translational bioinformatics—he was a mentor, a builder, and a boundless source of ideas. He sought to “lift all boats in the harbor.” Joining the conversation are three scientists who worked closely with him and continue to carry forward his vision: * Dr. Marina Sirota , UCSF ...
Aug 21, 2025•36 min
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.mendelspod.com Most cancer biomarkers aren’t found in your DNA—they’re found on a microscope slide. And according to Dr. Andy Beck, CEO and co-founder of PathAI, that slide is undergoing a digital transformation. In this episode, Andy takes us behind the scenes of modern pathology to reveal how AI is reshaping not only cancer diagnostics but also drug development. From…...
Aug 14, 2025•5 min
