The Leap: Garbage In, Garbage Out
Summary
This episode of The Leap profiles biochemist Virginia Man-Yee Lee, who has made significant discoveries in understanding neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and ALS. It covers her challenging upbringing, her unique scientific and life partnership with her late husband John Trojanowski, and her fearless approach to tackling difficult research problems and standing up for her scientific views, including her pivotal work on the tau protein and the discovery of TDP-43.Episode description
Biochemist Virginia Man-Yee Lee has spent a lifetime in the lab, figuring out what happens in the brains of people with neurodegenerative diseases. She’s made key discoveries about Parkinson's, ALS, and Alzheimer's.The secret to her success? Happiness. “If you're not happy, you don’t know what you’re capable of,” Lee says. Neurologist Ken Kosick reflects on the early days of Alzheimer’s research, and neurologist Alice S. Chen-Plotkin, a former postdoc in Virginia’s lab, gives us a fly-on-the-wall look at the unusual research partnership between Lee and her husband John Trojanowski.
“The Leap” is a 10-episode audio series that profiles scientists willing to take big risks to push the boundaries of discovery. It premieres on Science Friday’s podcast feed every Monday until July 21.
“The Leap” is a production of the Hypothesis Fund, brought to you in partnership with Science Friday.
Transcript is available on sciencefriday.com.
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