On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with Yale Professor Jing Tsu about “Kingdom of Characters … the language revolution that made China modern.” Communicating Chinese using digital technology is not so easy, from the telegraph, the typewriter, computers and smartphones. All were built with alphabetic letters in mind. Then, diagnosing neurodegenerative diseases – like early Alzheimers, Parkinsons and more – with a simple-to-use but scientifically advanced retinal scan. Eliav Shaked, the Co-F...
Dec 15, 2022•59 min•Ep. 500
On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with Gene Kinney, the President and CEO of Prothena Biosciences, about a 1-2-3 punch for Alzheimer’s - fighting amyloids, fighting tau, and their work on a vaccine that just might prevent Alzheimer’s altogether. Then Daniel Pink talks about Regret. Research shows you can begin to ease the pain by writing 15 minutes a day for 3 days. His book is “The Power of Regret: How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward”.
Dec 07, 2022•59 min•Ep. 499
On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Ed Humes. His latest is “The Forever Witness … How DNA and Genealogy Solved a Cold Case Double Murder.” We get an object lesson in the Three Ages of DNA, and while it reads like a fast-paced Cold Case on steroids – it provides details no fiction writer would dare to make up, like the unexpected involvement of the famous true crimes writer, Ann Rule, and a person whose DNA skills are familiar to fans of the PBS documenta...
Dec 02, 2022•59 min•Ep. 498
On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with Dr. Seth Lederman, the Co-Founder and CEO of Tonix Pharmaceuticals, about Long Covid – and it potential relation to another medical condition, Fibromyalgia. Tonix is now recruiting subjects for advanced Human Clinical Trials in both. Then neuroscientist and psychologist Lisa Feldman Barrett gives us a lesson or two from her book, “7½ Lessons about the Brain”.
Nov 25, 2022•59 min•Ep. 497
On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with Jeremy Utley, the Director of Executive Education at Stanford University’s school, joins Moira to talk about his book “IdeaFlow.” You have no idea how important ideas are in your life, and just how many you’ll need! Then in biotech, human clinical trials have begun to treat a particular type of Epilepsy called Temporal Lobe Epilepsy. Dr. Cory Nicholas from Neurona Therapeutics, tells us about their big idea and how they have developed an unprecedente...
Nov 17, 2022•59 min•Ep. 496
On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with Bloomberg BusinessWeek investigative journalist Kit Chellel (“Shell-lel”) talks about “Dead in the Water … A True Story of Hijacking, Murder, and a Global Maritime Conspiracy.” It makes the movie “Captain Philips” look pretty tame. Then if you thought that all the new vaccines would be mRNA vaccines – you’d be wrong. Dr. Robert Coleman, the Co-Founder and CEO of Codagenix, shows us how to precisely engineer viruses to be effective vaccines. Even bett...
Nov 13, 2022•59 min•Ep. 495
On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with Dr. Alexandria Forbes (whom you may known as Zandy Forbes), President and CEO of MeiraGTx, tells us about their efforts in treating retinitis pigmentosa and Parkinson’s, among other medical conditions. MeiraGTx is also working on a new technology to replace defective DNA with new working DNA, and the ability to stop the new DNA should you choose. Then Matthew Ball, the former global head of strategy for Amazon Studios, talks his book: “The Metaverse ...
Nov 01, 2022•59 min•Ep. 494
On this week’s Tech Nation, Steven Johnson with “Enemy of All Mankind … A True Story of Piracy, Power and History’s First Global Manhunt.” It’s a 17th century story that’s rife with insights for today. Then Tech Nation Health Chief Correspondent Dr. Daniel Kraft talks about food as medicine – it might be steamed vegetables … or could that be chocolate and wine?
Oct 28, 2022•59 min•Ep. 493
On this week’s Tech Nation, conjure up images of test tubes, and replace it with tiny wells on index-card-size trays, and robots moving them to and fro. Dr. Chris Gibson, the CEO of Recursion Pharmaceuticals, tells us about their effort to analyze all of human biology, and the drugs in their very own pipeline. Then, who knew Sociology and Criminology were linked? University of Denver professor Jared Del Rosso talks about his book “Denial … How We Hide, Ignore, and Explain Away Problems””, and an...
Oct 19, 2022•59 min•Ep. 492
On this week’s Tech Nation, an archival interview of the winner of the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Professor Svante Paabo talks about his book: “Neanderthal Man … in search of lost genomes.” Then biotech takes on Osteoarthritis – mostly in the knee, but it can affect any joint. Dr. Diem Nguyen, the CEO of Xalud Therapeutics, talks about Xalud’s work to reduce the inflammation that drives pain. It’s now in human clinical trials.
Oct 14, 2022•59 min•Ep. 491
On this week’s Tech Nation, Dr. Patrice Matchaba, the President of the Novartis US Foundation. He talks about how the limits of medical technology itself have excluded Black/African Americans and Persons of Color … and sometimes *all* women. Then University of Chicago professor Dr Neil Shubin talks about “Some Assembly required … Decoding Four Billion Years of Life, from Ancient Fossils to DNA.” Ancient viruses in our DNA? And what about “jumping genes”?
Oct 05, 2022•59 min•Ep. 490
On this week’s Tech Nation, it’s about developing medicines which enable the body to heal itself. First up, treating depression in a whole new way … and rapidly. Dr. Jeff Jonas, the Chief Innovation Officer and Director of Sage Therapeutics, talks about their drug Zuranolone, nearing the end of its drug approval journey. Then, Craig Parker, the CEO of Surrozen, talks about their work with the W-N-T pathway, or Wnt pathway. Their initial candidate for treatment? Repairing the liver.
Oct 01, 2022•59 min•Ep. 489
On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with Jamie Susskind about his book, “The Digital Republic … On Freedom and Democracy in the 21st Century”. Then, in Biotech, a potential successor to stem cells - fibroblasts? Yes, fibroblasts. Dr. Hamid Khoja, Chief Scientific Officer of FibroBiologics in Houston, describes their fibroblast programs in such diverse conditions as Degenerative Disk Disease, Multiple Sclerosis and Diabetic Foot Ulcers.
Sep 22, 2022•59 min•Ep. 488
On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with Bloomberg and BusinessWeek journalist Mark Bergen about the challenge of keeping up with the 100’s of hours of video uploaded every minute. His book is “Like, Comment, Subscribe: Inside YouTube’s Chaotic Rise to World Domination”. Then an excerpt from Wired Science Editor Kara Platoni’s original interview about her 2015 book: “We Have the Technology: How Biohackers, Foodies, and Physicians are Transforming Human Perception.” It’s even more relevant t...
Sep 13, 2022•59 min•Ep. 487
On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with Dr. Jeffrey Cleland, the President & CEO of Ashvattha Therapeutics, about their drug development efforts to treat Long Covid. Then Dr. Greg Frost, the Chair and CEO of Exuma Biotech, tells us about their work to speed up CAR-T – from 4-6 weeks to just a few hours, and a second delivery method – programming a virus to produce the treatment protein needed. Just a simple injection under the skin. Finally, Wall Street Journal reporter Katherine Blunt...
Sep 10, 2022•59 min•Ep. 486
On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with Kirk Wallace Johnson talking about fisherman, immigrants, bigotry, justice and environmental pollution. It’s all in “The Fishermen and the Dragon … Fear, Greed, and a Fight for Justice on the Gulf Coast”. Then on BioTech Nation, Dr. Hernan Bazan, the Co-Founder & CEO of South Rampart Pharma in New Orleans. They’re working on the next generation of pain relief – non-opioid pain relief. The goal is to be equally powerful without the addiction....
Sep 01, 2022•5 min•Ep. 485
On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with Harvard economics professors Edward Glaeser and David Cutler about “Survival of the City … Living and Thriving in an Age of Isolation.” Then Dr. Alex Pang’s advice about our work life from his 2016 book, “Rest … Why You Get More Done When You Work Less” is even more relevant now. And Tech Nation Health Chief Correspondent Dr Daniel Kraft talks to us about something unprecedented … our teeth!
Aug 24, 2022•59 min•Ep. 484
On this week’s Tech Nation, how exactly did Edward Snowden deliver those classified government documents into the hands of the media? Former Washington Post investigative journalist Bart Gellman, currently writing for The Atlantic, talks about his book: “Dark Mirror: Edward Snowden and the American Surveillance State”. Then Tech Nation Health Chief Correspondent Dr. Daniel Kraft talks about the potential for genetic susceptibility to the COVID-19 virus, and other aspects of genetic predispositio...
Aug 19, 2022•59 min•Ep. 483
On this week’s Tech Nation, what Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Richard Branson all have in common: They all started spaceflight companies. Moira speaks with New Yorker writer NICHOLAS SCHMIDLE (“schmidd-uhl”) , the author of “Test Gods: Virgin Galactic and the Making of a Modern Astronaut”. Then 40% of Americans report that they have gained weight since the COVID pandemic began. Excerpts from a past interview with DR SANDRA AAMODT (“ehh-mutt”), the former editor-in-chief of Nature Neuroscience. Her ...
Aug 12, 2022•59 min•Ep. 482
On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with Emory University Primatologist Dr. Frans de Waal talks about his book: “Different … Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist. Then Dr. Steve Worland from eFFECTOR Therapeutics tells us about their approach to cancer. Among their efforts - Non-small cell lung cancer and ER positive breast cancer. And Kevin Ali the CEO of Organon explains how this women-focused company went global with its 64 products in one year. That’s a story in itself.
Aug 04, 2022•59 min•Ep. 481
On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with Dr. Alexandria Forbes (whom you may known as Zandy Forbes), President and CEO of MeiraGTx, tells us about their efforts in treating retinitis pigmentosa and Parkinson’s, among other medical conditions. MeiraGTx is also working on a new technology to replace defective DNA with new working DNA, and the ability to stop the new DNA should you choose. Then Matthew Ball, the former global head of strategy for Amazon Studios, talks his book: “The Metaverse ...
Jul 30, 2022•59 min•Ep. 480
On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with the biotech companies at the BIO International Convention in San Diego. They meet in person for the first time in 3 years, where Dr. Gunn was able to speak with Paul Hastings, the Chair of BIO and the President & CEO of Nkarta, about the state of BIO and Nkarta’s work on delivering Natural Killer cells for cancer. Joe Panetta, President & CEO of Biocom California, brings insights into California as a whole and its relation globally, as well a...
Jul 21, 2022•59 min•Ep. 479
On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with John Markoff, the former New York Times journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner, to talk about someone we would call today an “influencer” – only he has been influencing now for decades. Markoff’s book is “Whole Earth: The Many Lives of Stewart Brand”. Then in biotech, Dr. James Mackey, the President & CEO, Aristea Therapeutics, tells about a painful disease which affects the palms of hand and soles of feet in post-menopausal women - Palmoplantar pu...
Jul 15, 2022•59 min•Ep. 478
On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with Professor Antonio Damasio, the Director of the University of Southern California’s Brain and Creativity Institute. He talks about his book is “Feeling & Knowing: Making Minds Conscious”. Then a developing treatment for ALS – often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Rob Etherington and Robert Glanzman from Clene Nanomedicine talk about using trillions of gold nanocrystals now being tested in advanced clinical trials.
Jul 07, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 477
On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with Sandy Fershee, the Lab Director for D-Ford Detroit at Ford Motor Company. They talk about the latest features for the best-selling vehicle on the road - the F-150 pick-up truck from Ford. They talk about the latest design updates, and how Ford went about it. Then Brian Culley, the CEO of Lineage Cell Therapeutics in San Diego, explains cell therapy in plain words. They’re working on dry age-related macular degeneration and spinal cord injury, and the...
Jul 01, 2022•59 min•Ep. 476
On this week’s Tech Nation, from the bumpy history of the chariot to how smartphones are essential equipment for transportation in the future. Economist deputy editor Tom Standage talks about “A Brief History of Motion: From the Wheel, to the Car, to What Comes Next”. Then Dr. Jim Brown, the CEO of DURECT, describes their first Phase 2 clinical trials for Alcoholic Hepatitis, known as AH. And a look at what comes next for their approach to regenerative medicine.
Jun 23, 2022•59 min•Ep. 475
On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with Jer Thorp. The former Data Artist in Residence at the New York Times, he talks about his book: “Living in Data – A Citizen’s Guide to a Better Information Future”. Then Joe Hernandez, the Founder and CEO of Blue Water Vaccines tells us about their quest for a universal flu vaccine. Even more unusual? Along the way, they also found a Dodo bird.
Jun 15, 2022•59 min•Ep. 474
On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with Dr. Robert Ang, the President & CEO of Vor Biopharma about its approach to Acute Myeloid Leukemia, also known as AML. Then Dr. Nik Sopko, the Chief Scientific Officer of PolarityTE talks about their design for wound healing. Their first treatment candidate is diabetic foot ulcers. And Dr. Eric Vivier from Innate Pharma in Marseilles tells us about the next wave of immunotherapy treatments – harnessing Natural Killer cells.
Jun 09, 2022•59 min•Ep. 473
On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with Dr. George Yancopoulos, the President and Chief Scientific Officer of Regeneron. Its innovative COVID treatment directly infuses antibodies. But how do get students to become innovative scientists? The Regeneron Science Talent Search. Then the challenge of diagnosing liver disease. Dr. Caroline Loew, the President and CEO of Glympse Bio, talks about their approach to diagnosing and tracking the progression of the liver condition, NASH, and its potent...
May 31, 2022•59 min•Ep. 472
In this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with Dr. Andrew Steele in a FOLLOW-ON science-focused interview on the latest science behind aging. His book is “Ageless … The New Science of Getting Older without Getting Old.” And then, an excerpt from Dr. Thomas Rando’s 2020 interview. A co-founder of Fountain Therapeutics, he tells us about their science and their efforts to potentially reverse the aging process.
May 27, 2022•59 min•Ep. 471
