Donna Blackmond never thought her career would lead to solving how life first formed on the prebiotic Earth. But as she points out in this episode of Science Changing Life, does any scientist start out knowing where their research will take them? Blackmond, who is a professor and the John C. Martin Endowed Chair in Chemistry at Scripps Research, shares how her wide-ranging background across chemistry and chemical engineering is helping answer some of today’s biggest questions in science and medicine. Episode transcript: https://www.scripps.edu/_files/images/2024_images/donna-blackmond-podcast ..read more

Dr. Jay Pandit is a director of digital medicine at the Scripps Research Translational Institute and an assistant professor in the Department of Molecular Medicine at Scripps Research, where he combines medicine and technology to improve patients’ clinical outcomes. Listen in as we explore how biosensors and wearable technologies are enabling users to take control of their own health data and usher in a new era of personalized medicine. Episode transcript: https://www.scripps.edu/_files/images/2024_images/jay-pandit-transcript.pdf X: https://twitter.com/JayPandit LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in ..read more

The second part of our three-part mini-series on brain health. Professor Ryan Shenvi is based in the Department of Chemistry at Scripps Research, where his lab reconstructs useful molecules typically found in remote corners of the world. Listen as we talk about traditional remedies of indigenous cultures, formulating medicines from industrial waste and Charles Dickens’ drinking habits. Show notes: Episode transcript: https://www.scripps.edu/_files/images/2022_images/podcast-images/Ryan-Shenvi-transcript.pdf Shenvi finds a quick way to synthesize novel neuroactive compounds found in rainforest ..read more

Professor Ali Torkamani is the Director of Genome Informatics at the Scripps Research Translational Institute, where his team mines population-level genetic data to make predictions about future disease risk. Listen in as we discuss smartphone apps that could help predict the risk of a heart attack, the addition of genetic data to biosensors of the future and the use of video games as an introduction to data science. Show notes: Episode transcript: coming soon…. MyGeneRank app https://mygenerank.scripps.edu/ Ali’s faculty profile https://www.scripps.edu/faculty/torkamani/ Twitter @ATorkamani S ..read more

We roll on with part 3 of our healthy aging series. We examine the role of our DNA blueprint in the risk of cardiovascular disease, as well as how understanding our personal genetic risk scores could help us avoid that deadly heart attack. This article is taken from the Summer 2021 of our award-winning Scripps Research Magazine. Show notes: Explore the Scripps Research Magazine https://magazine.scripps.edu ..read more

In the second of this series on healthy aging, we reveal how Scripps Research scientists are developing interventions to remove stiff, achy joints from the aging equation. This article is taken from the Summer 2021 of our award-winning Scripps Research Magazine. Show notes: Explore the Scripps Research Magazine https://magazine.scripps.edu ..read more

Ahmed Badran is an assistant professor of chemistry at Scripps Research, where his lab harnesses synthetic biology to address some of biggest global problems. Listen in as we discuss reengineering plant enzymes to capture carbon, plastic-eating bacteria and new classes of antibiotics that spare our gut microbiome. Episode transcript: https://www.scripps.edu/_files/images/2023_images/ahmed-badran-transcript.pdf Badran lab website https://badranlab.com/ Twitter @AhmedHBadran Scripps Research Magazine https://magazine.scripps.edu ..read more

Dr. Evert Njomen is a postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Professor Ben Cravatt, based in the Department of Chemistry. Listen as we talk about the autophagy process to cleanse cells, new ways of dealing with antibiotic resistance and cooking with homegrown herbs. Show notes: Episode transcript: https://www.scripps.edu/_files/images/2022_images/podcast-images/Evert-Njomen-transcript.pdf Evert awarded prestigious fellowship from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute https://www.scripps.edu/news-and-events/press-room/2021/20210304-njomen-howard-hughes-medical-institute-fellowship.html Cravatt lab ..read more

Dr. Ed Ramos is director of Digital Clinical Trials for the Scripps Research Digital Trials Center. Listen as we talk about empowering the individual with wearable health devices, the worst foods for spiking our blood sugar and the importance of lifelong flexibility. Show notes: PROGRESS study enrollment https://progress.scripps.edu/ PROGRESS study explainer video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUdaMojHLuk&t=74s Ed’s bio https://www.scripps.edu/science-and-medicine/translational-institute/about/people/ed-ramos/ Scripps Research Digital Trials Center https://digitaltrials.scripps.edu ..read more

Dr. Travis Young is the Vice President of Biologics at Calibr, the drug discovery and development division of Scripps Research. Travis and the team have created a new type of immunotherapy called “switchable” chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, which is already delivering precise and powerful therapies to patients with the most difficult to treat cancers. Listen as we talk about reengineering an individual’s immune T cells, promising clinical trials in leukemia and lymphoma patients, and using similar approaches to treat autoimmune diseases. Show notes: Episode transcript: https ..read more