Finding the cheat codes to cell identity

Finding the cheat codes to cell identity

From Absolute Gene-ius by Jordan Ruggieri, Lisa Crawford

April 15, 2026 · 33 min · Season 4 · Episode 6

About this episode

Fiona Connolly discusses the impact of deterministic programming of iPSCs on disease modeling and drug discovery.

Fiona Connolly, formerly with bit.bio, joins Absolute Gene-ius to explore how deterministic programming of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) is transforming disease modeling and drug discovery. She explains how genetic “cheat codes,” automation, and digital PCR are driving consistent, scalable production of highly defined human cell types.

People in this episode

Hosts: Jordan Ruggieri, Lisa Crawford

Guest: Fiona Connolly

Topics covered

  • cell identity
  • induced pluripotent stem cells
  • disease modeling
  • drug discovery
  • genetic programming

Keywords

  • cell identity
  • iPSCs
  • disease modeling
  • drug discovery
  • genetic cheat codes
  • automation
  • digital PCR

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: bit.bio

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