Science with a Twist

Discover how human leukocyte antigens (HLAs)—once key to organ transplantation—are now transforming cancer immunotherapy and autoimmune disease treatment. Marcelo Fernandez Vina, Director of the Histocompatibility & Immunogenetics Laboratory at Stanford Blood Center, and Dave Lowe, Senior Director of R&D, Transplant Diagnostics at Thermo Fisher, reveal how this decades-old tool is reshaping modern medicine.

Explore how the biotech and pharma industries tackle environmental challenges. Join My Green Lab CEO James Connelly and Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Senior Director of Global Sustainability Alyssa Caddle on Science with a Twist as they discuss strategies for creating greener research laboratories.

In this episode of "Science with a Twist," host Terri Somers speaks with Dr. Rose Blackburne, MBA, Vice President, Medical Science and Strategy, and Global Head of General Medicine and Women’s Health at the PPD clinical research business at Thermo Fisher Scientific. Dr. Blackburne, a thought leader in women’s health and clinical trials, emphasizes the critical need for diversity in clinical trials to achieve health equity, highlighting how different populations experience varying symptoms and responses to treatments. She explains that women’s health goes beyond reproductive issues, providing examples of diseases that impact far more women than men. She also explains why, historically, women were excluded from clinical trials and recent measures that are helping to ensure equitable representation.

In this episode of Science with a Twist, Dr. Peter Marks, Director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) at the FDA, joins host Dr. Timothy Miller to dive into the complexities and promise of gene therapy. They discuss the potential of gene therapy to revolutionize medicine, narrowing in on the scientific progress made and recent advancements in treating patients and families with Rare Diseases. Dr. Marks shares insights on the FDA's role in ensuring safety and efficacy, emphasizing the importance of collaboration between regulatory bodies, researchers, and developers. Efforts related to the profround work of the public/private partnerships funding the Accelerating Medicines Partnerships Bespoke Gene Therapy Consotritum are also highlighted. The conversation also explores the many challenges of bringing the promise of gene therapies to patients, including, cost, accessibility, and ethical considerations. Dr. Marks outlines the FDA's efforts to streamline the approval process while maintaining rigorous standards, highlighting the careful balance between innovation and patient safety. Finally, the episode touches on the future of gene and genetic therapies, with Dr. Marks expressing optimism about their ability to treat previously incurable diseases as well as common, everyday conditions. He stresses the importance of public education and engagement to navigate the complexities of these new treatments and higlights the need for industry partners like Thermo Fishing in empowering the science thru applying novel creativity and innovaiton. The episode provides a comprehensive overview of gene therapy's current state and its promising future.

In this episode of Science with a Twist, host Dr. Obiageli Okafor dives into the pressing issue of global health equity in HIV treatment, emphasizing the pivotal role of HIV drug resistance testing. She highlights Brazil's commendable efforts, which include providing free antiretroviral drugs and access to no-cost CD4 and viral load testing. This proactive approach has led to a significant reduction in HIV cases in the country. Guest Dr. Ricardo Diaz, a renowned infectious disease expert from Brazil, shares his insights on the challenges and successes of Brazil's HIV treatment journey. He underscores the emergence of HIV drug resistance and the urgent need for genotype testing to tailor treatments effectively. The discussion further reveals the alarming scale of drug resistance. Despite the strides made, there remains a gap between the number of resistance tests conducted and the actual need, emphasizing the continuous battle against HIV.

In this episode of Science with a Twist, host Meron Mathias engages in a riveting discussion with Maya Ajmera from the Society for Science and Eleanor Sigrest, a previous winner of Society’s middle school STEM competition. The conversation revolves around the critical need for diversity in STEM fields and the role of competitions like the Thermo Fisher Scientific Junior Innovators Challenge in increasing equitable access to high-quality STEM learning experiences. The dialogue delves into the importance of early exposure to STEM learning experiences, particularly during the formative middle school years. Maya and Eleanor emphasize the value of hands-on learning and project-based organizations in cultivating STEM passions. They also highlight the role of afterschool programs and extracurricular activities in nurturing these interests. The episode concludes with a discussion on the importance of mentorship and the value of expressing gratitude to those who guide us. The conversation is a testament to the transformative power of STEM education and the imperative to nurture a STEM workforce that reflects the diversity of the world around us.

Water is the source of life. Still, we live in a world where some people have limited access to drinking water, and let’s not forget the horror stories about oil or chemical spills that raise additional concerns regarding the state of our water systems. This episode of Science with a Twist is dedicated to the importance of testing water for PFAS. Our guest is Dr. Lee Ferguson, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Duke University. Dr. Ferguson and host John Lesica discuss the impact of PFAS on our water supplies, what it means for us as consumers, and how testing can benefit communities now and in the future.

Cell therapy is a promising field that uses living cells to treat disease. And it's a powerful way to improve the immune system's ability to fight cancer. But cell therapies have other potential medical applications, such as treating autoimmune diseases, cardiac or pulmonary fibrosis, and infectious diseases. In this episode of the Science with a Twist podcast, our host Rupa Pike welcomes Dr. Wendell Lim, Professor of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology at the University of California, San Francisco. They discuss cell therapies, why they are so powerful and promising, and the biggest challenges in the field.

Clinical trials are essential for the discovery of new treatments and support the development of new life-saving drugs and medical devices that can benefit millions worldwide. But one of the greatest challenges in clinical research is the lack of representation. We kick off our two-episode Clinical Research Series on the Science with a Twist podcast, as our host John Manns welcomes guests Tim Rich and Thad Wolfram. Tim is the VP of Digital and Decentralized Services for the PPD clinical research business of Thermo Fisher Scientific. Thad is the president of EmVenio Research. They talk about the benefits of decentralized trials, the importance of improving representation in clinical research, and different ways to make trials more patient-centric.

In this Science with a Twist episode, our host Kathy Davy is joined by Dr. Jeffrey Scott, the chief medical officer and president of population health solutions at ​Integra Connect​. Dr. Scott's team is on a mission to help specialty care organizations – from providers and health systems to payers and life sciences companies become clinically and financially successful with value-based precision medicine. As part of this mission, Integra Connect and Thermo Fisher recently collaborated on research presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting, the world's leading oncology conference. This episode is dedicated to sharing the details of this research and the impact new approaches to genomic testing can have on cancer patient outcomes.

Many of us have created time capsules — boxes filled with objects from when we were growing up — and buried them in the backyard for future generations to discover. However, a group of experts from various fields have taken this to the next level and created a time capsule that will be sent to the moon. In this episode of Science with a Twist, our host Sung-Dae Hong welcomes Dylan Vitone, Mark Baskinger, and Matt Zywica. Mark, Dylan, and Matt are associate professors at Carnegie Mellon University, School of Design, and the creators of one of the ultimate time capsules — the mysterious and innovative MoonArk. Mark, Dylan, and Matt share the story behind the project and the people involved, give details about the object's design, and explain how it’s being tested on its preparedness for space expedition.

COVID-19 has gone through a gamut of changes over the last two years. And it has been brewing in different populations much faster than other recent viruses. Further, even though viruses undergo mutation constantly, most other viruses have not managed to trigger a pandemic the way COVID did. In this episode of the Science With a Twist podcast, our host and Chief Scientific Officer at Thermo Fisher Scientific, Karen Nelson, welcomes Kamini Varma and Andy Felton. Kamini is the Vice President of Research and Development, and Andy is the Vice President of Platforms, Research, and Applied at Thermo Fisher Scientific. In this episode, they discuss the uniqueness of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the difference between variants of concern and variants of interest, and their prediction for the future of COVID-19.

On this episode of Science With a Twist, Ron O’Brien interviews Matthew Moon, a CAR-T cell therapy recipient who was able to beat leukemia thanks to the advances in the field. Matthew and Ron discuss the timeline of health-related events that led to Matthew’s diagnosis and his unique journey to find a life-saving cell therapy clinical trial. After speaking with Matthew, Ron interviews Stephen Majors, Director of Public Affairs at the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine. Stephen gives Ron an overview of the Alliance’s advocacy efforts to expand patient accessibility and their initiatives to fund cell therapy research.