Episode 287: Alan Rubin on MaveDB

Episode 287: Alan Rubin on MaveDB

From Sustain by SustainOSS

April 17, 2026 · 40 min

About this episode

Alan Rubin discusses the evolution of MaveDB and the intersection of open source software with scientific research and clinical genetics.

Guest Alan Rubin Panelist Richard Littauer Show Notes On this episode of Sustain, Richard Littauer sits down with computational biologist Alan Rubin to explore how open source software supports scientific research, clinical genetics, and cancer-related data infrastructure. Their conversation centers on MaveDB, a project that began as a way to organize hard-to-find variant data from research papers and has since evolved into a valuable resource for both scientists and clinicians. Along the way, they discuss infrastructure funding, research software sustainability, and why open source communities and academic researchers have a lot to learn from each other. Press download now to hear more! [00:01:24] Alan explains his role leading a research group focused on genomics, cancer medicine, and improving patient care through genetics. [00:02:46] We learn more about what MaveDB does. [00:06:52] Alan details why a database was needed. [00:08:26] Alan shares how the project grew out of collaboration, PyCon AU inspiration, Django, and Python tooling that let a small team build a practical research database. [00:11:54] There’s a discussion on the infrastructure funding problem and Alan…

People in this episode

Host: Richard Littauer

Guest: Alan Rubin

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: MaveDB, PyCon AU, Django, Python

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