TechNation Radio Podcast

On this episode of Tech Nation, Moira speaks with MIT professor DAVID MINDELL co-founder of Humatics Corporation about his book “Our Robots, Ourselves: Robotics and the Myths of Autonomy.” He's here to discuss what robots are capable of and what we might want to rethink whether it's driverless cars or predator drones. He's also out to dispel the “persistent misconceptions about robots.” Then on BioTech Nation, what biotech has been working on to treat rare diseases that primarily effect young boys including hemophilia and Duchene Muscular Dystrophy. First up is PAUL PERRAULT, CEO of CSL Behring, a 100-year old biotech company founded by the Australian government to fight the Spanish flu, today they focus on rare diseases in plasma and recombinant proteins such as hemophilia. Then Moira talks to SHANE KOVACS, CFO of PTC Therapeutics about their progress on a treatment for Duchene Muscular Dystrophy.

On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with GARY SHAPIRO, the long-time President of the Consumer Electronics Association, about what’s happening with technology innovation in the United States and worldwide. Then on BioTech Nation, it’s all about using viruses and bacteria to deliver treatments for everything from Ebola to rare juvenile diseases from Sanfilippo and Batten disease to Fanconi Anemia. Our first guest is DR. RIPLEY BALLOU, Head, of Clinical Research and Translational Science at GSK (Glaxo Smith Kline) about what brought us the 2014 Ebola crisis and their race to find a vaccine. Then we speak with DR. TIM MILLER, President & CEO, Abeona Therapeutics about their work to find gene therapies to treat two rare and deadly diseases classified as lysosomal storage disorders: Sanfilippo type A and type B and juvenile Batten disease. They are also working on another genetic disorder, Fanconi Anemia, using a CRISPR/Cas 9 system to replace defective DNA with the correct sequence. We finish this episode with DAVID WILLIAMS, Managing Director, Bactevo about their new drug discovery process that uses bacteria. He explains how they are modifying bacteria to create new medicines using new technologies such as DNA sequencing, nano-microfluidic technologies, and artificial intelligence algorithms.

On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with DAVID PETERSON, a creator of alien languages, including Dothraki for HBO’s Game of Thrones. He’s here with "THE ART OF LANGUAGE INVENTION: From Horse-Lords to Dark Elves, the Words Behind World-Building". On BioTech Nation, Merck’s Senior V.P. of Global Clinical Development, DR ROY BAYNES, takes us through Merck's wide-ranging cancer program based on their therapeutic Keytruda. This cancer immunotherapy, which enhances the body's own immune response to cancer, has already been approved for Melanoma and Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer and is being tested in dozens of additional cancers. Then on BioIssue of the Week with David Ewing Duncan, IT meets biotech.

On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with ADAM TANNER, a fellow at Harvard’s Institute for Quantitative Social Science, and the author of “WHAT STAYS IN VEGAS – The World of Personal Data – Lifeblood of Big Business – and the End of Privacy as We Know It.” Then on BioTech Nation, TODD SKRINAR, Principal for Life Sciences Advisory and Leader for Big Data Advanced Analytics at Ernst and Young. All those clinical trials needed to prove a drug is safe? Big data and getting bigger.

On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with JIM ARCHETTO from Gaumard Scientific, based in Miami, Florida. We’ll meet Victoria, Tori, and Trauma Hal – simulated humans used to teach medical professionals. Then on BioTech Nation, we're talking about gene therapy. It's been promised for years. After a huge scientific effort and enormous financial investment, it's finally here. What is it? How does it work? And why do they use the word "cure"? Moira speaks with JORN ALDAG, CEO of Uniqure whose drug Glybera, created to treat lipoprotein lipase deficiency (LPLD) which causes pancreatitis, is the first ever approved gene therapy. We'll hear about their gene therapy programs in such diverse conditions as hemophilia B and the rare syndrome Sanfilippo as well as countering the effects of the common heart attack. Then on BioIssue of the Week with David Ewing Duncan, a new report from the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid services on the high cost of healthcare in the US and how that stacks up to expenditures around the world.

On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira has a brand new session with the ever-interesting DANIEL LEVITIN to discuss his newly published neuroscience research on empathy and the most common questions he gets about his “THE ORGANIZED MIND: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload” such as what do about the short-attention spans of kids and how can we learn to keep track of our keys and glasses! And on BioTech Nation, on BioIssue Issue of the Week with DAVID EWING DUNCAN. We'll here about a potential new and different approach to treating Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.

On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with JERRY KAPLAN, whose early efforts include Lotus Agenda and the early embodiments of smart phones and tablets and founding co-founding GO corporation and OnSale. He’s here with his book "HUMANS NEED NOT APPLY:A Guide to Wealth and Work in the Age of Artificial Intelligence." Then on BioTech Nation, JAMES SABRY, Global Vice President & Head of Partnering at Genentech. Known for it's great biologic drugs, partnering is part of its DNA. We discuss how partnering delivers better drugs, faster to the patient community.

On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with New York Times journalist JOHN MARKOFF discusses his new book "MACHINES OF LOVING GRACE: The Quest for Common Ground Between Humans and Robots". Is technology taking jobs away or is the status quo merely changing? Then on BioTech Nation, STAN ERCK, the President & CEO of NovaVax joins us to talk about their RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus) vaccine for the elderly and also for pregnant mothers in order to reach their newborns.

On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with journalist STEPHEN GREY talks about his book "THE NEW SPYMASTERS: Inside the Modern World of Espionage from the Cold War to Global Terror". From the KGB to Edward Snowden, Grey lays out a timeline for global spying. Then on BioTech Nation, we talk to KATRINE BOSLEY, CEO of Editas Medicine, about CRISPR, the gene tool which lets you edit DNA, potentially creating treatments to fix genetic mutations, and then we talk to JOHN CARROLL, editor-in-chief of FierceBiotech, about the challenge of daily coverage of the biotech industry.

On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with New York Times best selling author and National Magazine Award winning journalist SUSAN CASEY about her book “VOICES IN THE OCEAN: A Journey into the Wild and Haunting World of Dolphins.” Their brains are mightily impressive when compared with a human’s. Than on BioTech Nation we talk about two human disease conditions that biotech is seeking to improve. First we talk to JOHN MCDONOUGH, CEO of T2 Biosystems about a quicker test to detect an overgrowth of candida. We can effectively treat this potentially fatal condition, but only if we know that's what's happening. Then we speak to Steve Mento, CEO of Conatus Pharmaceuticals, about an emergent treatment for cirrhosis of the liver, no matter what the cause. There is little treatment available for repairing the liver. We'll talk about how your liver changes with long-term damage, what Conatus is doing in this area, the challenge of proving scientifically that a treatment is working, and how a new test might result that will monitor your liver health.

On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with JOHN PATRICK, former Vice President of Internet Technology at IBM, about his new book: “Health Attitude - Unraveling and Solving the Complexities of Healthcare”. He gives us some hints as to why healthcare costs so much and shares what's happening that makes our future bright. A lot of the solution lies in information systems and the internet. Then on BioTech Nation, SAM WHITEHOUSE, the COO of QuantuMDx, tells us about a simple device they are developing which can perform a 15 minute test for tuberculosis, HIV, influenza and more, all based on genetic markers. Better yet, it can tell if the condition is treatment resistant.

On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with PBS Nova columnist ANIL ANANTHASWAMY about new book The Man Who Wasn't There: Investigations into the Strange New Science of the Self a tour of the latest neuroscience of schizophrenia, autism, Alzheimer’s disease, ecstatic epilepsy, Cotard’s syndrome, out-of-body experiences, and other disorders—revealing the awesome power of the human sense of self. And on BioTech Nation we talk to STEVE HURST, President & CEO, Savant HWP – Health, Wellness and Prevention on an emergent treatment for cocaine addiction, work in the tropical disease Leishmaniasis, and the unexpected link between addiction to dopamine in Parkinson’s patients.

On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with Stanford engineering professor BERNIE ROTH about his book “The Achievement Habit: Stop Wishing, Start Doing, and Take Command of your Life”. We discuss using design thinking to achieve goals you never thought possible. Then on BioTech Nation, we speak to DR. JAMES CALLAWAY, CEO, ArmaGen, about how they have hijacked the pathway that insulin takes into the brain to deliver drugs. The first target testing it on such rare pediatric diseases such as Hunters syndrome, Hurlers syndrome, and Sanfilippo A. Then we speak with DR. LAURENT LEVY, Founder, Naonbiotix, about how they are using the physics of nanotech trying to make radiation therapy work a whole lot better. Their first candidates are soft tissue sarcoma, head and neck cancers, and liver cancers. Whether enabling lower dosages or more precision, an old technology could get a whole lot better.

On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with GUY KAWASAKI – for a second time this year! He’s back with the ten year-update on his classic book THE ART OF THE START 2.0. The time-tested battled-hardened guide for anyone starting anything. Then on BioTech Nation, it’s RACHEL KING and Glycomimetics – they’ve found success in Sickle Cell Disease, and now they’re working on AML –Acute Myeloid Leukemia, especially in patients over 60.

On this week’s Tech Nation, Moira speaks with DR CHARLOTTE JACOBS, professor emirata at Stanford University School of Medicine and the author of “Jonas Salk: A Life”. They re-visit 1950’s America under the threat of Polio. What did science know and what did it gotten wrong? Then on BioTech Nation, JAY LICHTER of Avalon Ventures tells us about his diagnosis of Meniere's disease, and how as a venture capitalist he decided to start a company to find better treatment options on the spot. The result is the company called Otonomy.