I am BIO Podcast

2023 ended with an exciting biotech breakthrough for sickle cell patients. A gene-editing therapy using the revolutionary CRISPR technology provides new hope and options for the nearly 100,000 Americans with sickle cell disease. In this episode, we talk with the company behind one of the life-changing therapies, CASGEVY, and speak with two advocates for sickle cell patients. 

Bradley Burnam woke up one morning, looked in the mirror and found one ear twice it’s normal size and his face swollen and discolored. He would spend the next several years in and out of the hospital fighting a relentless infection that would not respond to available treatments. The experience took him from patient to "mad scientist" to biotech company founder. In this episode, Bradley takes us through his desperate journey to find a cure. We also talk with the leader of an organization helping to get more antimicrobials to the marketplace.

Innovative companies are using synthetic biology to engineer organisms and create new materials that could transform every sector of our economy, from health care to food and energy production. Those companies say we’ve entered a synbio revolution, and it holds potential to improve the health of people and our planet. In this episode, we talk with three synbio experts about how this convergence of genetic engineering, computer science and other scientific disciplines is making our world more sustainable.

For biotech companies, the valley of death describes the difficult path from initial discovery to FDA approval and commercialization. It's a treacherous journey—one that even promising innovations often don't complete. Adequate funding, regulatory hurdles and the immense complexity of the biotech landscape are among the never-ending challenges faced by early stage biotechs. In this episode we talk with two biotech executives about what it’s like to struggle and survive in this rough-and-tumble industry.

The biotech industry offers unique opportunities for women to advance as executives and entrepreneurs. There are headwinds, however, including unequal access to venture capital. In this episode, we talk with three executives who are part of a wave of women-led companies in biotech. Our guests speak to why women’s leadership matters and the barriers that remain to breaking the glass ceiling. They also tell us about a new networking initiative—the biotech sisterhood—to catalyze women’s success in corporate leadership and mentor the next generation of women executives. 

Bees are critical to our food supply. Without domesticated honeybees and other pollinators, we wouldn't have coffee beans for our morning cup, veggies in our salad, or even agave to make tequila for our margaritas. In this episode, we discuss the threats to bees and the role biotech can play in saving them.

The horseshoe crab has endured for over 450 million years. In this episode we talk with three experts about how this animal’s unique blue blood has become essential to modern medicine. We also talk about why horseshoe crab populations are dwindling, and what biotech is doing to address the shortfall.

During the last several decades Boston has become a biotech Mecca, with its Kendall Square attracting more than 120 biotech companies, both large and small. It is called the most innovative square mile on the planet.  This June BIO will bring over 15,000 biotech leaders to Boston for its 2023 BIO International Convention. Speakers including award-winning journalist and health advocate, Katie Couric, will talk about how they will “Stand up for Science”—the Convention’s theme. MassBIO CEO, Kendalle Burlin O’Connell joins host, Rachel King in a wide-ranging discussion about how Boston became the largest biotech hub in the world.

Wading through the torrent of information available online is challenging for everyone. It can be hard to know what and whom to believe. We talk with the FDA Commissioner and other leaders on the frontlines of health and science about how to be more aware of false and misleading information, and its risks to our wellbeing and future innovation. And we discuss ways to stand up for science and stop the spread of misinformation.

The International Space Station has been orbiting in lower earth since 1998 and has been continually inhabited since November 2000. Lower earth orbit is an ideal setting for scientific research, from physics and meteorology to astronomy and the life sciences. In this episode we talk with three scientists whose projects are using lower earth orbit to deepen our knowledge of biotechnology and its benefits for mankind.