The Genetics Podcast

EP 186: Unpacking the science and myths around obesity and health with geneticist and author Giles Yeo

This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Giles Yeo, geneticist and author of Gene Eating: The Science of Obesity and the Truth About Dieting and Why Calories Don't Count: How We Got the Science of Weight Loss Wrong. Giles and Patrick discuss the genetic, neural, and evolutionary drivers of obesity, the advancements in safe and effective obesity drugs, and the narratives around calorie counting and ultra-processed foods.Show Notes: 0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast00:59 Welcome to Giles and an overview of recent advances in obesity treatment04:28 How incretin-based therapies such as GLP-1 receptor agonists have enhanced our understanding of obesity 06:46 Unexpected effects of GLP-1-based therapies on neurodegenerative disease and addiction09:39 Relative safety and potential side effects of GLP-1-based therapies11:18 The gap in genetic characterization of individuals with different responses to GLP-1-based treatment13:10 Competition and demand in the market for obesity drugs15:46 Targeting comorbidities and genetic and neural components of obesity 19:09 Evolutionary aspects of obesity and how modern world factors can increase risk24:26 The role of choice in dietary habits26:29 The spectrum of genetic influences on body weight29:50 Next frontiers in obesity research and opportunities from genetic advances32:52 The controversial premise of Giles’ second book on why calorie counting misses the point in improving diet and health37:43 Giles’ nuanced perspective on ultra-processed foods44:46 Future avenues for Giles’ research, including mapping genetics and neural circuits underlying obesity46:05 Giles’ writing process and plans to write a third book   48:55 Closing remarks

EP 185: From newborn screening to lifelong data in an evolving genomics landscape with Madhuri Hegde of Revvity

This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Madhuri Hegde, SVP and Chief Scientific Officer of Revvity. They discuss Revvity’s advances in ultra-rapid clinical-grade sequencing, opportunities, challenges, and global inequities in newborn screening, and the dilemma of resequencing versus long-term data storage.Show Notes: 0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast00:59 Welcome to Madhuri01:52 Rebranding Revvity as a healthcare company02:51 Advancements in sequencing and Revvity’s projects, including newborn screening tests and clinical ultra-rapid sequencing12:29 Opportunities and challenges for newborn sequencing and global inequity in access17:46 Price of sequencing and data storage versus resequencing considerations21:10 Complexities and nuances of genomic data interpretation23:28 Rethinking data portability and storage across the lifespan26:00 Understanding penetrance and population genetics through lifelong sequencing27:36 Scaling genetic counseling to match advancements and the potential value of chatbots32:45 The promise of proteomics and translating Olink data to the clinic 34:31 Implementing polygenic risk scores in clinical management  37:12 Transitioning from academia to industry and insights into product development38:37 Closing remarksFind out moreRevvity (https://www.revvity.com/)Please consider rating and reviewing us on your chosen podcast listening platform! https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Bp2_wVNSzntTs_zuoizU8bX1dvao4jfj/view?usp=share_link

EP 184: Rethinking speed and scale in clinical genomics with Euan Ashley of Stanford University

This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Dr. Euan Ashley, Chair of the Department of Medicine at Stanford, founder of various biotech companies, and author of The Genome Odyssey: Medical Mysteries and the Incredible Quest to Solve Them. They discuss Euan’s groundbreaking work on ultra-rapid genome sequencing and how widespread sequencing, wearables, and AI could shape the future of preventive medicine and human performance.Show Notes: 00:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast01:00 Welcome to Euan01:50 A pivotal case in Euan’s career involving diagnosing a newborn experiencing cardiac arrest06:41 How Euan’s team worked towards a record of eight hours from clinical sample to diagnosis10:05 Hurdles that need to be overcome before ultra-rapid sequencing workflows can be widely used in clinical settings11:40 Considerations around widespread genetic screening in newborns16:10 Weighing utility and uncertainty in genetic testing for disease19:17 Steps to a future where widespread genetic testing is economically viable 23:54 New frontiers of clinical genomics, including integration with electronic health records (EHRs) and wearables  28:24 The physiology and genetics of athletic performance and the inspiration behind the ELITE study33:54 Psychological drivers and effects of human performance37:57 Euan’s interest in generative AI for developing novel therapies41:32 Closing remarks Find out moreThe Ashley Lab (https://ashleylab.stanford.edu/)Please consider rating and reviewing us on your chosen podcast listening platform! https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Bp2_wVNSzntTs_zuoizU8bX1dvao4jfj/view?usp=share_link

EP 183: Rewriting the Rules for Ultra-Rare Diseases with Kent Rogers of EveryONE Medicines

This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Kent Rogers, Chief Executive Officer at EveryONE Medicines. They discuss Kent’s journey across every side of the desk in the drug discovery space, EveryONE Medicines’ efforts to develop antisense oligonucleotides for ultra-rare diseases, and the need to adapt regulatory models for n-of-1 therapies.Show Notes: 00:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast00:59 Welcome to Kent and his experiences across every side of the pharma ‘desk’06:00 Challenges of commercialization for ultra-rare disease therapies and the advantage of antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) 10:28 EveryONE Medicines’ approach to regulatory bodies12:30 Regulatory feedback and expectations from EveryONE Medicines’ platform-based approach to n-of-1 therapies15:47 Differences in regulatory requirements for rare disease across countries 19:53 Insights from being on different sides of the drug development industry22:40 Differences in healthcare systems across countries that can facilitate or impede drug development26:57 Rationale behind focusing on ASOs for treating rare diseases 28:03 Building EveryONE Medicines and Kent’s approach to leadership33:20 Lessons from Kent’s career37:17 Closing remarks Find out moreEveryONE Medicines (https://www.eomeds.com/)Please consider rating and reviewing us on your chosen podcast listening platform! https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Bp2_wVNSzntTs_zuoizU8bX1dvao4jfj/view?usp=share_link

EP 182: Demystifying genetic counseling with Matt Burgess

This week on The Genetics Podcast, Patrick is joined by Matt Burgess, genetic counselor, host of the Demystifying Genetics podcast, and Adjunct Professor at Bay Path University. They discuss the evolution of genetic counseling, ethical challenges in gene therapy, and Matt’s experiences with his podcast.Show Notes: 0:00 Intro to The Genetics Podcast00:59 Welcome to Matt02:09 Matt’s run-ins with Olivia Newton John while working at Austin Hospital in Melbourne04:34 Matt’s background and path to genetic counseling 06:58 The evolution of the field of genetic counseling over time and the role of counselors12:47 Matt’s work on rare disease AP-4 hereditary spastic paraplegia (AP-4-HSP) and the ethical considerations of gene therapy20:22 Balancing the needs and expectations of individuals and families in counseling 23:06 Rebranding negative connotations of the word “counseling”  26:58 Memorable episodes from Matt’s podcast Demystifying Genetics34:31 Differences in genetic counseling and healthcare in the US versus Australia and the UK40:00 Matt’s current work on writing a novel, starting a company called Rosalind Genetics, and being involved in genetic education42:47 The potential and drawbacks of AI models in the context of genetic counseling and information46:46 Closing remarksFind out moreDemystifying Genetics (https://demystifying-genetics.buzzsprout.com/)Please consider rating and reviewing us on your chosen podcast listening platform! https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Bp2_wVNSzntTs_zuoizU8bX1dvao4jfj/view?usp=share_link