ScienceLife SciencesHealth & FitnessMedicineNewsPolitics

I AM BIO

Biotechnology Innovation Organization

Powerful stories of biotechnology breakthroughs, the people they help, and the global problems they solve.

Play

Open in

20 episodes
Avg 25 min
English

Episodes 20

Newest Oldest Longest

All20 Unplayed20 In progress0 Played0

#90
Nov 19, 2024 · 26 min
The Faceless Middleman Between You and Your Doctor
A troubling disconnect between medical expertise and insurance mandates is putting patients' health at risk. Policies like step therapy and prior authorization are forcing individuals into treatments not recommended by their doctors—often with devastating consequences. In this episode, we hear from a patient who endured months of suffering due to her insurer's 'fail-first' requirements. We also talk with a doctor navigating this impossible system and a biotech leader fighting to ensure innovativ
#0
Nov 5, 2024 · 28 min
The Horseshoe Crab Saved Us. Can We Save the Horseshoe Crab? (REDUX)
The horseshoe crab has endured for over 450 million years. It has survived several mass extinctions including the one that killed off the dinosaurs. One reason for their incredible resiliency is their ability to fend off bacterial infection. Their blood contains cells that clot around invading bacteria, thereby protecting them from the attacking toxins. 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 abo
#89
Oct 22, 2024 · 27 min
How Love Combined with Science Leads to Hope for Rare Disease
There are over 7000 rare diseases identified in the U.S. alone. Many of these diseases affect children, leaving families desperate for answers. In this episode, we talk with one of those families and the biotech company offering them new hope. We also talk with an expert on policy that has jump-started R&D for rare diseases.
#88
Oct 8, 2024 · 26 min
How Will We Secure our Food Future?
As the global population approaches 10 billion by 2050, the challenge of providing safe, nutritious food is growing more urgent. Climate change is further straining food systems, impacting water availability, crop yields, and livestock health. In this episode, two experts discuss innovative biotech solutions aimed at addressing these pressing issues, offering hope for a sustainable path forward in feeding the world.
#87
Sep 24, 2024 · 27 min
Biotechnology is a National Security Asset
Since Watson and Crick discovered DNA's double helix structure in 1953, the US has been a leader in biotechnology innovation. American excellence in this field has greatly benefited people around the world. In this episode, we talk about why this leadership position may be threatened and why that matters to our national security.
#86
Sep 10, 2024 · 21 min
A Doctor Fights to Save His Own Life: The David Fajgenbaum Story.
David Fajgenbaum was in his third year of medical school when he was diagnosed with a rare and life-threatening disease that began shutting down his organs, bringing him perilously close to death. Although he survived the initial episode, he faced four additional relapses, each pushing him to the brink of death. In this episode, we speak with David about his relentless journey to discover the treatment that ultimately put his disease into remission. We also explore how his personal battle inspir
#0
Aug 6, 2024 · 27 min
What We Know About the Microbiome (REDUX)
The gut microbiome, which consists of trillions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi, plays a crucial role in our health. However, there is still much to learn about this complex ecosystem. On this episode we talk with experts who tell us where the science is—how much we know, and how much we don’t. Two companies, Bloom Science and Seres Therapeutics, are leveraging the microbiome to develop new therapeutics. The potential of the microbiome is vast, and further research and technological advancements
#0
Jul 24, 2024 · 24 min
Is CRISPR the New Sickle Cell Savior? (REDUX)
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.
#85
May 7, 2024 · 21 min
Listener takeover: Your Biotech Questions Answered
YOU asked, and we answered. In this episode, we had our experts on standby to answer questions from you, our listeners. We discuss topics ranging from the safety of genetically modified foods (GMOs), to the new era of personalized medicine, feeding the world by 2050, and even what makes start-up companies attractive to investors.
#84
Apr 23, 2024 · 21 min
Editing Cells Within the Body—a New CRISPR Frontier
With its potential to expand the horizons of what’s possible for patients, CRISPR is the new darling of biotech. Reaching an important milestone in 2023 with the FDA approval of a sickle cell treatment using CRISPR, the technology is poised to break new barriers for treating patients in the near future. In this episode we talk with two companies working together on the next generation of CRISPR: editing cells within the body. We discuss the progress and the challenge in making this breakthrough
#83
Apr 9, 2024 · 21 min
Biotech is Climate Tech
Biotech companies are addressing climate change through innovation—from carbon neutral facilities to agricultural innovations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. BIO was on the ground at the COP28 UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai to deliver the message that biotech is climate tech.
#82
Mar 26, 2024 · 28 min
Biotech for our Pets
More than half of U.S. households include pets, but there has been a lack of medical treatments developed specifically for small animals. Biotech companies are working to change that with new treatment options that both borrow from and, potentially, advance human health discoveries.
#81
Mar 12, 2024 · 27 min
What We Know About the Microbiome
The gut microbiome, which consists of trillions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi, plays a crucial role in our health. However, there is still much to learn about this complex ecosystem. On this episode we talk with experts who tell us where the science is—how much we know, and how much we don’t. Two companies, Bloom Science and Seres Therapeutics, are leveraging the microbiome to develop new therapeutics. The potential of the microbiome is vast, and further research and technological advancements
#80
Feb 27, 2024 · 24 min
Is CRISPR the New Sickle Cell Savior?
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.
#0
Feb 6, 2024 · 27 min
“On My Own”—Desperate to Stop a Resistant Bacterial Infection (REDUX)
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 t
#0
Jan 23, 2024 · 26 min
The Synbio Revolution is Here (REDUX)
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 sus
#0
Jan 10, 2024 · 25 min
How Biotechs Survive the Valley of Death (REDUX)
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 i
#0
Dec 26, 2023 · 24 min
Biotech Women Striking at the Glass Ceiling (REDUX)
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
#0
Dec 12, 2023 · 26 min
We Need Bees. Bees Need Biotech. (REDUX)
Bees and other pollinators are critical to our survival, with one out of every three bites of food we eat depending on pollination to produce. That’s why reports of a decline in bee populations and rising threats from pests, viruses and environmental pressures, including climate change, are alarming. In this episode we talk with an expert on bees and other pollinators about how bees are doing and why it’s important to save them. We also talk with two biotech leaders whose companies are working
#0
Nov 28, 2023 · 28 min
The Horseshoe Crab Saved Us. Can We Save the Horseshoe Crab? (REDUX)
The horseshoe crab has endured for over 450 million years. It has survived several mass extinctions including the one that killed off the dinosaurs. One reason for their incredible resiliency is their ability to fend off bacterial infection. Their blood contains cells that clot around invading bacteria, thereby protecting them from the attacking toxins. 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 abo

Showing 1–20 of 20 episodes