The Genetics Podcast

By Sano Genetics

What's The Genetics Podcast about?

Exploring all things genetics. Dr Patrick Short, University of Cambridge alumnus and CEO of Sano Genetics, analyses the science, interviews the experts, and discusses the latest findings and breakthroughs in genetic research. To find out more about Sano Genetics and its mission to accelerate the future of precision medicine visit: www.sanogenetics.com

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The Genetics Podcast episodes:

04.11.2024
EP 130: Quarterly insights into noncoding variants and GWAS with Dr. Veera Rajagopal
Join us as we welcome back Dr. Veera Rajagopal, a discovery scientist at Regeneron with an interest in human genetics and drug target discovery in neuroscience and psychiatry. If you’re a regular listener of The Genetics Podcast, you are likely...
04.04.2024
EP 129: Patient advocacy for genetic ALS and FTD with Jean Swidler, Executive Director of End the Legacy
In this episode, Patrick welcomes Jean Swidler, the Founder, Executive Director, and Chair of End the Legacy. End the Legacy is a patient-led organization dedicated to articulating and supporting the needs and interests of the genetic ALS and FTD communities....
03.28.2024
EP 128: Parkinson’s disease and precision medicine with Drs. James Beck and Ignacio Mata
Join us as we welcome two familiar faces, Dr. James Beck, Chief Scientific Officer at Parkinson's Foundation, and Dr. Ignacio “Nacho” Mata, Professor at the Cleveland Clinic and Coordinator of the Latin America Research consortium on the Genetics of PD...
03.21.2024
EP 127: Insights into precision medicine, fatty liver disease, and minimally invasive diagnostic tools with Dr. Mazen Noureddin
In this episode, Patrick is joined by Dr. Mazen Noureddin, Professor of Medicine and Transplant Hepatologist at Houston Methodist Hospital. Mazen also leads the Houston Research Institute and Houston Liver Institute, and he previously established the Fatty Liver Program at...
03.14.2024
EP 126: Patient-led research for ultra-rare disease drug development with Julia Taravella, Executive Director of Rare Trait Hope Fund
In this episode, we welcome Julia Taravella, Executive Director of Rare Trait Hope Fund. She founded the organisation 11 years ago when her two children were diagnosed with aspartylglucosaminuria (AGU), an ultra-rare, autosomal recessive, and fatal neurodevelopmental disease. Tune in...
03.07.2024
EP 125: The future of UK Clinical Trial Policy: Innovation, integration, and game-changing legislation with Lord James O’Shaughnessy
This week, we’re joined by Lord James O’Shaughnessy, Member of the House of Lords (UK), and Senior Partner at Newmarket Strategy. In May 2023, Lord O’Shaughnessy led and published a government-commissioned review into the UK clinical trials process, producing key...
02.29.2024
EP 124: How ReCode Therapeutics is pioneering tissue specific delivery of gene therapies for Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia with John Matthews
On Rare Disease Day, we’re joined by John Matthews, Chief Medical Officer at ReCode Therapeutics. John and Patrick discuss how ReCode is using lipid nanoparticle technologies to revolutionise delivery of novel mRNA and gene correction therapies to Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia...
02.22.2024
EP 123: The ethics of newborn genome screening: Actionable insights and beyond with Holly Peay, Senior Research Scientist at the Research Triangle Institute
This week we’re joined by Holly Peay, Senior Research Scientist in Bioethics and Genetic Counseling at the Research Triangle Institute (RTI), and Director of the pioneering Early Check Study. Holly and Patrick discuss the Early Check programme, which is offering whole...
02.15.2024
EP 122: Building genome-scale engineered cells for biotechnology with Leslie Mitchell, Co-founder and CEO of Neochromosome
This week, we deep-dive into the world of genome engineering and yeast organisms with Leslie Mitchell. She’s the Co-founder and CEO of Neochromosome, a synthetic biology company specialising in whole chromosome delivery and highly automated synthesis of complex DNA. Leslie,...
02.08.2024
EP 121: Breakthroughs and insights in ALS research with Dr. Michael Benatar
Welcome to this episode of The Genetics Podcast as we host Dr. Michael Benatar, a preeminent figure in the fight against Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Michael is a Professor of Neurology, the Chief of the Neuromuscular Division, and the Executive...
02.01.2024
EP 120: Exploring the frontiers of gene therapy and AAVs with Dr. Nicole Paulk, CEO and Founder of Siren Biotechnology
In this episode, we welcome Dr. Nicole Paulk, CEO and Founder of Siren Biotechnology and former professor at University of California at San Francisco (UCSF). Dr. Paulk's journey from academia to the forefront of industry innovation offers a unique perspective...
01.25.2024
EP 119: Revolutionising drug discovery: how the Pharma Proteomics Project is combining genetic and proteomic data with Chris Whelan
This week we’re joined by the Director of the Neuroscience Data Science: Discovery & Molecular Group at Johnson and Johnson, and Chair of the UKBiobank Pharma Proteomics Project (UKB-PPP), Chris Whelan. Chris helps lead the UKB-PPP, a project which aims...
01.18.2024
EP 118: The role of genetics in drug discovery and development with Dr. Matt Nelson
Join Patrick as he welcomes Dr. Matt Nelson, an influential voice in the field of genetics and drug development. Matt is currently the Vice President of Genetics and Genomics at Deerfield Discovery, as well as the CEO of Genscience. Prior...
01.11.2024
EP 117: Wendy Chung: whole genome newborn screening and other big opportunities in genomic medicine.
In this episode we welcome Dr. Wendy Chung, Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Boston Children’s Hospital and Professor at Harvard Medical School. Dr Chung has dedicated much of her career to uncovering the role of genetics in both...
01.04.2024
EP 116: Genetics and Medicine: Clonal hematopoiesis, genomics in healthcare, and a new discovery in APOL1 kidney disease with Dr. Alex Bick
Join us for our first episode of 2024 as we welcome Dr. Alex Bick, Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Genetic Medicine at Vanderbilt University. In this episode, we will explore the impact of clonal hematopoiesis on cancer...
12.27.2023
EP 115: The Biggest Stories of 2023 with Dr. Veera Rajagopal (Part 2)
In the second instalment of our annual round-up episode, we welcome back Dr. Veera Rajagopal to cover the biggest stories in genetics and precision medicine of the last 12 months.
12.21.2023
EP 114: The Biggest Stories of 2023 with Dr. Veera Rajagopal (Part 1)
In this annual round-up episode, we welcome back Dr. Veera Rajagopal to cover some of the biggest stories in genetics and precision medicine from 2023! Veera is a scientist at Regeneron with an interest in human genetics and drug target...
12.07.2023
EP 113: Harnessing human genetics to discover co-evolved small molecule medicines with Dr. Jason Park, CEO of Empress Therapeutics
In this episode of The Genetics Podcast, we welcome Dr. Jason, founder and CEO of Empress Therapeutics, a Flagship Pioneering company.
11.23.2023
EP 112: Making the leap: the scientists collaborating to transform genetic targets into next generation treatments, with David Ochoa
This week on The Genetics Podcast Patrick is joined by David Ochoa, Platform Coordinator at Open Targets. They discuss how the Open Targets platform is enabling game-changing collaboration between academic research and big pharma. Working with partners including Sanofi, GlaxoSmithKline,...
11.09.2023
EP 111: Combining human and machine intelligence in protein engineering with Dr. James Field, CEO of LabGenius
In this episode of The Genetics Podcast, we welcome Dr. James Field, founder and CEO of LabGenius. Join us as we delve into LabGenius' cutting-edge approach that utilises machine learning, artificial intelligence, and sophisticated robotics to advance antibody discovery and...
10.26.2023
EP 110: Educating the next generation of genomics talent, and the intersection of genetics and environment in cancer with Barbara Kraatz Fortini
On this episode of The Genetics Podcast we welcome Dr. Barbara Kraatz Fortini, Associate Professor of Genetics at Keck Graduate Institute (KGI). Tune in to learn about Barbara's research on non-coding variants in colorectal cancer and the interplay between genetics...
10.12.2023
EP 109: From the Archives: Professor Sir Rory Collins on the Origins and Future of the UK Biobank
This week, we’re re-sharing one of our favorite episodes from the early days of The Genetics Podcast - one that many newer listeners may not have heard! Tune in as Professor Sir Rory Collins, Founder and Chief Executive of the UK...
09.28.2023
EP 108: Drug Development in Liver Disease: Breakthroughs, Challenges, and Insights with Dimitar Tonev
In this episode of The Genetics Podcast, we're joined by Dimitar Tonev, an experienced drug development consultant specialising in Hepatology and Virology. Tune in to discuss the recent reclassification of Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) to Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD),...
09.14.2023
EP 107: Integrating Genomics and Individualised Medicine into the Mayo Clinic Healthcare System with Dr. Konstantinos Lazaridis
In this episode of The Genetics Podcast, we welcome Dr. Konstantinos Lazaridis, the Executive Director of the Center for Individualized Medicine at the Mayo Clinic. Tune in to learn about the impacts of genomics and individualised medicine on rare...
08.31.2023
Ep 106: The Colliding World of Rare and Common Disease Genetics with Caroline Wright, Professor of Genomic Medicine at Exeter University
In this episode, Patrick welcomes Caroline Wright, a leading expert in genomic medicine and Professor of Genomic Medicine at Exeter University. Listen in as they delve into the world of rare diseases, discussing the challenges in diagnosis, uses of population...
08.17.2023
EP105: Warren Huff, CEO and Chairman of Reata Pharmaceuticals, shares perspectives on provocative biology and the development of treatments for rare diseases
In this episode, Patrick welcomes J. Warren Huff, CEO and Chairman of Reata Pharmaceuticals. Reata is known for innovating small-molecule therapies for severe and life-threatening diseases. Listen in as Warren walks us through their approach of partnering with Universities to...
08.04.2023
EP104: Assessing the clinical utility of Polygenic Risk Scores in cancer screening with Professor Clare Turnbull
Join Patrick Short and Professor Clare Turnbull, Professor in Translational Cancer Genetics at the Institute of Cancer Research, as they discuss polygenic risk scores and their application in healthcare. Delve into the complexities of predicting disease, the challenges of screening...
07.20.2023
EP103: Gene Writing with Tessera Therapeutics CEO, Dr. Mike Severino
In this episode, Patrick is joined by Dr. Mike Severino, CEO of Tessera Therapeutics and CEO-Partner of Flagship Pioneering. Join us as Mike walks us through Tessera’s approach to treating genetic diseases by rewriting bases, exons, or even whole genes...
07.06.2023
EP102: Dr. Marco Schmidt, founder and Chief Scientific Officer of BioTx.ai, on how to use artificial intelligence and machine learning in genomics research
0:00 Intro 0:45 The founding of BioTx.ai 4:35 How do algorithms for ‘causal inference’ work? 6:30 Modeling gene interactions for genetic disorders 8:35 How to predict gene interactions 10:30 What happens after identifying a potential gene variant or interaction? 14:35 How can you use machine...
06.22.2023
EP101: Fostering international progress towards personalised medicine with Dr. Bettina Lundgren, CEO of the Danish National Genome Center
Join Patrick in welcoming Dr. Bettina Lundgren, CEO of the Danish National Genome Center. Bettina is spearheading the development of personalised medicine in Denmark with a focus on integrating genome sequencing directly into the healthcare system. She is dedicated to...
06.08.2023
EP100: Decoding DNA and engineering biology: perspectives on the future of genomics with Dr. Matthew Hurles, Director of the Wellcome Sanger Institute.
In this milestone episode, we welcome Dr Matthew Hurles, geneticist and pioneer in the field of human genomics. Dr Hurles has dedicated his career to unravelling the secrets hidden within our DNA, as well as harnessing cutting-edge research to revolutionise...
05.25.2023
EP99: Exploring the frontiers of cancer research with Dr. Harold E Varmus
Join us for EP99 of The Genetics Podcast as Patrick dives into the extraordinary career and work of Dr. Harold E Varmus, a Nobel laureate scientist, former director of the National Institutes of Health, president of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer...
05.11.2023
EP 98: Cancer, ageing, and somatic mutation variation across mammals with Alex Cagan (Wellcome Sanger Institute)
In this episode, Patrick is joined by Alex Cagan, a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Cancer, Ageing and Somatic Mutation programme at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, specialising in evolutionary processes in somatic tissue. Tune in as Alex walks us through a...
04.26.2023
EP 97: Proteomics deep dive with Cindy Lawley (Olink)
In this episode, Patrick is joined by Cindy Lawley, Senior Director of Population Health at Olink Proteomics and co-host of the Proteomics in Proximity podcast. Cindy has worked with major population genomics programs, including the UK Biobank, to bring together...
04.13.2023
EP 96: CEO of Montai Health, Margo Georgiadis, talks the intersection of nature and AI
Food is medicine. And leveraging its power to heal isn’t a new concept. In fact, roughly 50% of all small-molecule medicines are derived from nature. But what if we could use AI to better understand the biology of the millions of...
03.31.2023
EP 95: Resharing Eric Topol on how Machine Learning & AI can Contribute to the Future of Healthcare
Progress in AI is accelerating, and the potential in healthcare and precision medicine is enormous. In 2019, we had the pleasure of speaking with Dr Eric Topol, author of ‘The Patient Will See You Now’ and ‘Deep Medicine’. Eric has...
03.16.2023
EP 94: Alnylam’s Dr Paul Nioi on how genetics is used in drug target discovery
“We’re pioneering the ability to detect genetic disease earlier, and actually intervene in a way that is going to help those patients.” In this jam-packed 45-minute episode, we’re joined by Dr Paul Nioi, Vice President of Discovery and Translational Research at...
01.24.2023
EP 93: International Perspectives on Access to Genetic Testing in ALS
Access to genetic testing for patients with genetic diseases, such as ALS, can vary dramatically based on country and postcode. For an ALS patient considering genetic testing in Canada, the reality of their federally-funded healthcare system is a far cry...
01.05.2023
EP 92: Four Predictions for 2023
From changing drug pricing legislation to AI breakthroughs, in the first episode of The Genetics Podcast for 2023, Patrick makes four predictions for the biggest stories of 2023. We will check in at the end of the year to see...
12.24.2022
EP 91: 2022 Genetics Round-up with Dr Veera Rajagopal
If there’s one genetics podcast episode to listen to this year, it’s this one. In the final episode of The Genetics Podcast for 2022, we’re joined by Dr Veera Rajagopal, who is known as the ‘GWAS storyteller’ on Twitter for...
12.08.2022
EP 90: Patient-centric drug development in ALS with Ronald van der Geest, Chief Development Officer of Treeway
"If someone tells you it’s not possible, then it’s interesting" according to Treeway Chief Development Officer Ronald van der Geest. Founded in 2012 by two ALS patients who refuse to take their diagnoses lying down, Treeway develops novel treatments for ALS,...
11.24.2022
EP 89: Baroness Nicola Blackwood on the UK's leading role in delivering 'genomic healthcare for everyone'
This week Patrick is joined by Baroness Nicola Blackwood, the first female MP for Oxford. She was elected by MPs of all parties to Chair the Commons Science and Technology Select Committee. Baroness Blackwood remains the youngest-ever select committee chair...
11.10.2022
EP 88: Precision oncology: how Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) is powering care today and the treatments of the future with Christine Ward (Takeda) and Geoff Oxnard (Foundation Medicine)
In this episode, guests Christine Ward, VP and Head of Oncology and Cell Therapy Precision & Translational Medicine at Takeda and Geoff Oxnard, Thoracic Oncologist and VP of Foundation Medicine talk to Patrick about Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) in precision...
10.27.2022
EP 87: Representation Matters: Why equitable access and community engagement are critical in genetic research
This episode, our Partnerships Lead, Lindsey Wahlstrom-Edwards dove into the importance of representation in genetic research, covering the techniques used by leading organisations to make research more accessible and representative. Lindsey is joined by Listen to speakers Natasha Ratcliffe of...
10.13.2022
EP 86: Heidi Rehm PhD, Chief Genomics Officer at Massachusetts General Hospital on curating and collaborating genomic datasets to guide the future of diagnostic and clinical research
This week, Patrick speaks to Heidi Rehm, Chief Genomics Officer at Massachusetts General Hospital. Heidi is a leader in defining standards for the interpretation of sequence variants and is a principal investigator for Clinical Genome Resource, otherwise known as ClinGen....
09.29.2022
EP 85: Dr Jessica Kissinger on large-scale parasite genomics and the power of multi-omic data
Dr Jessica Kissinger and her collaborators run some of the world's largest databases of multi-omic data from eukaryotic parasites. In this episode, we explore major findings in the field and Dr Kissinger's vision of large-scale interoperable datasets driving novel discoveries....
09.01.2022
EP 84: Mark Kotter, CEO, and Founder of bit.bio, on creating every cell type and kickstarting a cell therapy revolution
Doctors have been transplanting organs for decades, but can we transplant reprogrammed stem cells to rejuvenate the human body? This week Patrick discusses transcriptional reprogramming, and bit.bio's opti-ox technology that has the potential to create every cell type and help...
08.11.2022
EP 83: Daphne Koller, Founder & CEO of Insitro - Integrating machine learning and biology at scale to reimagine drug discovery
About this Episode: This week’s guest, Daphne Koller, is the Founder and CEO of Insitro - a company shifting the paradigm of new drug discovery using predictive models. Patrick and Daphne talk about why she founded Insitro, how to create unified...
07.13.2022
EP 82: Lessons from the world's largest genomic datasets with Daniel MacArthur, Director of the Centre for Population Genomics.
This week’s guest, Daniel MacArthur, is the Director of the Centre for Population Genomics at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and Murdoch Children's Research Institute. Daniel and Patrick discuss the impact of large-scale genetic datasets on patient diagnosis and...
06.29.2022
EP 81: Cracking the druggable genome with Dietrich Stephan, Founder and CEO of NeuBase Therapeutics
This week Patrick is joined by Dietrich Stephan, Founder and CEO of NeuBase Therapeutics. They discuss how to overcome the challenges of ’un-druggable’ diseases, how Neubase is cracking the druggable genome using its scalable technology, and how biotech companies are...

What's The Genetics Podcast about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Genetics Podcast episodes:

EP 130: Quarterly insights into noncoding variants and GWAS with Dr. Veera Rajagopal

EP 129: Patient advocacy for genetic ALS and FTD with Jean Swidler, Executive Director of End the Legacy

EP 128: Parkinson’s disease and precision medicine with Drs. James Beck and Ignacio Mata

EP 127: Insights into precision medicine, fatty liver disease, and minimally invasive diagnostic tools with Dr. Mazen Noureddin

EP 126: Patient-led research for ultra-rare disease drug development with Julia Taravella, Executive Director of Rare Trait Hope Fund

EP 125: The future of UK Clinical Trial Policy: Innovation, integration, and game-changing legislation with Lord James O’Shaughnessy

EP 124: How ReCode Therapeutics is pioneering tissue specific delivery of gene therapies for Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia with John Matthews

EP 123: The ethics of newborn genome screening: Actionable insights and beyond with Holly Peay, Senior Research Scientist at the Research Triangle Institute

EP 122: Building genome-scale engineered cells for biotechnology with Leslie Mitchell, Co-founder and CEO of Neochromosome

EP 121: Breakthroughs and insights in ALS research with Dr. Michael Benatar

EP 120: Exploring the frontiers of gene therapy and AAVs with Dr. Nicole Paulk, CEO and Founder of Siren Biotechnology

EP 119: Revolutionising drug discovery: how the Pharma Proteomics Project is combining genetic and proteomic data with Chris Whelan

EP 118: The role of genetics in drug discovery and development with Dr. Matt Nelson

EP 117: Wendy Chung: whole genome newborn screening and other big opportunities in genomic medicine.

EP 116: Genetics and Medicine: Clonal hematopoiesis, genomics in healthcare, and a new discovery in APOL1 kidney disease with Dr. Alex Bick

EP 115: The Biggest Stories of 2023 with Dr. Veera Rajagopal (Part 2)

EP 114: The Biggest Stories of 2023 with Dr. Veera Rajagopal (Part 1)

EP 113: Harnessing human genetics to discover co-evolved small molecule medicines with Dr. Jason Park, CEO of Empress Therapeutics

EP 112: Making the leap: the scientists collaborating to transform genetic targets into next generation treatments, with David Ochoa

EP 111: Combining human and machine intelligence in protein engineering with Dr. James Field, CEO of LabGenius

EP 110: Educating the next generation of genomics talent, and the intersection of genetics and environment in cancer with Barbara Kraatz Fortini

EP 109: From the Archives: Professor Sir Rory Collins on the Origins and Future of the UK Biobank

EP 108: Drug Development in Liver Disease: Breakthroughs, Challenges, and Insights with Dimitar Tonev

EP 107: Integrating Genomics and Individualised Medicine into the Mayo Clinic Healthcare System with Dr. Konstantinos Lazaridis

Ep 106: The Colliding World of Rare and Common Disease Genetics with Caroline Wright, Professor of Genomic Medicine at Exeter University

EP105: Warren Huff, CEO and Chairman of Reata Pharmaceuticals, shares perspectives on provocative biology and the development of treatments for rare diseases

EP104: Assessing the clinical utility of Polygenic Risk Scores in cancer screening with Professor Clare Turnbull

EP103: Gene Writing with Tessera Therapeutics CEO, Dr. Mike Severino

EP102: Dr. Marco Schmidt, founder and Chief Scientific Officer of BioTx.ai, on how to use artificial intelligence and machine learning in genomics research

EP101: Fostering international progress towards personalised medicine with Dr. Bettina Lundgren, CEO of the Danish National Genome Center

EP100: Decoding DNA and engineering biology: perspectives on the future of genomics with Dr. Matthew Hurles, Director of the Wellcome Sanger Institute.

EP99: Exploring the frontiers of cancer research with Dr. Harold E Varmus

EP 98: Cancer, ageing, and somatic mutation variation across mammals with Alex Cagan (Wellcome Sanger Institute)

EP 97: Proteomics deep dive with Cindy Lawley (Olink)

EP 96: CEO of Montai Health, Margo Georgiadis, talks the intersection of nature and AI

EP 95: Resharing Eric Topol on how Machine Learning & AI can Contribute to the Future of Healthcare

EP 94: Alnylam’s Dr Paul Nioi on how genetics is used in drug target discovery

EP 93: International Perspectives on Access to Genetic Testing in ALS

EP 92: Four Predictions for 2023

EP 91: 2022 Genetics Round-up with Dr Veera Rajagopal

EP 90: Patient-centric drug development in ALS with Ronald van der Geest, Chief Development Officer of Treeway

EP 89: Baroness Nicola Blackwood on the UK's leading role in delivering 'genomic healthcare for everyone'

EP 88: Precision oncology: how Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) is powering care today and the treatments of the future with Christine Ward (Takeda) and Geoff Oxnard (Foundation Medicine)

EP 87: Representation Matters: Why equitable access and community engagement are critical in genetic research

EP 86: Heidi Rehm PhD, Chief Genomics Officer at Massachusetts General Hospital on curating and collaborating genomic datasets to guide the future of diagnostic and clinical research

EP 85: Dr Jessica Kissinger on large-scale parasite genomics and the power of multi-omic data

EP 84: Mark Kotter, CEO, and Founder of bit.bio, on creating every cell type and kickstarting a cell therapy revolution

EP 83: Daphne Koller, Founder & CEO of Insitro - Integrating machine learning and biology at scale to reimagine drug discovery

EP 82: Lessons from the world's largest genomic datasets with Daniel MacArthur, Director of the Centre for Population Genomics.

EP 81: Cracking the druggable genome with Dietrich Stephan, Founder and CEO of NeuBase Therapeutics