17 Minutes of Science

Britt is a postdoc in Erik Jorgensen's lab at the University of Utah after joining in October 2021. The lab studies the molecular basis of synaptic transmission, focusing on the mechanisms of synaptic vesicle fusion and synaptic vesicle regeneration, her research uses C. elegans. Britt earned her PhD in May 2020 from the University of Leeds which focussed on modeling single amino acid variants in the ryanodine receptor in C. elegans.

Jordan Shavit is a professor of Pediatrics and Human Genetics, and the Henry and Mala Dorfman Family Professor at the University of Michigan. Dr. Shavit’s research interests are the genetics of hematologic and cardiovascular diseases, including hemophilia and bleeding disorders, as well as excessive clotting, such as myocardial infarction, stroke, and deep vein thrombosis. He has used genome editing to produce mutations in the relevant pathways, with the surprising finding that fish tolerate disturbances that are embryonic lethal in mammals. Dr. Shavit is Vice President/President-Elect of the Hemostasis and Thrombosis Research Society, a recent chair of the Megakaryocyte and Platelet Scientific Subcommittee of the American Society of Hematology, and co-chair of the Hematology Research Interest Group of the Zebrafish Disease Models Society.

In Episode 67 of 17 Minutes of Science, we are joined by Dr. Gabriel Bossé. Gabriel Bossé is currently a postdoctoral fellow with Randall Peterson at the University of Utah. Prior to joining the Peterson lab, Gabriel did his graduate studies at the University of Laval in Quebec City with Martin Simard, where he studied the regulations of the micro RNA pathways with the nematode C. elegans. After completing his PhD, he was interested in developing novel behavior based assays to study neuronal function and disease modeling. He chose to join the Peterson lab with the hope of combining such assays with unbiased screening approaches such as small molecule screening. Given the ongoing crisis with opioid abuse, he set out to develop the first self administration model using the zebrafish model. This unique assay allows him to study the impact of different small molecules on opioid seeking and to investigate important biological pathways regulating this behavior.

In Episode 66 of 17 Minutes of Science, we are joined by Dr. Marius Galyan of Galyan Bio to talk about how he is pioneering the next generation of drug discovery. Dr. Galyan is a trained neurologist with a PhD in molecular oncology from the University of Munich. In his academic career in Saint Gallen, Switzerland, he led CNS clinical trials in Multiple sclerosis with a main focus on cognitive impairment.

In episode 65 of 17 Minutes of Science, we sat down with our very own Dr. Chris Hopkins. Chris is the Chief Scientific Officer here at InVivo Biosystems and is actively involved with customer projects and communications. Chris pioneered the commercialization of C. elegans transgenics at his previous company, Knudra, which he cofounded in 2009. In 2017, Chris joined the InVivo Biosystems team as CSO when Knudra was acquired by InVivo Biosystems (FKA NemaMetrix). As a scientist turned entrepreneur, he now pioneers the application of humanized animal models for discoveries in personalized medicine and natural products. Tune in to this episode to learn more from Chris about his career arc and hear his advice on how to make science your career one you are passionate about - whether it is academia, industry, or entrepreneurship.

Tune in to episode 64 of 17 Minutes of Science as we talk with Dr. Deborah Kurrasch about her recent paper and why she enjoys working with zebrafish so much!

Dr Deborah Kurrasch is a Professor in the Department of Medical Genetics at the University of Calgary and a Scientist in the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute and the Hotchkiss Brain Institute. Dr Kurrasch’s research is focused on characterizing the genetic programs that govern hypothalamic development, and how exposure to environmental chemicals changes these programs, using zebrafish, mice and human brain organoids as model organisms. Her lab has also developed a novel drug screening platform to uncover therapies for children with refractory epilepsy. Her work is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, and Canadian Foundation for Innovation, among other Foundations.

Dr Kurrasch received her PhD in Molecular Pharmacology from Purdue University and conducted two postdoctoral fellowships, one at the University of Texas – Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and one at the University of California – San Francisco. Dr Kurrasch has received various awards for her scholarly work and supervision of graduate students, most recently receiving the ASTech Women in Innovation award, 2021.

Tune in to episode 63 as we talk with Alicia McConnell about Camp Zon, a two week research opportunity for high schoolers to get real-life experience working in a research lab. High schoolers get to experience all stages of the research process, from designing their experiment and collecting data to analyzing and presenting their findings. The goal of the program is to encourage more students to pursue STEM carers by getting them a positive and fun lab experience before they've reached college.

Join us for episode 62 of 17 minutes of Science as we talk with Dr. Jagan Srinivasan from Worcester Polytechnic Institute about his recently published paper using C. elegans to identify a sex-specific behavior.

For episode 61 of 17 Minutes of Science we are joined by Dr. Zahra Kashi of Kashi Clinical Laboratories. Dr. Kashi joined us first in May of 2020 to talk about how Kashi Clinical Laboratories had responded to COVID by quickly incorporating COVID testing into their lab and becoming one of the largest test providers in Oregon. Now, a year and a half later, Dr. Kashi is joining us once again to talk about what has changed, what hasn't, and looking forward

Join us for episode 60 of 17 Minutes of Science as we talk with Dr. Adam Saunders, one of our own scientists at InVivo Biosystems. Dr. Saunders joins us to talk more about his work with our longevity services, his role in developing the Longevity platform, and why C. elegans make an ideal model for this area of research.